Sunday Brunch @ Prego, Swissotel

Italian.
Sunday Brunch.
Prego.
Foodie in tow.

That pretty much sealed the deal for me. Prego's service has long been criticized and nitpicked and Italian food has been raved about, so it was a matter of time that I checked this place out. Their Sunday Brunch is so popular reservations are highly recommended. Arriving slightly before 12, there was already a crowd of people waiting to enter and clearly, they were quite booked for the weekend.





The encounter with Prego started off slightly rough..

First I had my name mispronounced not once, not twice...almost three. Is it not amusing when the person mispronounces, you correct...she still mispronounces but does it in such a certain manner, I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry.

Second, the certain courteous service was surely lacking even at the door. We were almost commanded into the restaurant rather than warmly welcomed.

Third, the table we were shown was in a corner but with rocky chairs. Thankfully they swopped them for us.



The banner outside announcing the annual Beef Ball Pasta eating competition.



Walk in and be greeted with a dessert and juice counter!



Then the salads...



Still at the starters...



More of them...



The neverending range of appetizers.



Finally some hot food! Pizzas...fresh from the oven, baked before your very eyes.



Pasta station to load on all the carbs!



A children's activity corner whilst daddies and mommies tuck into their hearty brunch. The kids are treated to a separate menu altogether.



Packed to the brim.



All ready.



Salt and Pepper shakers..

Most of the dishes I've tried to capture the names correctly to the best of my ability, otherwise I've listed them according to memory. ;)

STARTERS




Salad bar with lettuce, anchovies, bacon bits, croutons, red bean-chick pea salad, preserved gherkins, roasted walnuts and sauces (balsamic vinegar/thousand island)

Of the lot, the red bean-chick pea salad was good, the beans were not overcooked, still retaining most of its bite. I stole a bite of the preserved anchovy, overly salty. Preserved whole gherkins were crunchier than those found in sandwiches.


Salmon Mousse Tartlette and Prego's Traditional Sauces

The egg roe topping the tartlette tasted like cod liver oil when popped, the salmon mousse was a tad salty, the tart was delicious though.

Ham Selection

On the bland side.

Preserved Salad (Cauliflower/Corn/Asparagus)

Like achar minus the punch.

Saffron with Green Pea Risotto and Smoked Duck

Sticky round grains of rice whose description sounded better than it tasted. Overall bland, hardly tasted the smoked duck.

Traditional Tuscan Bread and Tomato Salad with White Anchovy Fillets and House grown Basil

This dish came across too soggy, largely attributed to the tomato salad.

Potato and Chorizo Sausage Salad with Mustard Dressing

The Chorizo Sausage (smoked fermented sausage) was dry and tasteless, tasted more like a garnishing than focus of the dish.

Citrus Salad with Preserved Cabbage

The cabbage was well preserved, juicy and not too sour! Adored the idea of pairing oranges with this.

Soup (Minestrone)

Did not try this.



Complimentary bread was given with a portion of salsa. Neatly tucked in its jacket which failed to contain the warmth.



A huge bread roulade.




Crispy on the outside, warm and chewy within...dipped in the cold salsa..simple yet soooo delicious. I tried to save it for later consumption but the warmth and toasty bread turned cold so very quickly.



Seafood (Oysters/Mussels/Prawns)

Fresh succulent seafood.

Cous Cous with Green Pea and Prawn

Not a fan of cous cous, overall bland for me.

Tuna Salad with Citrus Fruits

The crimson hue of the chewy lightly seared tuna with orange was marvellous. Did wonders whetting the appetite.

Veal in Tuna Sauce

Did not disappoint, the veal was sliced so finely but had a nice bite to it.

Insalata Caprese

Buffalo cheese is much like tofu, not as pungent as its distant cousins i.e cheddar or brie to say the least.

Parma Ham with Melon (Rock Melon and Honey Dew)

The melons were juicy and sweet, was a savoury-sweet treat otherwise!



Smoked Salmon (3 types)

They had smoked salmon in three degrees of done-ness. No huge liking towards either but the slivers of well marinated smoked salmon were yummy.

Pasta Salad

Penne was undercooked.

Tempura Oyster

The salsa it was soaking in made it soggy, the oyster still retained its plump and chewy texture though.

Grilled Zucchini and Peppers
Egg Omelette

Both were more bland than bland.




Roast Beef with Mustard

You can choose your level of doneness from the wagon. I liked how tender and juicy the roast beef was. A joy to eat.

Cured Pork Neck

Unlike our hawker roast pork, the skin was not crunchy, the pork neck full of fats...not quite a favourite of mine.

Pizza Selection (Cheese/Pepperoni/Seafood/Mushroom)

I should have just concentrated on the pizzas from the very start. These are freshly made and baked on the spot, baked in the traditional way and served almost immediately. These were hot favourites across all favourites. The molten cheese with thin crust...not much flavouring is needed, the pizzas tasted so good on its own! I reached a point (whilst waiting for the pasta), I stood there eating slices of pizza. The only downside, when the pizzas are cooled, the bread base gets a tad soggy. This came in a number of flavours, I only remember the sinful melted cheese that was simply, divine.



