KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — At the first sip of the well-chilled, glorious GH Mumm champagne, we all wished we could have champagne for breakfast every day.

We went on to have more at the Sunday brunch a couple weeks ago at Prego, The Westin Kuala Lumpur. It’s champagne that goes wonderfully well with everything, and it is free-flowing (together with other types of liquor) at this brunch.

Down it with fresh oysters, the prawn risotto, figs with gorgonzola cheese, Ariabiatta fusilli, beef cheek braised in red wine, Caesar’s pizza, Oxtail Broccolini, Duck L’orange, braised lamb leg, even the chocolate soufflé with ice-cream. Yes, we drank a lot of GH Mumm champagne.

We had taken note of the antipasto spread before we started: Coffin Bay oysters and black mussels and clams, scallop carpaccio, octopus salad, stuffed eggplant, mushroom salad, the four-cheeses tart, rosemary smoked salmon, not to mention the Italian cheeses.

But once we sat down, we discovered we didn’t even have to stand up again! The hot food kept coming to our table. I had mentioned the Brazilian figs baked with gorgonzola cheese that some food bloggers had raved about, to chef David King, Westin’s director of kitchens, and he practically whisked them out of the kitchen. I knew they hadn’t been on the menú.

The hot food is not on the buffet. Ten chefs have been tasked with cooking the various dishes and getting them served a la minute. Ah, the luxury of not even having to go to the buffet to get your food. There was hardly a pause in the way it was brought to the table.

First it was pumpkin soup, then the prawn risotto which was superb. Then the wonderful figs with gorgonzola cheese — it’s that great balance between the sweet and the salty, the aroma of the melted cheese and the soft, juicy bite of the fig. That called for another clinking of glasses, and more champagne. Our glasses were constantly filled to the brim.

Then came the first of the pizzas, and the pastas. We were served Caesar’s pizza, topped with what’s usually on that salad, followed by aglio olio pasta and Ariabiatta fusilli.

We went on to the Braised Wagyu beef cheek braised in red wine. There was still steam rising from it as a chunk of it was put on my plate. Now that’s meat to love, as it fell apart at the bite, with all its delicious juices in the sauce. We toasted to that.

The Oxtail Broccolini came next. It’s very tender meat you pick out from the bone, and any guilt about eating this is assuaged by the green broccolini. Duck with orange sauce was surprisingly light, and sliced asparagus on top gave a healthy slant. Another risotto appeared, this time a mushroom one.  

Occasionally I looked out the glass window to where the alfresco dining was, and saw a spiced marinated whole lamb on a spit being sliced for the guests queuing up. I think in just half an hour, only the bare bones were left! Lemon and rosemary rotisserie chicken, roasted Australian grain-fed striploin, octopus, tiger prawns and flower crabs.

I didn’t have a chance with the cold food, though at one point I did get to have some beef carpaccio from a friend’s plate, and the breaded baked salmon that was so good.

While there was a dessert “bar”overflowing with goodies, including candy floss for the kids, we still got served a chocolate souffle with malt ice-cream drizzled with espresso. What’s totally heavenly is the tiramisu and the cheesecake (just the look of it can tell you what it tastes like). Lemon tart, praliné parfait, chocolate pear tart and the cannoli alla siciliana (filled with ricotta, mascarpone, candied peel and almonds.

Besides champagne, there’s prosecco, selected red and white wines, including Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc, and some good imported beers. You also begin with a bellini, vodka shooter or a lychee Martini.

We started and ended with GH Mumm champagne, the bubbles are still in the glass after half an hour! It’s now the champagne at Prego.

Children are welcome at this brunch that has a clown to entertain them, or they could be left at The Westin Kids Club on Level 4 from 11am to 3pm. 

The Sunday Bubbly Brunch at Prego is priced at RM268++ per person, and it begins from 11.30am. If you intend to stay on, you can enjoy 20 per cent discount on selected alcoholic beverages.

Call 03-2773-8338 to reserve a place at this very popular brunch.