On this very day, not many restaurants or eateries can
survive for more than a decade of business operation while remaining authentic when flavours and taste comes into first consideration especially
an Italian restaurant is being run and operated in such a food diversity
culture city like in Kuala Lumpur.
PREGO is no stranger for those who already know and opt
for the refined Italian flavor. Seeking a real fine Italian restaurant in Kuala
Lumpur can be somewhat of a challenge, for an Italian or Mediterranean
restaurant that serves genuine cuisines from their very own region in which
fresh ingredients are the absolute must, and not just delivering the taste origin but also
paying homage to its infamous culinary traditions.
The Multi-level “Restorante Italiano” with a stone
“Terrazza” at the Westin Kuala Lumpur, PREGO opened its doors over a decade ago with
an enhanced view of the bustling street of Bukit Bintang. A relaxed and casual setting of PREGO’s interior
comes to life with its duplex level ceiling high open kitchen, where live cooking
action is expected to be seen and mainly draws the attention of diners who
request for the tables closer to it. The next best alternative is sitting on the
upper deck section with more intimate seating arrangements of the restaurant by
overlooking down stair’s chaos as well as the full view of the entire kitchen.
Another highlight of the kitchen is the mosaic pizza oven,
it was specially built to cater for its gourmet woodfired pizzas, not only
being the centre piece of the entire open kitchen in the heart of the
restaurant but also contrasting the neat and distinct raw industrial alike
kitchen setting with modern amenities. Two dark giant pillars also split up the
restaurant with different sections and accompanied by beautiful solid marble
table tops surrounded with orange and mustard yellow chairs juxtaposing the eastern
oriental hanging lanterns that add a charming mood to the ambience.
PREGO serves a casual dining menu with a majority of an
Italian restaurant must-have and relish in fresh, delicious and well-crafted Italian specialties. Our wait staff Ezen has his knowhow when it comes to
service, not only introducing us to the house specialties that will not disappoint
but also his courtesy in listening to what the customer needs in which most
restaurants service seems to be forgotten.
Ezen recommended us to start with the <Carpaccio di manzo con rucola, parmigiano & tarufo>. The thin sliced beef fillet served raw and lightly topped with extra virgin olive oil and pepper and a bed of tossed rocket salad with parmigiano cheese and sliced truffles are simply appetizing. This is also one of the many classic starters for a fine Italian meal and we had it with a refreshing Pinot Gris.
The next dish came to the table was the reknown PREGO wood-fired pizza. We chose the signature <PREGO> pizza to share – tomato sauce, mozzarella, barbeque, glazed lobster, red onion jam and olive. Warm and steamy when it was brought to the table, one should never hesitate to enjoy the pizza with bare hands, as when we gently pulled the thin crust, the light crispness can be heard while the cheese was still lingering in the air with the warm toppings on it. Despite the glazed lobster that sits on the dough with the red onion jam being a little too moist, yet the combination of both ingredients with other toppings was just right and not overpowering each other and delighted our palate with joy.
We like to have a pasta dish before the meat dish. The extra long tagliatelle <Vongole> was lightly tossed with Cloudy Bay diamond clams, garlic, parsley, chili and white wine sauce. The clams were removed from the shell and we expected the tagliatelle to be done al-dente yet it was still a little hard and raw in texture instead. We couldn’t taste much of the garlic nor the spiciness of the chili despite it was being requested for additional chili to be added to this dish. A little disappointed on how small the serving was, as well as the presentation lacking in stimulation.
However, our secondi di carne was the real champion of our entire afternoon dining experience. Ezen recommended us for a must-try <Costata di Manzo Wagyu>. A 1.2 kilo hunk of a huge (the smallest size on the day) Australian Wagyu Tomahawk that was grilled over 40 minutes to perfection. A medium rare to medium is the best way to enjoy such a premium cut of meat accompanied by potato wedges and grilled seasonal vegetables. No sauce is required for such a beautiful prime cut and a light dash of sea salt and pepper would make it a perfect mouth full with a semi to full bodied Pinot Noir to finish. This is absolute heaven for meat eaters.
You can't leave the table without having any dessert when
you dine in an Italian restaurant and PREGO’s <Crostatina della nonna ai
frutti di bosco> will not disappoint. This traditional grandma’s recipe of
warm berries “crumble” served with strawberry ice cream is to die for. The
soft and hard texture with the warm and cold palette from both the floury
crumble and strawberry ice-cream accompanied by fresh blueberry is the best way
to end a rustic yet sumptuous Italian trattoria lunch. 5 dishes for 2 persons
to share may sound a little extravagant yet who could resist such a
culinary feast that was prepared with such passion and more importantly they know
how to please.
Sometimes, we do have a saying when it comes to dining at a
restaurant that you know well instead of heading to the unknown that was
without any warning nor recommendation by some connoisseur friends of your to avoid
any disappointment. Especially you know that it is not just a regular occasion that
you would like to enjoy with your best company, as PREGO certainly has the ability
to please or at least to pamper yourself without any worries.
Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 3.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Value For Money: 4.5/5
Experience: 4.5/5
Highlights:
Costata di Manzo Wagyu
The Westin Kuala Lumpur
Level G, 199, Jalan Bukit Bintang
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2731 8333
Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.
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