Done, pizzahut advert style...spot the threads of melted cheese!



Potato Mash with Rosemary

Not too bad, in all buttery goodness.

Steamed Egg with Green Pea and Bacon

I've this soft spot for eggs with orange yolks, the best of both worlds wanting a firm yolk with slight runnyness. The green pea gave this a sweet edge whilst the bacon balanced with the savoury...found this just alright.

Pan Seared Red Snapper in Salsa
Oven Baked Lamb Leg with Rosemary and Garlic Jus

Both did not leave much of an impression.

Braised Short Rib Beef in Red Wine

Tasty tender beef.

Roasted Baby Chicken in Spicy Sauce

I enjoyed this! The chicken drumstick was well marinated with spices, maintaining the firm bite of meat.

Sauteed Venus Clams in White Wine and Chilli

Another delight with yummy broth.

Vegetarian Lagsane

Slightly disappointed with this Italian dish, the pasta sheets were pasty but the sauce was good.




Cheeses (Gorgonzola/Brie/Cheddar) with Preserved Fruit, Cracker and Poached Pears

The cheese addict in me was having a field day dabbling in all sorts of cheeses, molten or solid...the cheese platter got me smiling. Poach pears gave this an added deliciousness.

Bread Selection

The initial wow from the warm bread served set the expectations high so the bread selection was severely lacking. The fruit-nut loaf seen above was more of a dry-pastry-bread with sugared nuts and fruits within. I chomped off the sweet bits and abandoned the rest.



Spaghetti Live Station (Cream/Tomato/Aglio Olio)

Seafood Fettucine Alfredo

Apart from the crystal prawns I did not fancy, cream based pasta worked marvellously for me. Neat job by the pasta chef! I'm not a huge fan of carbonara because it gets jelard but Prego mastered it with such precision....tres impressed. The cream gravy is so drinkable, I stole slurps of it. Ribbons of pasta twirled round my fork with a clam on top, it brought great smiles.



Fettucine Aglio Olio

Comparatively, this paled...not to say it was bad...the pasta was well oiled, the even layer of oil, herb and garlic...



Lime Meringue Tart

Commendable tart but the meringue failed terribly.

Fruit Pizza

Basically just fruits with custard on top a puff pastry which was unimpressionable.

Banana Creme Brulee

Surprisingly bad, coming from Prego. The creme brulee curdled together forming a firm curd with air bubbles.

Hot Peach Strudel

Not too bad, in fact I liked this from the range of desserts. The crunchy crumbles that was scattered on top.

Fried doughstick with Raspberry Compote

The doughstick came across as "lao hong", lacking in bite. The dip was nice, not spectacular.

Raspberry Jelly Cake

Not a fan, if I can even put a finger to a specific taste.

Apricot Semolina Pudding

One of those hot desserts that was not impressionable.



Citrus Rum Baba

Wiki says it's a small yeast cake saturated in liquor, usually rum and sometimes filled with whipped cream or pastry cream. For me, it was a airy puffed up fried bread with lots of holes and very soggy.

Raspberry with Italian Meringue
Pistachio Panna Cotta

Good to look at, yuck to eat. That's the impression I have of shooters and sure enough, that was the case.



Tiramisu

Prego's tiramisu is arguably the best I've eaten. For once, Tiramisu is not soaked. Well defined layers, this tiramisu is one of the lightest around. I'm already sold.

Cassata Profiterole

These were ordinary choux pastry and chocolate cream.

Freshly made Waffles with Strawberry and Raspberry

I was looking forward to toasty waffles but these were not fluffy but dense hard wheat waffles with a biscuity finish.


Vanilla and Chocolate Icecream

Both milky and dense. Was trying really hard to find those beautiful black specks. These came with a wide variety of add-ons (Marshmellows, almond flakes, sprinkles, gummies)



Children's Menu (Fries/Nuggets/Muffins/Ham Sandwich)

For the fun of it and sake of it..the children's menu is definitely a child pleaser. The muffins were sponge cake and were not the most palatable, sandwich ordinary...same goes for the fries and nuggets.



What's a smoothie brunch without smoothies? Plenty of them! Freshly squeezed juices too. I lost count the number of glasses down but one thing's for sure, I was nearly rolled out of the restaurant.



Green Apple, Red Apple, Dragon Fruit, Orange, Watermelon...shy of Papaya Juice. Green Apple was my favourite, I downed three glasses. :P



Smoothie attack!



Attempted Honeydew, Mango and Banana. Honeydew reigns for its fragrance and natural sweetness.

For once, I did not suffer the after effects of MSG after downing so many glasses of smoothies and juices. The juice counter was clearly a favourite amongst the diners, leaning over and placing your order and getting it almost straightaway. My first Italian Buffet and a note I've taken, go straight for the pizzas and pasta for the best experience. The other appetizers are not too outstanding for Prego. Desserts too, save for Tiramisu had more misses than hits. Service is pretentious, though not severely bad..which I attribute partly to the number of foreigners dining in.

Smoothie Brunch
$58++
Prego
Swissotel