Prego, The Westin Gurgaon: Restaurant Week India 2013

The concept of Restaurant Week India (RWI) is interesting. Popular restaurants & hotels come up with a set menu (with options for both vegetarians & non-vegetarians) at a special pricing. It is an inducement to those who haven’t tried a place to check it out. Of course, there would also be value seekers who may not be able to afford the place at normal pricing. Restaurants get lot of traffic along with feedback and opinion of much larger audience, making it a win-win proposition for all.

So while the Restaurant Week 2013 officially launches on 16^th Sep for Citibank card holders and 18^th Sep for others to last till 2^nd Oct’13, I am at Prego at Westin to preview their special menu for the event. This is my first visit to Prego and apart from the taste I have two queries in my mind – Would the portion size of a set 3-course meal be sufficient for an individual, and would the restaurant showcase some of its signature dishes or is it just a normal fare.

It just took me few moments to realise that though Prego is set-up in a star hotel, it is a fun dining place without much pretence. Brightly lit, casual (but attentive) servers, celebratory songs and clapping for birthdays and falling cutlery, and some really funny pranks, Prego certainly leaves a mark.

There is a starter, soup, main course and a dessert to be chosen from the restaurant week menu. Earl Grey Iced Tea was served to us as a welcome drink which the restaurant has decided to serve to all guests during the restaurant week. Against a normal iced tea, early grey gave it better flavours along with cranberry juice, mint & lemon. Chef recommended us to start with his favourite salad but I was more attracted towards the Crostone Siciliano. Beautifully sautéed fresh prawns, nicely flavoured with black olives, sundried tomato and pesto was served on crunchy toasted brown bread. The bread became a little soggy in the middle perhaps due to sprinkling of white wine but the flavours hit the right spot.

My vegetarian soup – Minestrone Genovese was a big portion of mixed vegetable soup including asparagus & zucchini, basil-y flavours coming from pesto and lightly sprinkled parmesan on top. It is not necessary to have pasta in soup, still I wanted few more small pasta in my soup which were rare and hard to find. Not too cheesy, the flavours were intact and I did finish more than half the bowl to keep place for the main course and dessert.

If I ever get an option of pork chops, I can never avoid it. The same happened with this menu. I chose grilled pork chops. A piece of nice grilled pork chop, pink from inside was served along with beautifully flavoured rosemary potatoes and berries sauce. This was an outstanding dish. Had the chef not told me that this is an Indian variety, the way it tasted, I would have easily taken it for an imported New Zealand pork chops. My dining partner went for seared sea bass fillet with asparagus risotto. This was again a marvellous dish. Only a great chef can cook the dish so well, while the risotto creamy al dante texture was a great accompaniment to the soft & juicy fish.

For dessert, chef’s milk pudding was my choice. It was a panna cotta lightly flavoured with vanilla pods. It tasted good on its own, but the blueberry sauce served along made it overly sweet. So we used just a touch of blueberry sauce along with the pudding and it was a great end to a wonderful meal.

Prego dispelled both my doubts on Restaurant Week India menu. Quantity is sufficient for a person and the menu does offer variety while showcasing signature dishes of the restaurant. Priced at Rs1000 for lunch and Rs1200 for dinner, I am sure the seats will be sold out as soon as the booking commence on www.restaurantweekindia.com.

The participating restaurants for Restaurant Week India 2013 are:

Bangalore:

1. Alto Vino, Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield, 8^th Road, EPIP Area
2. Azure, Vivanta by Taj – Yeshwantpur, Tumkur Road
3. Baluchi, The Lalit Ashok Bangalore, Kumara Krupa High Ground
4. Bene, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, Malleswaram-Rajajinagar
5. Benjarong, Ulsoor Road
6. Blue Ginger, The Taj West End, Race Course Road
7. Blue Terrain, Novotel Bengaluru Techpark, Marathahalli – Sarjapur Outer Ring Road
8. Caperberry, Dickenson Road
9. Dakshin, ITC Windsor, Windsor Square, Golf Course Road
10. Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs, ITC Windsor, Windsor Square, Golf Course Road
11. Ente Keralam, Ulsoor Road
12. Graze, Vivanta by Taj – M. G. Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road
13. Likethatonly, Hagadur Road, Whitefield
14. Masala Klub, The Taj West End, Race Course Road
15. Mezzaluna, Movenpick Hotel & Resorts, HMT Road
16. Olive Beach, Wood Street
17. Paranda, Vivanta by Taj – Yeshwantpur, Tumkur Road
18. Republic of Noodles, Lemon Tree Premier, Ulsoor Road
19. Shiro, UB City, Vittal Mallaya Road
20. Szechwan Court, The Oberoi Bangalore, Mahatma Gandhi Road
21. Teppan, Ulsoor Road
22. Terracotta, Vivanta by Taj – Whitefield, IITB, Whitefield

