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(great restaurants)


Prego


An Italian restaurant in the heart of the Cotswolds tourist trap with great potential. But, asks LAURA ROWE, does it live up to its welcoming name?


THERE COULDN’T HAVE been a much better set of circumstances to try out one of


Broadway’s newest restaurants. The sun was shining (we’re talking proper, tan-line temperatures here), the alfresco tables had been dressed and Broadway’s visiting public were providing plenty of people-watching opportunities. Prego had serious potential to impress. It’s also got rather good credentials for a new business of only eight months. It’s a collaboration between one of the UK’s best-known retailers and brand builders, George Davies (he’s the George of ASDA clothesline fame) and local restaurateur and hotelier of 40 years, Barry Hancox. Born from their love of authentic Italian cuisine, the pair headhunted chef Pietro Di Marco all the way from Florence, who’s created a predominantly Tuscan- inspired menu. Tripadvisor reviews have, on the whole, been very good, it was a finalist at the recent Cotswold Life Food and Drink Awards, and twitterings on social media networks have been positive. The interior is perhaps not much in keeping (if there


is such a thing) with the rest of Broadway’s offerings – contemporary and bright, with splashes of red leather – but it works. We’d got comfortable outside for our early lunch and were presented with the ‘alla carte’ menu.


It’s a succinct but exciting menu, which steers clear of many of the bastardised Anglo-Italian classics like spag bol and carbonara, favouring instead authentic seasonal dishes utilising those local ingredients available, such as risotto with saffron, peas, broad beans and Provolone cheese or calamari with lime mayo and salad. There’s also a great range of pizzas (the most expensive costing only £12.50), which are stone-baked in a pizza oven and are available to take away. Every member of the family has been thought about too. There’s a special ‘bambini’ menu available, veggie-friendly and dishes containing nuts are well annotated on the alla carte, and you can even request gluten-free pasta and pizza. We started with a pesce antipasti board (£9.95) to chew


over while we waited for our starters. And what a great start. Blankets of beautifully soft oak-smoked salmon melted in the mouth; moreish smoked mackerel was ready for spreading on slices of the accompanying pizza breads; thick slivers of sea bass carpaccio were so fresh


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they could have hopped straight off the plank; while a slick of squid ink mayonnaise and some pearls of salmon roe caviar brought everything nicely together. It was over an hour later, though, that our starters were


brought out. And it was here that things started to wobble in the wrong direction. My starter of fusilli with squid and courgette (£7.50) came out as squid ink tagliatelle. Not a big deal, but not quite as described. The almond and wild herb pesto and grated courgettes were light and fresh, the pasta just al dente (as I like it) but the squid was, unfortunately, not consistently cooked – some bits were severely underdone. My Chef companion ordered another fusilli dish –


this time with mushroom ragu (£5.95). “Why so much fusilli on the menu?” he said, between mouthfuls. A valid point given the number of pasta shapes available – who doesn’t, for instance, love a bow tie? The ragu was a deeply savoury affair, rich and salty thanks to Parmesan and crispy shards of Prosciutto. It was just missing a little grating of lemon zest, in our opinion, for balance. The Chef’s ‘authentic Tuscan lasagne’ (£11.95) was


a proper slow-cooked Bolognese, without any unpleasant pools of orange grease, and delicious layers of cheese and Béchamel, complete with crusty edges from the grill. Good value, too. My main, however, was again not quite right. I ordered


✱ PREGO, 32 High Street, Broadway, Worcestershire, WR12 7DT; 01386 306670; www.pregobroadway.co.uk


grey mullet in a herb crust, with heritage tomatoes, red onion, black olive and a lemon and balsamic dressing (£15.95) – delicious- sounding, right? What I got, though, was grilled lemon sole, with crushed new potatoes with mascarpone and chives (£16.95). When I told one of the waitresses


(a new member of staff, apparently), she apologised and said it was “being sorted”. A few minutes later, however, the senior waitress came out, saying it was her error having pressed the wrong button on the till. But, sadly, the kitchen hadn’t been made aware and, although the offer of a fresh mullet dish was made, I didn’t much fancy waiting around, or wasting the sole. The only problem was that the sole was just a little


beige. Underseasoned, dare I say overcooked, with bland mash and only a dribble of herb oil to inject some flavour or colour. Not offensive, no – but not grey mullet either! By this point we’d been sitting down for more than two hours and deadlines were looming. Luckily, you can take several puds away, and a warm honey and almond sponge with roasted apricots, pistachios and vanilla mascarpone (£5.95) tasted just as good in a hot office. So, there you have it. A couple of hiccups, yes, but to be


fair the staff did all of the right things to make up for it. This place has everything going for it – an authentically sunshiny menu, friendly staff and an ideal location – so let’s just hope this was an off day.


Afters


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