Prego Restaurant & Deli @ Fairmont Hotel

I interrupt our usual Melaka Series with a 'broadcast' on a local restaurant.

As much as I have lots to say about the food in Malaysia, I am a Singaporean and I do eat, so I do have opinions about the food here. I guess the usual staple here in this website will eventually shift more to a local theme instead. Meanwhile, I still have some reviews of Kuala Lumpur before I consider the Malaysia series done.

Back to the topic, Prego is an established Italian restaurant since the days of long long ago. Prego is located at the Fairmont Singapore Ground Level, which is part of Swissotel and Raffles City. It is located in a little corner connected to the Fairmont Hotel. IMHO, it is still one of the better Italian restaurants in Singapore.

When I was still a student almost 18 years ago, we used to visit the restaurant when they had 1 for 1 deals. Then it was an awesome experience - the decor was classy and top notch. People literally dressed to the nines when they come for a meal here, and the waiters address you by name, fuss over you like a personal butler. It was true luxury.

However, fast forward to now, Prego has undergone an uplift/modernization a few years ago. The decor and ambiance feels more accessible, having a bistro and lively feel, the colours are brighter, wooden and lighter furniture.

(Taken from http://www.smugourmetclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Prego-entrance.png)

The interior as taken from my Ipad:

Unfortunately, since the renovation, they don't pay attention to your name anymore. However, the servers still try to fuss around your needs. Our server, a nice lady named Erjoy, came to our table and welcomed us to holler her anytime we need something. She was very polite and it was a real joy to be served by her. Unfortunately, initiative was a bit lacking, and I had to ask her to top my water several times. I'm being picky here but I'm a thirsty guy and I really hope my water could be topped up without asking. As you know, I'm particular about water (see bit about being charged for water). :)

Melaka Series: Secret Recipe

I've always wanted to keep my reviews short, but in the end, I end up writing much more than I desired. I'm not sure whether you like the reviews so far? Too long? Too short? Let me know how it is.

For now, I promise to keep this review short...

Anyway, whilst my brother and I were in Malaysia, we wondered about lunch, and was having trouble deciding between Chicken Rice Balls or a simple fare at a cafe. We were wandering about Dataran Pahlawan mall and we didn't want to backstep all the way to Jonker for the Balls, so he decided on Secret Recipe for a simple lunch.

We stepped into the restaurant in Dataran Pahlawan, just facing Hotel Equatorial. It wasn't crowded and there were many empty tables. Being usual polite Singaporeans, we stood at the host's stand, waiting for someone to seat us.

However, after standing idly for a minute, it looks like no one is going to come and greet us. That's when I decided to just grab a seat ourselves at a table we liked. Strangely, a waiter immediately popped out and came to greet us, handing us the menus.

Remember my Nancy's Kitchen review? Apparently that seems to be the restaurant seating system in Melaka -> when the place is not crowded, please go and seat yourself.. unless it's crowded, the waiters aren't going to shuffle the customers around for your seat.

Melaka Series: Nadeje Mille Crepe (Thousand Layer Crepe Cake)

After taking a break for nearly, a week, here's another post on one of my favourite haunts in Melaka: Nadeje  Cake House! For every trip to Melaka, I will never fail to stop by this cake house for a slice of cake, no matter how stuffed I am. In fact, actually, I will protect my tea time just for this cake.

The reason why I'm excited over this cake is that it used to be novel in Melaka - you can't find it in Singapore! Now the concept is more widespread and you can indeed enjoy a slice of this cake in Singapore, or even Kuala Lumpur. However, it's rather expensive in Singapore (the last I heard, a cafe in Sunset Way is selling it for SGD7.00 per slice, and for a small slice); the Kuala Lumpur version wasn't that tasty either.

What is about this Mille Crepe cake that I'm so excited about?

A picture speaks louder than words:

What! It's just a cake right? Nothing special...

Melaka Series: San Shu Gong Lao Qian Ice Cafe Durian Cendol

Hey guys, I promise this is a short update; partly because this is not a big meal, just some dessert that I have tried at San Shu Gong Lao Qian Ice Cafe.

For a visitor to Melaka, it's hard to miss the San Shu Gong Provision (?) Shop just outside of the Jonker Street Entrance facing the Melaka Fountain Landmark.

You really can't miss this shop. It's usually crowded with lots of tourists. It's just opposite Chung Wah  Chicken Rice Ball shop, another famous landmark for foodies.

Anyway, to continue with my story, I had previously tried the also-famous Durian Cendol at Jonker88 before last year. Due to strong recommendations by many reviewers, I made it a point to have the Cendol there every time I visit Melaka. If you do not know, Cendol is very fattening, due to the high sugar content of the Gula Melaka, and the high-fat content of the coconut, so after having a bowl, I won't have another for the day. So, I've never tried San Shu Gong Durian Cendol before.

After a long walk along Jonker Street on a Friday evening, my brother and I were sweaty, hot and tired, and we wanted a cold dessert to cool down. Our first choice was Jonker88, for reasons above - due to strong recommendations by foodies, however, Jonker88 was terribly crowded. There was a long line outside the shop, and we decided to give up looking for a seat inside. Just as we thought we will never have a cendol for this Melaka trip, I overheard a young girl mentioning that 'San Shu Gong closes around 10 pm'.

Aha! Why not take the opportunity to troop down to San Shu Gong Lao Qian Cafe? In the past, we never liked this cafe because the Cendol there seemed mass-produced and too commercialized, lacking the homely and impromptu feeling from Jonker88.

In order to get that fix, San Shu Gong seemed liked the best answer. We were there around 9 pm, and the crowd had subsided from the shop (I think San Shu Gong closes late on weekend, so don't try going there on a usual weekday that late). We were served immediately - however the seats downstairs were full and we proceeded upstairs.

This was the view upstairs. Were we crowd pullers? After our purchase, another group of tourists came by and bought more cendols!