Prezzo, 10-12 King St, Reading RG1 2HE
Phone: 0118 959 6092
FANS of Italian cuisine are being invited to test new dishes at Prezzo, before they launch next year.
The Reading branch is one of only nine restaurants in the UK to be testing some new vegan dishes in 2020.
The chain will take into account the feedback and popularity of each dish in the test restaurants before selecting the champions.
Throughout the year, customers can try two new vegan dishes; Meat-free Bolognese with a rich tomato and red wine sauce and vegan ‘Chicken’ & Mushroom Spaghetti.
The two dishes feature on a set menu, with two courses priced at £12.95 and three courses for £15.95
The vegan bolognese had a rich, tomato sauce which combined with the meat substitute to create a more complex flavour. The beef substitute held it’s texture and didn’t taste grainy — unlike some other vegan meats.
My image of bolognese is one smothered with sauce. The Prezzo version of the dish had less bolognese sauce than preferred, but the taste was delicious and almost identical to its meat-based origin.
The ‘Chicken’ & Mushroom Spaghetti was another hit. The vegan meat had a grain similar to that of chicken, making a very realistic dupe. The mushroom flavour was very prominent, which added an earthy depth to the pasta and helped it soar.
Where a traditional version of this dish may rely on the flavours brought by cream, the mushrooms carried it forward — the dairy wasn’t missed at all.
The chicken-style pieces were evenly distributed throughout, although we wouldn’t have said no to a few more.
Both dishes were delivered to a high restaurant standard, but could have done with a finishing touch. When the dishes are rolled-out across the UK, a vegan parmesan option to finish off the pasta-dishes would be well received. There are already a couple of these products on the market at the moment — perhaps there will be even more in a year’s time.
If you’re new to a plant-based diet, or simply want to reduce your meat consumption without feeling like you’re making a sacrifice, the two pasta dishes at Prezzo are worth a try.
The bonus is that if you let them know what you think, your suggestions may help shape the dishes as they roll-out across the rest of the country.
