Prego Magnifico!
What makes Prego one of the finest Italian restaurants anywhere.
Are you looking for one of the finest Italian restaurants on Samui, if not in all of Thailand? Somewhere that the location, setting and ambiance are unique and without parallel? Where you can enjoy the finest of imported ingredients from not only Italy but from all over the world? A restaurant where each dish is carefully cooked to perfection by an international award-winning chef? If so, then look no further. It’s exclusive. It’s romantic. It’s world class. And its name is Prego.
Prego can be found in the northern part of Chaweng Beach, just a short way north of where the lake road meets the beach road. It adjoins and fronts the landmark of Amari Koh Samui Resort, of which it is the signature restaurant. But, unlike other such restaurants, Prego has established its own identity and assumed the mantle of a world-class Italian restaurant in its own right.
Internationally-renowned Marco Boscaini, Prego’s Executive Chef, has been running the kitchens here ever since the restaurant opened, back in 2003. He’s utterly dedicated to the creation of authentic Italian cuisine, and it comes as no surprise that so many of his ingredients are specially imported. “Of course we bring in only the best quality fish, beef and lamb,” he told me, “but it’s all the little authentic ingredients that create the unmistakable Italian flavour; olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, spices cheeses. There are many types of blue cheese I could use, for example, but nothing has the texture and taste of real gorgonzola.”
Chef Marco is enthusiastic about his risotto, too: it’s a hugely flexible dish and even though there’s a wide selection listed on the menu, he’s pleased to create any variations or combinations you wish. In fact earlier this year one of his risotto dishes was featured in a book, “100 Best Risottos” (from chefs all over the world) and he has the distinction of being the only representative from Thailand.
Pulling up outside, the frontage looks effortlessly elegant; a lawn with an open terrace that extends beneath a shady canopy. There’s a wall of glass towards the rear that reveals two side-by-side inner rooms, both coolly air-conditioned. And the décor enhances the gentile ambiance: it’s quietly and tastefully furnished and the lights are low and welcoming. There’s a pleasant sense of spaciousness throughout, and it’s hard to imagine that there is seating here for 200 people, split between the front and rear areas.
Naturally Chef Marco’s pizzas bases are all made in-house and the wood-fired ovens run all day, making it just a matter of minutes before your order is on the table. As well as the listed pizzas, there’s also a ‘build your own’ option, where you can experiment with combinations of up to 40 ingredients! Likewise, the pasta is also homemade. But, apart from the excellent cuisine itself, what makes dining at Prego such a pleasure is that there are a lot of unexpected thoughtful touches: the main menu items are all available in a choice of two sizes, for example. There’s a huge section of the menu in which all the dishes are gluten-free. And then the first page of the menu features a range of specials which change every week.
One thing that’s really worth a mention is that there’s Peroni beer on draft. But Chef Marco has taken this one step further and come up with a really tempting Saturday ‘Free Flow Peroni’ evening. And what’s outstanding here is that the tables are laid with a wide variety of tapas, you can opt for your beer in a glass or a pitcher, and it’s eat and drink as much as you want between 7:00 and 10:00 pm for only 990 baht net.
In Italian ‘prego’ means ‘you’re welcome’ or ‘don’t mention it’. But on Samui ‘Prego’ means some of the finest Italian dining you’ll find anywhere. And so, yes, – we certainly are going to mention it!
Rob De Wet