DeGroots 'Best Restaurants of Australia' - Rita Erlich, December, 2007

"A year after it opened to as much media coverage as the Olympics, Fifteen – as seen on television – has turned into a pretty good restaurant. It does remarkable things like work with disadvantaged kids to train them in the hospitality industry, but there’s much more to the restaurant than just benevolent intentions. Tobie Puttock is the executive chef here (you can buy his and Jamie Oliver’s books near the bar), and Dan Kranjcic is in the kitchen with those in training. The menu is written daily, according to what’s looking good. That’s a real challenge, and most of the time it’s met well.

The format is simple: four entrees, four pasta dishes, four mains, and desserts (plus cheese and a tasting plate). There’s also a two-course lunch special, chosen from the lunch menu from Monday to Thursday. Things can be a bit slow, but the mood is cheerful and professional in the smart dining room with its gorgeous curved marble bar. The wine list is a wine lover’s delight, with lots by the glass and a lengthy cocktail list. The selection of whiskies and cognac is impressive, too. Not up for a big meal? Sit at the bar with a cocktail and nibble on something from the blackboard."

The Age – Epicure - September, 2006

"From the best seat in the house, the kitchen performance of last Friday night’s show is priceless. Fresh pasta is being made to order, ensuring one of the chef’s signature dishes, a raviolo filled with ricotta, parsley and a runny egg yolk, will taste sublime. The dining room is quietly buzzing with a night full of expectations. There’s even a baby experiencing quite possibly her first night out — in years to come, she will be able to say: “I was there the night Fifteen Melbourne opened.”

The concept is brilliantly simple: train underprivileged youngsters aged between 16 and 24 — former drug addicts, the homeless, the hurt and angry, the unemployed and seemingly unemployable — then turn them in to budding chefs with a sense of purpose. Cooking, Jamie emphatically believes, can change your life. The approach is two-pronged. The Fifteen Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation, oversees all aspects of the traineeships from education to welfare and support."

Veda Wickens - Best Restaurants - November 2006

"After much hype and anticipation this not-for-profit charity organisation is finally open for business.

Originating in London in 2002 under the watchful eye of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, the ‘Fifteen’ phenomenon has finally made its way to our fair shores. Close mate and former head chef of Fifteen London, Tobie Puttock, takes the Aussie reigns, bringing with him a passion for all things Italian. Some of Jamie’s signature dishes from Fifteen London appear on the menu, where the emphasis is on utilising quality seasonal produce and preparing it simply to create the best in modern Italian dining.

At lunchtime an a la carte menu is offered where the daily changing options might include an entree of sardine fillets with lemon zest, fennel tops, pine nuts and chilli with a fennel and blood orange salad, or a main of grilled leg of Rutherglen free-range lamb with braised greens, smashed cannelini beans and anchovy rosemary sauce. A dinner tasting menu is offered in the evenings where, for $90 a head, guests are treated to a six course degustation that might include tagliatelle with rabbit ragu, olives, rosemary and parmesan, or pan-roasted Tasmanian salmon, marinated spring vegetables and black olive sauce (and if you’re lucky a dessert of Vialano nano tiramisu, a little twist on the traditional, with crostoli). A wine package is offered for $60 per head."