GourmetItUp, the latest happening online culinary portal for food lovers, and FBAI, that premier association of food bloggers in India very kindly invited me to an Italian cook-off at Prego- Westin Pune. Charosa wines and Budweiser beers flowed as Chef Giuseppe Lioce expansively took a select group through the process of creating a six course gourmet Italian meal.

The event was conducted on June 28, 2014, a Saturday afternoon, and the staff at Prego were at hand to guide us through every step.

I have visited Seasonal Tastes at Westin almost four years earlier, and Prego is at the other end of the second floor. It is open only for dinner on weekdays. As I entered the restaurant, I was greeted by Deepa Jain, the co-founder of GourmetItUp, and Ankeit, who had come down from Mumbai especially for the event. A sparkling fruity drink was offered right away in champagne flutes, making me feel very welcome. Prego has a warm ambience and is done up in red and gold tones. The seating is plush ensuring that you can settle down in comfort, and can relax for a prolonged period of time.

GourmetItUp is a novel concept. They have developed an online concierge service and have alliances with the choicest restaurants ranging from chains like Olive and Mainland China, local favorites like Malaka Spice or 11 East Street Café, and 5 star restaurants like Prego at Westin and Baan Tao at Hyatt (formerly Ista). Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg. GourmetItUp is just ramping up its Pune presence and will be adding many popular restaurants to their portfolio.

 

So what is different about GourmetItUp? Deepa Jain says they have carefully designed their deals or meals so that every restaurant visit is a culinary experience. We always tend to order the same old ‘safe’ dishes, but the GourmetItUp menus are designed to make you experiment a bit. You get perfectly sized portions of multiple courses, and end up tasting soups, salads, appetizers, main courses, side dishes and dessert – all at a reasonable price. Some of the menus also offer an option of alcohol. Considering the caliber of the restaurant, and the number of courses, you pay a reasonable amount of money.

This is actually great for people going out in groups on a Dutch basis. Every person can order what they want, and it is easy to pay only for what they ordered, instead of any complex math or splitting the check when it comes time to pay. College students, office groups, or other large family groups should love this!

Now that you have an idea of how GourmetItUp works, go ahead and register at their website. They also have a rewards program where you earn points for every visit. And with their membership already 25,000 member strong, you will be joining a concept that is very popular in Mumbai.

As I sipped my sparkling fizzy drink, I chatted with Sameer Malkani, the co-founder and head of Food Bloggers Association of India. Sameer had also come to Pune especially for the event. I always say food brings people together, and only passionate foodies can choose to spend their weekend hanging out with other foodies.

Charosa wines and Budweiser provided the drinks for the event.

Now the meal itself – six courses prepared with the highest quality of original ingredients imported from Italy. Eggplant Parmigiana was served as a light starter. This was followed by a Panzanella salad made with artisan country bread dressed lightly with white wine vinegar and olive oil. The second salad was my favorite – pear, walnuts and gorgonzola on a bed of arugula (rocket), drizzled with a balsamic reduction. The gorgonzola was soft and creamy and pungent in all its smelly glory and the pears sweet. Then we made pasta from scratch, one of the highlights of the day for me, and tossed it in a simple sauce to make a Caprese style pasta. A Livornese sauce formed a bed for grilled sea bass which was appreciated by the fish lovers. Mini calzones stuffed with Nutella and served with ice cream completed the meal.

I loved the food for its simplicity. Chef Giuseppe believes in letting the ingredients shine, and shine they do when you are using the best. All the dishes were very lightly seasoned, and there were no flowing sauces as are unfortunately seen in some local Italian restaurants. You can’t beat Prego for authentic Italian food, and people who have lived out of the country will definitely appreciate this style of cooking more.

Are you dying to know more about all the scrumptious food? Don’t worry, I am writing a separate detailed post devoted purely to the food at Prego which will follow this post.

A big thank you to all the organizers – GourmetItUp, FBAI, Westin Pune, Chef Giuseppe and the Prego staff – for making the day so memorable for me.

The next time you want a leisurely and gourmet Italian dinner, book a table at Prego via GourmetItUp. And be prepared to dine in style!