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Italian restaurant proves hit and miss
RESTAURANT chain Prezzo markets itself on being a 'marvellous example of Italian cuisine, offering a superb environment, exceptional value for money and friendly and supportive staff.'
Personally, I have long been lukewarm towards chain restaurants.
In my mind, many of them have no character, are gimmicky, and lack real quality.
I decided to visit Prezzo in the hope that it could live up to its proud boasts. First impressions upon entering the restaurant were that it was trying to convey an air of class and sophistication.
The menu offers a wide range of Italian dishes. I opted to have the mozzarella garlic bread for my starter, while, for hers, my wife chose the caprese – buffalo mozzarella, sliced cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and olive oil.
I was disappointed with my mozzarella garlic bread. My wife, on the other hand, gave her caprese the big thumbs up.
For mains we both chose calzone – my wife opted for the il carltoni (pepperoni, chicken, pancetta, peppers, pomodoro sauce and a blend of cheese), while I chose the carne piccante (chicken meatballs, field mushrooms, crushed chillies, Bolognese sauce and a blend of cheese).
A focal point of Prezzo is the large open stone oven (shaped like a huge chimanea) which dominates the kitchen area of the restaurant.
Indeed, we had chosen a table very near to the kitchen area so that we could see our food being prepared and cooked in the impressive oven.
Even though there were only about a dozen other people in the restaurant, we had to wait a good while between our starters and main courses. I cannot imagine how long one would have to wait when the restaurant is busy.
We noticed that some diners on a nearby table were having a torrid time, with the wrong dishes being brought to them, as well as burnt food.
Eventually our calzones arrived, and we were both impressed by the size of them.
However, just when it seemed that our wait had been well worth it, there was more disappointment to come.
Although large, the crust to filling ratio was unfortunately weighted too much towards the former.
The filling was indeed very nice but there just was not enough of it.
For our two mains and two starters and drinks, we had change from 40, which, on paper, seems quite reasonable.
However, when measured against the quality of the food and service, I do not think that Prezzo offers good value for money.
It is nothing more than an average restaurant in a nice setting.
If you are satisfied with average, then Prezzo will definitely meet your needs, but if you require a high standard Italian experience then I would advise you try somewhere like Pizza Express, or even better, an authentic family run Italian.
by Ben Green
Star rating HHH
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Weather for Worksop
Sunday 12 February 2012
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