28 June,2013 12:33 AM IST | | Dhara Vora
There's no dearth of good Italian cuisine restaurants in the city - whether you are in Bandra or Ghatkopar. To add to this ever-growing list of handmade pasta and stone oven baked pizza-making eateries is Ristoranté Prego at Nariman Point.u00a0This newly-opened eatery, which has an outlet in Delhi, is run by the same guys who operate Haagen-Dazs in India.
Tropical Treasure
We visited the restaurant mid-week, and were surprised to notice a packed house that comprised of post-work corporates keen to chill over a glass of wine and creamy pasta. Our first order was Feta and Pepper Quinoa Balls served with Citrus Salad and Tomato Coulis (Rs 275).
Stuffed Chicken, Feta
The quinoa and feta cheese mix made for an appetising start. However the citrus salad was plain lettuce leaves laid on tough multi-grain bread with a stingy sprinkle of glazed lemon rind shavings.
Pepper Quinoa Balls. Pics/Dhara Vora
We skipped the cocktails and ordered the Tropical Treasure (Rs 225), a yoghurt based beverage. The iced-laden drink was a parched diner's delight, though from the ingredients -- pineapple juice mentioned in the menu, was missing and orange juice had been substituted with sweet lime juice. The end result was delicious, so we couldn't complain.
Next, we chose Fettuccini, Asparagus and Creamy Alfredo served with Garlic Rolls (Rs 350) and a Mixed Meat (Rs 395) thin crust pizza. By the time our order arrived, we were convinced to not believe what the menu states. The pasta and alfredo sauce tasted good. Then again, we were wondering by now if Prego considers two pieces of bread with pesto on it as the promised garlic roll; besides, the chicken on the pizza wasn't smoked as mentioned. With pieces of pepperoni and chorizo, the pizza wasn't any better than the usual Pepperoni pizza. They must deliver as far as side orders are concerned, especially if it is mentioned on the menu.
For the mains, we went the non-vegetarian route and opted for Stuffed Chicken with Red Wine and Thyme Scented Jus (Rs 395). Served on a bed of creamy risotto rice, the chicken had a delicious stuffing of spinach. The jus on the side did not taste of thyme - it was more like the flavouring one finds in instant noodles. When we plumbed for Blueberry Cheesecake (Rs 225), we noticed that our attendants took it to the kitchen to confirm if it really was a cheesecake. Though it wasn't exactly great to look at, it tasted yum.
With the taxes added to the final bill (with a wrongly charged 20% VAT on our yoghurt drink) Ristoranté Prego coughs up a steep Italian indulgence. However, with the full house that we noticed, they'd better pay attention to little but minor important details such as the dips and sauces on the side to make a serious foodie do an encore.
