Dinner at Prego's Italian Restaurant

This was another remarkable recommendation by the good friend Damien* - after visitng Prego's for the first time, I went back at least thrice with different friends, simply because the Italian food was so good.

The address for Prego's is 80 Bras Basah Road, Level One, Fairmont Singapore Swissotel the Stamford, Singapore 189560, and for reservations do dial 6431 6156.

When one first enters the Italian Trattoria at the posh hotel's level one, they'd be struck by surprise at how simple and unostentatious the decor is - simple wooden furniture and an airy space of vibrant sophistication typical of an authentic Italian restaurant. The genial ambience warms one instantly, and the service crew is always friendly and polite.

Passing by the front of the restaurant, there is a huge display of Antipasti to tempt the diners - wide selection of cheese and Italian cured meats. We couldnt resist, and had to select some cheese assortment to kickstart a good, old-fashioned Italian meal.

I never understood what the fuss over Prego's bread was, until now. Huge and soft, served with an accompaniment of dips on the table to eat with (the dips consist of basil tomato, ricotta cheese with caramelized onion and ricotta cheese with black truffle) - it was a great start that we polished with relish.

We ordered the Golden Fried Calamari Rings - every bite was crispy succulence. Unlike some calamari rings where one could taste probably 70% flour and 30% squids, this was the reverse - the squids were there in flesh, for seafood lovers to savour. Being a squid lover, this definitely stole my heart.

Then the Mussels in White Wine Sauce - mouthwatering delicious. Fresh mussels filled with the essence of white wine - luscious to the tongue and delightfully-chewy.  It was tempting to order another serving.

Next, the King Prawn Risotto - jumbo marinated king prawns nestled on a bed of bright yellow, richly-flavored stracciatella embracing the delicious arborio rice. The harmony of different flavors was amazing - and the bouncy freshness of the prawns added to the enjoyment of this palatable rice dish.

Desserts and wine completed a perfect meal. We shared a Profiteroles with Gelato and a bottle of Bordeaux (very smooth).

The Profiteroles had a chewy crust like Chewy Junior's (for lack of a better comparison), filled the creamy chocolate custard inside. Coupled with redolent vanilla gelato, this dessert enters the lips like a dream and soothes the soul like a saint.

We spent SGD$110.00 each, on this dinner, a very worthy gastronomical investment.