Eatin in Kuala Lumpur - Prego's at The Westin

I have saved the best of this segment of posts on KL for last. Prego's at The Westin Hotel is reputed to be one of the best Italian Restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. I have eaten there a few times and always come away quite happy. Our recent visit was another satisfying experience.

The restaurant is located at the lobby level of the hotel, directly off the sidewalk. There is an al fresco area outside which is now more of a sisha corner, catering to the many Middle-Eastern tourists who flock to KL between June to August to escape the unbearable Summer heat back home.

The interior of the restaurant is modern and contemporary, with a lot of timber and earth tones giving it a warm and cozy touch. There is an open kitchen, and a wood-fired oven takes it's pride of place in one corner. The look is very similar to many of the modern restaurants around KL, but the food is what we came here for.

The test of a good restaurant is often in the bread. If they take the time and trouble to make good bread, you can be sure that the rest of the kitchen would have similar high standards. The bread here is really good. With a crispy crust and a spongy soft centre, it goes really well with the tomato dip. I also asked for some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which was even better with the bread. We asked for more and they gladly obliged.

For starters we ordered the Caesar Salad and Crab and Arborio Rice Cakes with Almond Aioli. The salad, with a poached egg and beef bacon, was really good. The Crab Cake was crispy on the outside and creamy smooth on the inside. It was basically a crab risotto which is breaded and deep fried. The crab filling was sweet and subtly perfumed with herb and spices. Very yummy !

For soup we had a Caciucco alla Livornese - a freshly cooked seafood soup. This was the best seafood soup I've ever had in KL. Sweet, rich and well-rounded flavours - perfectly balanced. Definitely my favourite on the menu.

With a wood-fired oven, you can bet that the pizza would be good, and they are. We ordered the Quottro Stagioni as I like to have lots of different flavours. This came with artichoke, turkey ham, mushrooms and olives. The pizza crust is thin and crispy and had the burnt bits which I love. Even though this is a Halal restaurant and they can't use the usual pork produce like salami and prosciutto, the chefs managed to coax some wonderful flavours from the ingredients.

A bit over-ambitious, we also ordered a pasta Frutti de Mare. It was really delicious, but we were so stuffed after the pizza that we could hardly eat the pasta.

There was absolutely no more room for dessert, so we decided to call it a night after the pasta. After so many years, it is good to see that Prego's has managed to maintain it's high standards. This place is highly recommended if you are looking for great Italian food in KL.