RICKY PARLANTI HELMS PREGO

Out of all the VIPs in the world, from heads of state to Hollywood celebrities, Chef Ricky Parlanti said the person he would most like to cook for is his family. Awwww…isn’t his answer endearing?

Freshly minted as the Italian Chef de Cuisine of Prego, the Tuscan native is no stranger to the Malaysia culinary scene. When you’re half a decade old like moi, you’re unlikely to forget a veteran chef like Ricky Parlanti who has been in the biz for over 35 years.

Besides his own multi-award winning The Mangotree Restaurant, Parlanti’s past stints include Carcosa Seri Negara, The Peninsula Beijing in China and Hyatt Regency Delhi in India. His inimitable touch also extended to standalone restaurants: Dining in the Dark KL, The Steakhouse KL and The Whiskey Bar.

As the ninth generation of chefs in the Parlanti family and a qualified Master Chef by ALMA La Scoula Internazionale di Cucina Italiana, the most prestigious culinary institute in Parma, Italy, his mettle was reinforced by a slew of accolades: Hospitality Asia Platinum Award 2005/2006 for Excellence in Hospitality Personality Chef of the Year and The Best Chef in Malaysia (Expatriate) Award in the Millennium Gold Awards 2001/2002.

The best proof is the dishes we savoured at Prego. Right from the get-go, effusive praises were heard as we dug into the Burrata with Grilled Spring Vegetable, Basil and Pine Nut Emulsion with gusto.

We relished the well-balanced, delicate flavours and beguilingly soft texture of eggplant, peppers, onion, asparagus, leek and zucchini – a testament to the chef’s judicious use of the freshest quality ingredients with the contadino in mind.

Although presentation is important, Parlanti reckons taste and flavour can be rooted in Italian cuisine with minor adaptations to the Asian palette. He believes “food should speak for itself as nothing compares to the quality of a well-prepared dish”.

I found the truffle-scented Cream of Wild Mushroom too salty for my liking but it’s a minor matter which can be easily corrected. Otherwise, the thick, musky broth of porcini mushroom proved to be a nice tummy warmer.

For the media preview, Parlanti was pitted against Executive Chef Rudy Junaidie in a tongue-in-cheek pasta throwdown. Putting his own spin on Prego’s signature speciality of Special Carbonara in Castelmagno Cheese Wheel made it a crowd-pleaser. Big, lush flavours hugged the al dente pasta thanks to the hearty creamy sauce whipped up using beef bacon, egg yolk, cream and parmesan finished with in a huge Castelmagno cheese wheel.

Chef Rudy Junaidie’s contender of Asian pasta with prawns, fresh coriander, garlic and herb crumbs was delicious too (this was more to my preference) but the man of the hour was undoubtedly Parlanti.

Fennel, thyme, garlic and sea salt were the aromatics used for the Wood Oven Baked Salt-crusted Seabass. Wrapped in greaseproof paper, the fleshy fish was delightfully on point – lightly flaky and sweet, coyly touched with dill sauce.

Diminutive bursts of sweet raisins bestowed an unexpected yet welcomed surprise in the beef jus complementing the Grilled Grain-fed Angus Steak. Served medium rare, this Prego’s house special was a winsome shoo-in with the lunch party.

Next time you visit Prego, let Chef Ricky Parlanti customise dishes according to your desired preferences. Otherwise, he can also design a Menu Sorpresa (Surprise Menu) for your culinary experience, creating flavors that sometimes would bring you down memory lane.

To finish, the chef readily vouched for Tiramisu, the timeless mascarpone espresso trifle of Italy. Prego serves an alcoholic and booze-free version so remember to state your preference when you’re ordering it.

 For reservations at Prego, call tel: 03-2773 8338. Address: The Westin KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. Website: http://www.westindining.com.my/prego

HAWKER FOOD GALORE AT TERAZZA BRASSERIE

 

BBQ Chicken Wings, Mee Goreng Mamak, Satay, Char Kway Teow and Chicken Tandoori are some popular hawker food to savour at Terazza Brasserie’s newly launched Hawker Fare theme buffet.

An integral part of Malaysia’s food scene, a selection of those familiar favourites from itinerant hawkers can now be enjoyed in the comfort of Dorsett Grand Subang’s all day dining restaurant every Wednesday night.

The sneak preview saw us relishing hot off the grill BBQ Chicken Wings from one of the six pop-up stalls set outside the patio area. Served with a sweetish Thai-style chilli sauce, the tender wings hit the spot and whetted our appetite for more.

Satay – the compelling party food of choice – is also part of the line-up and you can tell how good the grilled skewers of chicken and beef are at the rate they disappear from the chafing dish. No worries though as the culinary team ensures there are plenty to go around.

I could never resist delicious Tandoori Chicken and the version here lived up to expectations. Served with cucumber raita and fresh lime wedges, I thoroughly savoured every mouthful of the moist, juicy meat. 

A posher spin of this is Lamb Tandoori with Cucumber Chutney. Well suffused with aromatic Indian spices, the thick cutlets proved equally delectable.

Carb-loading comes easy with substantial servings of piping hot Mee Goreng Mamak or you can head outside to the stalls for Char Kway Teow which is cooked to order. Both came up to scratch and left us no cause for complaints.

For some green balance to your meal, rustle up a Caesar salad at the buffet where all the condiments and ingredients are laid out. The various appetisers and assorted local kerabu salads presented on multi-tier stands also proved irresistible.

Poached Seafood on Ice: Prawns, Mussels and Oysters should reel seafood-living diners in. Enjoy them with some Thousand Island dressing or keep your eyes peeled for cooked main dishes such as Prawns with Thai Mango Salsa and Stuffed Seafood Tortilla. I found the piquantly flavoured Squid Salad particularly appealing.

If you think no meal is complete without a bowl of heartwarming soup, the hearty Oxtail Soup has the comforting factor down pat. Fragrant with herbs and spices, the rich, wholesome broth with chunks of gristly bones, carrot and oxtail embraced the mild sweetness of fried shallot and the fresh accent of chopped coriander in it. 

The beauty of buffet is food choices are aplenty and there’s always something to please every palate. Apart from the myriad of Hawker Fare served, you’d find other worthy options to sample – just look at our plate as proof.

Local dessert taking centrestage comes in the form of Air Batu Campur (ABC), Assorted Malay Kuih, Indonesian Layer Cake and sweet broth like Bubur Cha Cha and Pengat Durian.

Available on every Wednesday night, the Hawker Fare buffet is priced at RM118 nett per adult and RM59 per child (above 5 years old). Senior citizens are entitled to 50% off the full price.

For reservations at Terazza Brasserie, call tel: 03-5031 6060 x 1912/1913. Address: Dorsett Grand Subang, Jalan SS12/1, Subang Jaya, Selangor. Website: www.dorsetthotels.com/malaysia/subang