For the love of Italian food
I don’t end up eating at five star hotels very often.
I find the ambience too formal, the atmosphere too sterile and the staff too
obsequious to enjoy. Also, my desk job doesn’t pay me well enough to afford
these places on a regular basis. To be completely fair to this kind of
establishment, sometimes that money can buy you the kind of ingredients and
culinary expertise that a stand alone restaurant can’t afford. Prego at the
Westin doesn’t win on all counts but when it comes to food, these guys are
using their superpowers for good.
LOOKS LIKE
Prego has that clean lines, metallic accents,
minimalistic chic thing going that doesn’t really capture my imagination. It looks
(and is) expensive and I guess this is intentional. I wish they’d carried the cliché
through and stuck with neutral colors – I found the liberal use of red and
orange oppressive. I visited in the evening and sat indoors but there’s also an
outdoor area which would be very pretty during the day.
TASTES LIKE
If I’m able to describe the food accurately you
should be very hungry by the end of the next few paragraphs. The meal starts with
a gorgeous chunk of just baked bread, warm out of the oven and drizzled with
olive oil served with a sweet, salt tomato sauce pounded roughly so there are little
crunches of fresh tomato when you bite in. The Gamberi Aglio E Olio (Prawns sautéed in Garlic, Chilli, Grated Zucchini
and Cherry Tomatoes) is a platter full of succulent, impeccably cooked
prawn heavily doused with garlic. They don’t skimp on their portions and I didn’t
have much of an appetite left but I soldiered on knowing I was flanked by a
hungry brother who can usually eat at least twice his weight.
The Arrabiatta
(Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Garlic and Parsley) was a revelation – I’ve
never had an arrabiatta so simple.The tomato and parsley were so
fresh that the addition of garlic, salt and pepper was all that was needed to
make an incredible dish. The sauced up, super seasoned version of the
arrabiatta I’ve been eating so far seemed gauche and artificial in comparison.
The Pollo Allo Spiedo (Roasted Chicken,
Black Truffle, Asparagus with Roasted Potato) is pieces of plump chicken
cooked faultlessly with the delicate flavor of truffle permeating the meat. It isn’t
for the fainthearted though, the portion was much much too large for me.
The Tiramisu
was much better than what I’m used to but still a little too creamy for me. I’d
have liked more sponge to balance out all the mascarpone. The Zuccotto All Cioccolata (Prego’s Famous Mud
Pie) was a shocking disappointment after the track record Prego had been
setting. It felt oddly like a scoop of ice cream rolled around in Oreo crumbs.
The crumbs were too dry, the flavors not properly balanced and the ice cream
watery.
FEELS LIKE
The staff was enthusiastic and prompt – considering
the technical complexity of the menu it must be difficult to become
familiar with it.
THINGS YOU
NEED TO KNOW
Should you go: Definitely!
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Liquor License: Yes
Smoking Area: Yes
Address: The Westin, Mindspace IT Park, Madhapur,
Hyderabad
Phone: 040 67676828
1 comment:
It's really nice blog. I also like all the features of the restaurants.I always like to share with my reviews about this restaurants.
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