Prego @ Shanghai

Prego Italian Restaurant is a brandname I was really familiar with. I have been going to the one in Singapore since I was in school, and when the Fairmont was the Westin.

Prego is an in-house brand for Italian restaurant for The Westin. There’s almost a Prego in every Westin in Asia – KL, Singapore (which remained in Fairmont when the property owner gave up the licensing for Westin), Hong Kong, Mumbai, Guangzhou, and now Shanghai.

This bustling restaurant in Shanghai serves classic Italian food in a relaxed, homely feel. The Salerno-born chef pairs his family recipes with quality ingredients shipped from all over the world. And this one has the honour of a Michelin Plates recommendation.

The complimentary raisin bread was baked in their apple wood-fired oven. The bread was delicious and fluffy, and had a smokiness that can only come from wood fire ovens. This oven is also used for their pizzas made with dough fermented for 24 hours. Too bad this time I did not order any. Maybe next time.

Their classic Caesar salad was made with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh made croutons. The parmesan cheese was grated fresh onto the salad just before serving. The same salad is served for room service too, but you got to eat it fresh to see the difference.

The rustic minestrone had large chunks of vegetables in the clear vegetable stock base, The tomato came from fresh fruits and not passata. But for a restaurant level soup, this looked too much like leftover vegetables than a well-thought soup.

The prawn bisque was the disappointment of the dinner. Very runny.

All the pasta used in Prego were made in house. This pasta bolognese was not fresh. Perhaps this batch was made a day earlier. And it was not cooked al dente. The manager explained that Chinese clientele liked their pasta softer. But they should have asked what doneness we want. It could have been a real hit as the bolognese sauce hit the right spot.

Many recommended their steak. I would give it a miss as it came up cold and the meat was really dry. And when we asked for some sauce, it took them another 30 min, and by then the meat was completely cold.

Afterthoughts

I had many good memories of Prego, but this was not one of them. I would come and try their pizza. Otherwise, the other items on the menu were quite badly done. Maybe it was the chef’s off day. But so far I had many misses with Michelin’s recommendations in China.

Prego
2/F The Westin Bund Center Shanghai,
No.88 Henan Middle Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai China

Tel : +86 21 6335 1786

Date visited : Dec 2021

Michelin Shanghai Guide Plates 2019-2021