The time had come, I was ready and my stomach was rumbling. This would be my first visit to Jamie’s Italian to sample what all the fuss has been about over the last couple of years, and which has meant it has been impossible to find a table ever since.

Such has been its success, that a year after it opened, it was extended to cope with demand. As a result, I expected to be able to find a table at the time I wanted.

But to my consternation the queue was once again backing down Oxford’s George Street. Perhaps it never went away, I just hadn’t noticed.

I stood for a while surrounded by eager would-be diners, clearly there for the long haul, in anticipation of Mr Oliver’s delights. This added to the occasion, it seemed.

Not for me. Standing in the street on a cold afternoon is not my idea of fun. I have queued for Italian meals before, most notably at the celebrated Francesca’s in Newcastle upon Tyne, but at least there you are inside, you can order wine while you wait, and the waiters meet and greet you like old friends, rather than some bloke ticking off a list.

After five minutes I stepped away and assessed my options. And if I wanted Italian in George Street I was not short of them.

Yards away from Jamie’s is Bella Italia, while up the road is the newly refurbished Ask Italian, and down the other side are Zizzi and, of course, Pizza Hut. Just how many people want to eat Italian, I wondered to myself.

But another new kid on the block (literally) is Fire & Stone. We wandered up to look at the menu and were recognised by the hostess from a previous visit to Villandry in Bicester Village.

Ushered inside with smiles and pleasantries, we were taken downstairs to cool, very modern surroundings with low lighting and a central pillar featuring a fire.

A far cry from the traditional rustic Italian but, nonetheless, I felt very comfortable.

With all this messing about I was very hungry indeed by now and we quickly ordered starters. I noticed an old favourite of mine, calamari, which fitted the bill perfectly.

The traditional rings were not as crispy as I like them, but otherwise tasty and nicely offset by tartare sauce and a portion of rocket. They went well with the Araldica Cortese dry white wine which I had ordered.

Meanwhile, the crispy wonton king prawns, with soy, ginger and chilli dipping sauce across the table were also well received.

What had slightly alarmed me about Fire & Stone was that you can only have pizza or a salad for main course. When I eat Italian, I often opt for a pasta dish, so I was a little apprehensive.

But I need not have worried. The range of pizzas is huge and is actually split into five different continents, making it a very different experience from the normal four seasons or margarita.

We decided to share offerings from the Africa and Asia sections.

The Marrakech came with cumin spiced ground lamb, mozzarella, mint yoghurt sauce, green olives, raisins and sliced red onion.

My partner asked for it without chilli oil but, as it was already on the table, this did not matter. And it was a very tasty combination which seemed a natural partner to the crispy pizza base.

The other side of the plate was occupied by a Peking which combined shredded duck with hoisin sauce, cucumber and spring onions. Again an excellent combination, proving the versatility of the pizza.

Just to add further confusion to this fusion of global cusine we shared a Greek side salad which was deliciously fresh.

By now I had completely forgotten my queuing in the cold outside Jamie’s. If I had remembered, I would have stepped oustide and encouraged a few more people to come into Fire & Stone, although it wasn’t short of custom across its spacious two floors.

The atmosphere was relaxed, the service excellent and we enjoyed a chat with general manager Gabriel Vargas.

The meal finished with a chocolate brownie and waffles which provided a sweet way to round off a meal which had been surprisingly good.

We returned a few days later to enjoy a very quick pizza and take advantage of some excellent discounts available online, and there is no doubt Fire & Stone will become a regular haunt.

Jamie’s will just have to wait a bit longer . . .