When the Bury St Edmunds Christmas lights were switched on a few weeks ago, we headed into town for the festivities. With carol singing, live music, street entertainers, fairground rides and market stalls, we knew from last year that the atmosphere was going to be brilliant.
We also knew that if we wanted to be able to find somewhere to eat that evening, we needed to book in advance.
I have a tastecard membership through my bank account, and the 2-for-1 deal at Prezzo stood out. It’s valid on all courses, too – not just mains – so it seemed like the perfect option (especially as the small child had wanted to go for ages!)
We managed to book a table – just as well, as even early in the evening the restaurant was pretty full. Even though it was still November at the time, Prezzo was decorated beautifully for the Christmas period – the child loved the snowflakes on the plant-festooned windows.
We were shown to our table, and the small person was immediately given a kids’ menu/Christmas-themed activity sheet – although we had to ask for crayons so he could get stuck in. He also enjoyed a babyccino on the house!
We decided that two starters and two mains would be enough for the three of us to share. The grown-ups swayed towards the calamari (£9), while the boy’s request was for the garlic bread with balsamic onions & mozzarella (£8).
He made a good choice. That garlic bread had beautifully light and fluffy dough and was generous with the cheese. The garlic flavour could have been stronger to compete with the tangy sweetness of those balsamic onions, but he loved it so much that I’ve had to attempt to replicate it at home since our visit…
The calamari were decent too (although the portion seemed small for the price): nice and crispy on the outside, tender and not chewy in the middle, and served with a moreish pestonnaise dip (another thing I’ve since had to replicate for the child at home!)
A burger may seem like an unusual thing to order at an Italian chain restaurant. However, the truffled gorgonzola beef burger (£19.50) was a huge hit across the table. It packed a punch on the truffle front (a good dollop of truffle mayo in the burger, and crisp truffled fries on the side), and the burger itself was stacked. The two 4oz patties were seasoned and cooked nicely, the creamy gorgonzola topping was generous, and the inclusion of peppery rocket was a good foil for those rich, decadent flavours.
Me? I went for a pinsa to share with the child: a pizza where the dough is proved for longer than normal to make the base deeper and fluffier. I went for the Smoky Tre Carni (£17.50), with pepperoni, pork sausage crumbs, chicken and mozzarella on a tomato base.
The sheer amount of flour visible on the base detracted somewhat from the look of an otherwise beautiful pizza. The dough was definitely as fluffy as promised, and held up well to being picked up by the small child. No complaints about the generosity of the toppings either: a delicious combination of smoky and spicy flavours that worked well together.
We skipped dessert to continue with the Christmas festivities in town, but we enjoyed our meal – particularly with that 2-for-1 discount on both courses! For me, Prezzo’s always been a reliable choice for a chain restaurant, and the fact that they’re so family-friendly is important to us too. We’ll be back!