Delhi:

1. 19 Oriental Avenue, Shangri-la’s – Eros Hotel, Ashoka Road
2. B-Bar, Select City Walk, Saket
3. Dakshin, Sheraton New Delhi Hotel, Saket
4. Diva – The Italian Restaurant, M Block Market, Greater Kailash – 2
5. Diva Kitsch, Defence Colony
6. Eau de Monsoon, Le Meridien New Delhi, Windsor Place
7. Eest, The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi, Mahatama Gandhi Road, Sector 29
8. Guppy by Ai, Main Market, Lodhi Colony
9. Indian Accent, The Manor, Friends Colony (West)
10. K&K, WelcomHotel Dwarka, Sector 10, Dwarka
11. Kainoosh, DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj
12. Konomi, Trident Gurgaon, Udyog Vihar
13. La Riviera, Pullman Gurgaon Central Park. Mahtama Gandhi Road, Sector 26
14. Neung Roi, Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi, National Highway – 8
15. Olive Bar & Kitchen, Mehrauli
16. Pan Asian, Sheraton New Delhi Hotel, Saket
17. Prego, Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Sector 29
18. Rara Avis, M Block Market, Greater Kailash – 2
19. Sakura Gurgaon, Mahtama Gandhi Road, Sector 28
20. Sakura, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, Bangla Sahib Road
21. Sevilla, The Claridges, Aurangzeb Road
22. Shiro, Hotel Samrat, Chanakyapuri
23. Taipan, The Oberoi New Delhi, Dr Zakir Hussain Road
24. Travertino, The Oberoi New Delhi, Dr Zakir Hussain Road
25. Tres, Main Market, Lodhi Colony
26. Varq, The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road
27. Wildfire, Crowne Plaza Gurgaon, Site 2, Sector 29

Mumbai:

1. Aurus, Juhu Tara Road
2. Blue Frog, Lower Parel
3. Botticino, Trident Bandra Kurla, Bandra Kurla Complex
4. Dakshin Coastal, ITC Maratha, Sahar Andheri (E)
5. Ellipsis, Colaba
6. Hakkasan, Bandra (W)
7. India Jones, Trident Nariman Point, Nariman Point
8. Jyran, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, Bandra Kurla Complex
9. K&K, ITC Grand Central, Parel
10. Kebab Korner, The InterContinental Marine Drive – Mumbai, Marine Drive
11. Koh, The InterContinental Marine Drive – Mumbai, Marine Drive
12. Masala Bay, Taj Lands End, Bandstand, Bandra (W)
13. Maya, Trident Bandra Kurla, Bandra Kurla Complex
14. Ming Yang, Taj Lands End, Bandstand, Bandra (W)
15. Neel, Tote on the Turf, Mahalaxmi Race Course
16. Olive Bar & Kitchen, Bandra (W)
17. Olive Bar & Kitchen, Mahalaxmi Race Course
18. Pan Asian, ITC Maratha, Sahar Andheri (E)
19. San Qi, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, Worli
20. Shiro, Lower Parel
21. Two One Two – Bar & Grill, Worli
22. Vetro, The Oberoi Mumbai, Nariman Point
23. Yauatcha, Bandra Kurla Complex
24. Ziya, The Oberoi Mumbai, Nariman Point

Ratings:

Food: 4.0/5 | Ambience: 4.0/5 | Service: 4.5/5 | Overall: 4.0/5

Meal for two: Rs. 2400/- (Without alcohol) | Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes

Address: Prego, Westin Hotel, MG Road, Near IFFCO Chowk, Gurgaon | Phone: 0124-4977777