In spite of its industrial chic grey and white interiors, a meal at Preparazzi is like being entertained at the home of a particularly experimental and sophisticated friend. The mastermind behind this business, Jeremy Nguee, is a self-taught chef who got his start as a private hire and caterer. And his experience shows in the menu which is full of sharable party-appropriate bites, pulling ideas from global cuisines. The mushroom strawberry crostini ($8.90) is fresh with a ginger garnish, while their inventive beef sliders are constructed using French gougères as “buns” ($14.90). Plus, their Mod Sin homemade otak-otak ($13.90) is done in a cheesy gratin fashion. Some dishes go into almost Spanish molecular territory: An ambitious ham and cheese “sundae” ($15.90) comprises rock melon sorbet, jamon bellota, buffalo mozzarella and olive oil caviar. You could easily have a very fine meal made up of just these bar bites and first courses. Mains—like the roast pork crackling ($23.90) with its too tough layer of skin and typical apple side—lack the finesse and creativity shown at the start of the meal. One-for-one drinks (available from 6pm onwards) including the Old Uncle ($15)—an Old Fashioned topped with soda—and the Orange Matahari ($15), a mix of orange and blue curaçao, are a mite watered down but make the food go down easy. If you work in the area, you’d be hard-pressed to find a casual spot with more interesting grub. Plus, now that the prices are less steep (they reopened in mid-June after a slight refurbishment and revised prices are 25 percent lower than before), it’s a worthwhile option to add to the weekly dining rotation. Just remember to stick to the small plates.
