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Review: Toby Gregory
WE WERE looking for something different, possibly a bit special,
and decided the Kew Road in Richmond was the place to go - in
recent years, it has become a mecca for fashionable restaurants
and, in some ways, just being there has become a seal of approval.
It was was a Saturday night, all the restaurants were busy, and
although the menus looked tempting, we decided that tonight, it
had to be Prego.
Part of that decision was down to a recommendation, and partly
because I wanted to try some really good food.
We arrived at around 9pm and there were no queues, so we were
seated quickly. The service started as it would continue, faultlessly.
The atmosphere was relaxed, warm but not over-cosy, while the
restaurant itself was chic. It had the right ingredients for the
perfect meal.
With over 10 starters to choose from, there looked to be a superb
choice. I opted for the bruschetta, while my date had the crab
and prawn fritto. We could have chosen from chicken liver, foie
gras parfait or chargrilled asparagus or lime marinated red mullet.
Having had bruschetta before, I thought I knew roughly what to
expect. However, although neatly presented, it was by far the
worst I have ever had. The bread, which should be lightly toasted,
was bordering on rock hard and I had difficulty cutting through
it, even with a knife.
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The prawn fritto, to put it politely, was very bland, although
the pineapple salsa almost saved it.
Moving on to the main course, there was, once again, a huge variety
of dishes to choose from. My date opted for stir fry of smoked
chicken and prawns, which came with a pickled salad and a peanut
chilli dressing. This, again, was very dry and lacked taste.
But now came the real disaster. I chose the strips of chicken
breast flambe in brandy, mushrooms, paprika with a cream sauce
and saffron rice which I was eagerly awaiting, following my poor
starter.
I can usually eat anything, but this was disgusting - I thought
I could taste what might have been cornflower in the sauce. My
date tried some, and even she didn't like it. I was forced to
give up.
That said, throughout the night I could not fault the waiters.
The service was prompt and considerate and when choosing the wine,
they seemed to know their stuff. The restaurant itself is very
nice; the ambience is good and it has the right balance.
Looking back on it now, with a vast array of dishes to choose
from, I may have made a simple mistake. Something that had initially
caught my eye was the herbed canon of lamb, or the chargrilled
fillet steak. However, with the steak costing almost £20,
do I really want to take that risk?
The average price for a main is about £14, while starters
go up to £7.50 and once you've included a £28 bottle
of wine and two £5 cocktails, it all adds up to an expensive
evening where you haven't gone home satisfied.
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