Set in a traditonal trattoria styled space, Prego has long established itself as one of the finest Italian fine dining restaurants in Kuala Lumpur. Now, The Westin Kuala Lumpur introduces Chef Michael Andreas Gremer as its new Executive Chef, who took some time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us at a 'Chef's Table' session to talk about the new flavours that he plans to bring into Prego.

With 25 years of experience in the culinary and restaurant management for international hotels around the world, Chef Michael prides himself with an abundant experience in Mediterranean cuisine, which fits perfectly with Prego's reputation for great Italian delicacies.

For this tasting session, Chef Michael prepared a series of dishes to preview his talents and skills to us. While these dishes are made exclusive only to this Chef's Table session, diners can expect similar flavours to debut in the menu of Prego in the weeks to come.

Here we highlight some of the best dishes we tried at the Chef's Table:

 

Pan-seared diver scallops with celery and green apple variation
Living up to his repertoire in delicious Mediterranean cuisine, Chef Michael prepared a scrumptious and refreshing seafood dish for us that fitted with the current trend of healthy eating. Two medallion of scallops were pan-seared to a crispy finish and garnished with fresh garden greens, celery and green apple.

The acidic flavours of celery and apples cut through the dish to provide a refreshing taste to enhance the natural juiciness of the scallops. Playing with the different crunchy textures of scallops, greens and apple, the dish gave an abundance of crunchy that whet the appetite for the more savoury main courses that came later.

 

Butternut Pumpkin tortelli with butter, pecorino and sage
Like any Italian dining affair, one can never leave without tasting some form of pasta and Chef Michael prepared a creamy pumpkin tortelli for us. The dumpling-like pasta boasted of sweet butternut pumpkin filling, which was cooked to a velvety finish with heavy use of butter and pecorino cheese.

The fragrant sage was used to balance out the heavy taste of creamy Italian cheese, while the sweet pumpkin cubes blended harmoniously with the aromatic burnt butter sauce.

 

Slow cooked lamb loin with elba potato galette, braised endive and fresh mission figs
For the meat dish, we tasted a beautifully cooked lamb loin that had an extremely tender bite with zero gamey meat taste. Cooked with figs and drizzled with lamb jus, the meat had a mellow flavour that resembled Port wine.

Strips of endive were smoked and seared lightly before putting into the oven for slow-cooking, which resulted in a melt-in-your-mouth texture similar to the texture of savoury baked cheese. As for the gratin, it has strong earthy flavours with an al-dente bite that was accented with layers of cream and cheese for the extra tang.

 

SPG Triple Crave
Also in conjunction with the debut of Chef Michael, The Westin Kuala Lumpur and all Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific introduce the 'SPG Triple Crave' programme. From 1 September to 30 December 2014, SPG members may earn triple Starpoints® when they dine at participating restaurants at Starwood properties from Monday to Thursday with expenditure of US$50 (RM150) and above (per table).

The bonus Starpoints that SPG members earn through SPG Triple Crave can be redeemed on free nights (no blackout dates), flights and exclusive once in a lifetime opportunities through the SPG loyalty programme.

To enjoy the benefits of SPG Triple Crave, members can simply register for free, online at www.spg.com/triplecrave by November 30, 2014.

 

For more information and reservations at Prego Restaurant, please call +603 2773 8338 or  http://www.westindining.com.my