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Who doesn’t want an escape in the summer? Especially in Lahore’s heat? A change of scenery, culture and cuisine? But considering the exchange rate and flight prices these days, a change like this may not always be easy. Paola’s Cosa Nostra’s weekend summer pop-up, the Roman Holiday is the next best thing to a trip to Italy.

Everyone knows that Paola’s Cosa Nostra is a little piece of Italy in Lahore but their summer pop-up is a leap ahead in terms of the culinary scene in the city. A four-course extravagant Italian food experience that was very posh and unique, the Roman Holiday is everything an Italian food connoisseur could dream of this summer.

Hosted on the top floor of Paola’s (called Upstairs), the Roman Holiday (now in its second year) serves a very lavish buffet of Italian delicacies to around 50 people in one time slot (they have two; 7pm to 9pm and 9:45pm to 11:45pm) Thursday through Sunday. One could gauge how popular the pop-up is in Lahore by the fact that the reservation must be requested a week or a few days in advance.

Like most fine dining experiences abroad, there is a charge for a reservation, which is paid back to the customers with their bill. This is to ensure people take their reservations seriously as Paola’s does not oversell reservations, to keep the affair very exclusive.

Once I reserved my table, I got a text to ensure I was on time (much appreciated). The directions mentioned that each seat is reserved for two hours only, and punctuality ensures that visitors have the best experience and ample time to enjoy the variety and servings on offer. Children under 12 are not allowed.

I was very impressed by the effort Paola’s was putting in to ensure guests had a great experience before even trying the food.

Upon our visit, we were welcomed and escorted to our seats by the staff. I couldn’t help but notice that the servers were dressed according to the theme, wearing Italian hats and even had the Italian style moustaches, which was über cool and speaks volumes about the attention to detail and thought put into the experience.

The space looked like a Tuscan courtyard, with vintage photographs adorning the brick walls and a giant chandelier hanging in the middle of the space. The four-course meal compromised of anti pasti, al forno, primi, meats and dolci. The anti pasti had a medley of beautiful cold starters, the first part of a true Italian meal, and they had a very diverse menu; from zucchini with whipped ricotta to oyster mushroom carpaccio, balsamic roasted onions and chilli cheese tarts, a variety of salads and much more.

While the menu had a lot of variety, what set it apart from other buffets was that every serving had a distinct flavour, with the flavour — the main protagonist of the dish — standing out more than its toppings.

The house-made focaccia and Italian breads were fresh, ridiculously soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, but I’d suggest not filling up oneself with the breads and keeping room for meats and pasta, the highlight of the night!

On the pasta menu, there was spaghetti, pansotti, pappardelle and tortellini — my favourite was the pansotti which was served with chicken, ricotta, lemon, parmesan and a mysterious taste, which probably came from the buerre blanc sauce, as they call it.

For pasta and meats there are live cooking stations, with all the magic being created right in front of you — what a treat for the eyes and the gut! The spaghetti was even being cut right in front of us, which really reminded me of my trip to Rome, where you could see this live in action in almost every street with restaurants.

From the meats section, on the carvery, they had Australian tomahawk, which was tender, juicy and just perfect. The slow cooked short ribs were cooked to perfection right in front of us and were rich and flavourful. The meats came with a range of gravies and sauces on the side for guests to choose whatever they’d like to complement their choice of meat.

Also on the meat menu was mediterranean style clay pot braised lamb and chilli butter rotisserie chicken with spicy gravy.

By the time it was dessert’s turn, I was quite full but like they always say, there’s a separate place in one’s gut for the dessert. My friend and I decided to try a little bit of everything being offered.

We started with tortino al cioccolato, a molten lava cake served with pistachio swirl gelato, rich and delicious with the perfect mix of warm and cold dessert. The panna cotta was just as good; perfectly sweet — not too much, not too little. I was super impressed by the dark chocolate torte, which, when paired with the raspberry meringue trifle, led my tastebuds directly to heaven!

They were also serving pastries and cannoli on the side but by then we had no room to even look at them, so perhaps next time.

Slightly on the higher end, the experience costs Rs7,800 plus tax per person but is well worth it, considering the experience. An experience like this with parallel quality would cost well above $300 or Pounds per person in New York or London. The cherry on top is that Paola’s honours all bank discounts applicable on the pop-up and are happy to split the bill on multiple cards so their guests can make the most of their discounts.

So, keep that in mind and take bank cards that offer 40 to 50 per cent off on Paola’s to get the best of Italy in Lahore without breaking the bank.

Roman Holiday is more than an escape; it’s an exquisite Italian experience where fine culinary craftsmanship meets the perfect Tuscan ambiance to give visitors a night to remember. We came home feeling like we’ve truly returned from an exquisite Roman Holiday! I just hope Paola’s does something equally interesting in the winter as well.