I’ve always been a fan of Italian food, and have a “thing”
for restaurants that cook proper pizzas, with the thin crispy base.
We are quite fussy with restaurants and it doesn’t take much
for us to not want to go back, be it due to a bad meal, bad service, or
overpriced food.
The fact that we have visited Prezzo a few times since 2009
makes it evident that our first visit, and every visit thereafter, has been a
hit.
We were invited to try out the new Lighter Specials Menu
which is available until the end of January. The Lighter Specials Menu promises
that each meal is under 600 calories.
I have a big appetite, so I went in thinking that I would be
leaving hungry. I had a look at the menu online before we left so had an idea
of what I wanted.
From the Healthy Specials Menu we ordered:
Starter: Chunky Tomato and Oregano Soup (130 kcal)
Main: Grilled Vegetable Flatbread
(482 kcal)
Dessert: Lemon Sorbet (129 kcal)
The soup was a rather large portion, although from
experience we knew the size of the bowl we would be presented with. The soup
was beautifully fresh, with strong flavour although not overpowering. It didn’t
just taste like any regular soup in that it wasn’t thick and creamy. It was
filling, and warming in this horrible snowy weather, although it didn’t mean
there wasn’t any room left for further courses.
We couldn’t believe that the soup was only 130 calories
because it tasted so rich.
I was confident that the Grilled Vegetable Flatbread was
going to be as tasty as it looked on the menu. When we visited Prezzo in
December I ordered the Zilli Pizza, it’s huge and covered in Italian Meats…I
think the waitress was surprised that I had managed to eat it all. At the
moment I am quite obsessed with Italian meats so I was worried I would miss
these from the flatbread.
In fact the flavour of the beautifully cooked vegetables (aubergine,
courgettes, peppers and onions which all happen to be my favourite vegetables anyway) and topping of Basil Pesto (which I usually
hate) made me completely forget about the missing meats.
The flatbread was served with a bowl of salad and a side of
low calorie Italian Dressing.
When I was first presented with the flatbread I did say that I was sure that it wouldn’t fill me up and that I would be
hungry at the end.
As I got to my last mouthful I confidently stated that I was
wrong, and in fact it was filling.
The flatbread is served on a wooden platter, a detail I’ve
always loved about ordering pizzas and flatbreads from Prezzo.
Then came the dessert. Lemon Sorbet. I used to buy the tubs
of Sorbet from the supermarket and was able to finish off a whole one in one
sitting, I love sorbet that much. In fact I prefer it over ice cream. So I had
high expectations. It was presented beautifully. The taste was refreshing,
cleansing and not at all bitter.
Other items on the Specials Menu include:
Buffalo Mozzerella Flatbread (597 kcal) I would have ordered
this but the waitress informed me that due to the cheese on top it is served
cold but with a warm base. It was snowing quite heavily outside so I wanted
something that was warming.
Super Detox Salad: Looks and sounds really yummy and is only
98 kcal!
Chicken Andria: (310
kcal) Again, I would have ordered this, especially with it being a hot meal but
I can’t resist the flatbreads.
I know a lot of people on diets feel like they have to have
a night off from it or have to hibernate and can’t go to restaurants but the Lighter Specials Menu means you can stick to your diet and have a really tasty
three course meal!
As I said, I have a big appetite and I left feeling
satisfied and without the need to snack when I returned home.
Other food we ordered included:
Charles:
Starter: Garlic Bread with cheese.
Main: Spaghetti Bolognese.
Although a dessert was included in the childrens meal he
opted for a drink of hot chocolate instead.
Harry:
Starter: Garlic Bread with Cheese
Main: Cheese and Tomato Pizza (not
all of this was eaten so we asked to take the pieces left over home)
Again, no dessert but it was included in the package.
We also had a side of French Fries.
The service, as always, was fantastic. The staff are always
welcoming and friendly, which is part of what keeps us going back. It’s also
very child friendly too. The boys were given a tub of crayons each, a colouring
sheet and a tub of cars and animals to play with. We’ve never visited somewhere
that has given them toys to play with so this was a really special touch.
Charles can be shy when it comes to talking to strangers but the waitress was
so nice that he took an instant like to her and talked to her a lot.
We all left with a smile on our face and a promise to return
again soon.
The Lighter Specials Menu is available until February the 4th.
We were given a complementary meal in return for this
review. All words, and photos, are honest and my own.
