Cuisine: Italian
Address: 80 Bras Basah Road Level 1, Fairmont, Singapore 189560
Nearest MRT: City Hall station (North-South line, East-West line)

Fairmont Singapore is the perfect choice for leisure and corporate travellers seeking enriching experiences and excellent hospitality. Located in Fairmont Hotel, Prego is one of the many restaurants available for hotel guests and also open to the public. It is easily accessible from Raffles City.

Decked out in chic Italian paintings and decorations, this casual eatery features a pizzeria, wine bar, rotisserie and deli, giving you plenty of options to choose from. Its authentic Italian home-cooking style offers specialties like prosciutto di parma, rotisserie chicken and Italian fennel sausage. If you like what you ate, there’s plenty of the same at the takeaway counter, with breads, cakes, salads, sausages, cold cuts and pastas for the taking. This bustling restaurant can get really busy, so be sure to make a reservation to avoid long queues.

There was even a retro car parked in the restaurant, which makes a good photo opportunity.

Focaccia bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar was served while we were waiting for our meal. There were chunks of cherry tomato in the focaccia, but the other herbs were underpowering.

We ordered the pasta carbonara ($14) from the kids menu for our hungry little boy. His favourite pasta is carbona, served with turkey ham and cream sauce. This simple dish depends on the cream sauce, which can make or break the dish. The cream was great and not too thick. Looking at the small portion, this is suitable for children who would slurp it all up hastily.

Calamari fritti ($28) is one of the appetisers on the menu. These squid rings were lightly battered and deep fried, it makes a good snack, while waiting for the rest of the main course to arrive. The dip used was thousand island sauce, but I would have preferred a chilli dip. The squid was overcooked and I would not recommend ordering this dish.

For the adults, we ordered two pasta dishes and one pizza to share. If you would like to go for the set menu, you can choose the 3 course menu at $39 or 4 course menu at $49. The spaghetti vongole ($34) is one of my wife’s favourite pasta. With clams and garlic tossed in white wine, chilli and parsley, it is a simple seafood dish that contains all the elements that we like. The serving of clams was generous and the chilli added a slight spice to the dish. The sauce was creamier compared to other places which is lighter. We loved this dish so much that the gravy was finished up together with the pasta.

The other pasta that we ordered was Spaghetti Pescatora ($36), with a heaped serving of calamari, prawns, clams, scallops cooked in a spiced tomato sauce. The seafood used was fresh, and it is rare to have a scallop served in the pasta because it is a premium ingredient.

From the oven, we had a combo pizza of two different flavours – Rustica and Crudo ($48). It brings out the best of both worlds. Actually, a combo pizza is quite easy to make because once you roll out the dough, you just need to sprinkle ingredients on half and half of the other pizza. We liked the Crudo part with the parma ham and mozarella cheese. It is one of my perennial favourites. The Rustica has home-made sausage and salami, but the extra ingredients such as onions and capsicum were not very well-liked.

Last but not least, it was time for dolce (dessert). At an Italian restaurant, it is inevitable to order the tiramisu ($18) which turned out to be great. Compared to the one we ate at Roots Mediterranean, this one at Prego definitely outshines. With its rich layers of mascarpone cheese and the espresso soaked lady fingers, this dessert was delicious to the last sprinkle of cocoa powder.

Even though we ordered a slice of cake, the staff knowing that it was my birthday, also came to surprise me with a slice of chocolate cake and a candle on it. It was really thoughtful of them. The chocolate cake was rich and decadent, made with dark chocolate. It was a sweet ending for the meal, and it was a nice reward for us after a strenuous morning of kayaking.

Fans of vintage art will be elated to feast their sights on the old-school posters of classic Italian brands that were hand-painted on the expansive brick walls by Steve Cross, a Melbournian artist.

Overall, I had an enjoyable birthday celebration at Prego. The staff were attentive and even though it was busy, they were quick to respond and even offered an extra slice of complimentary cake upon knowing that my sister-in-law was also celebrating her birthday.

With the Love Dining promo under Amex, you can enjoy up to 50% off (for 2 pax) your meal at Prego and other restaurants under Fairmont Singapore.