Paola's Cosa Nostra — Restaurant in Lahore Cantonment Tehsil

ROMAN HOLIDAY by Paola Cosa Nostra

Now this is something I can go for every weekend... Why coz it only served on weekends by Paola. Roman Holiday is a new buffet that has been launched by Paola and what an amazing experience it is. What is this about??? Well... it's all you ever wanted and a lot more, the very first Italian Buffet. No its not those creamy pastas but the experience you may have in Italy.

The buffet is served on their first floor where seating is under 50 and is divided in four sections.

Antipasti (a mix of cold starters) Al Forno (Freshly baked Breads) Primi (A station for freshly hand rolled pastas) Secondi (A section of meats along with housemade sauces and sides)

and lastly Dolci which means desserts that are served on the table for you.

If you are like me then I would not get enough of Antipasti and the Secondi stations... loved their starters which had Ratatouille Tart, Garlic & Lemon Marinated Mushrooms, Mixed Tomato Confit, Caprese Salad, Quinoa and Grilled Corn Rocket, Grilled Peach Salad and a lot more.

Al Forno is the bread station which houses Focaccia, Grissini, and Pagnotta and they all go well with their main course meals.

Primi the pasta Station... well you can get your own pasta noddles rolled and cooked right in front of you. I tried all 4 but loved the Charcoal Spaghetti, Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca, and Pansotti with chicken, Ricotta, and lemon Parmesan.

The SECONDI station had me going back again and again for the variety of Australian Tomahawk Steaks, Ribeye, T Bone, and Smoked Tenderloin along with Slow Cooked Lamb and Rotisserie Chicken for the weak hearted. Loved how each and every item is cooked in front of you and served fresh along with some amazing sides of Maple roasted carrots, Sauteed Corns, Charred Cauliflower with Spicy Peppers and Picada sauce, Green Beans and Creamed Garlic spinach to create an order between the meat and the veggies.

Lastly the Dolci and the Pastries ... they are served on the table as per your choice. Panna Cotta, Molten Chocolate cake, Raspberry Trifle, and Dark Chocolate Torte.

All I can say at the end is PHEW.... take your appetite along folks as its never ending food... not the usual buffet with 50 items but the items that one can repeat. A bit pricey at Rs 6800 + Tax but hey its a steak buffet.

A MUST try for those who like this kind of food as I surely be going back there again soon but do not forget to book ahead as they have limited seats and sell out pretty fast.

#HappyEating #Paola #RomanHoliday #FoodiesRUs —...

Arrived to the restaurant about 10 min before our reservation time. When we arrived they said we didn’t have a reservation. They asked the time of our reservation and my husband stated 7 pm. They said we were not entered into their system. I then insisted we had a reservation for 7 pm in American English and miraculously found our reservation when we showed the call we placed to make reservation. We were seated finally and the atmosphere was quite nice, slightly cramped but still nice.

We ordered the French onion soup, winter salad, Sunday Roast Beef, chicken on a sizzler, and Bounty and Espresso Gelato.

French onion soup 2/5 Soup had been puréed and the bread is the only thing with cheese. Not even comparable to American standards Winter salad 4/5 Salad flavors were good and consistent with US chain restaurant salads. It did state walnuts to be in the ingredients but there was no walnuts. Slightly overdressed in my opinion but my husband loved it. Chicken on a Sizzler 3/5 Chicken initially is perfect when served but I think the sizzler plate over time over cooks the chicken so it dries out. The mushroom gravy had a film layer over the top likely do to sitting for a little too long before serving. The green beans were good and mashed potatoes were also good (not gluey or over mashed) Sunday Roast Beef 4/5 This was the best dish served in my opinion. I asked for it to be prepared medium rare and it was cooked properly. The mashed potatoes and green beans were good and the gravy on the side was served properly without film. The Yorkshire pudding was just so so… Gelato 4/5 Both the Bounty and espresso flavors were good. Not the best gelato I have had but definitely good tasting.

The major downfall in my opinion of this restaurant is the service. It is hard to get the attention of your server to do anything. From taking our order, checking it the meal is okay to even getting you a desert menu. The main courses with meat did not provide us with a steak knife to be able to cut meat and we had to work with a butter knife. (This is not acceptable in my opinion) Also our plates were served 5 minutes apart from each other which makes thinks a little awkward.

For a restaurant that is hyped to be upscale I would say by American standards it is a mediocre chain quality restaurant. Atmosphere is nice but the other aspects surely diminish...

There is no single place that is more consistent, authentic, and reliable than Cosa Nostra Gulberg. It is the benchmark for Lahore's take on Western/European Cuisine, and stands tall amongst most.

Lahore has few reliable options for healthy meals. Cosa is one of the few places that deliver in this regard.

From ordering a grilled-beef burger on wheat-buns (which are so incredibly soft that they take me back to my childhood Salt&Pepper days), to their vast array of sandwiches on whole-wheat bread which are always cooked/made based on your preferences (e.g., I always get mine without Mayo and sauces, and they have never not followed my instructions), to ordering a low-carb burger (on lettuce), Cosa shows that its varieties are not mere gimmicks, but a careful application of flavor preferences.

Similarly, their pizzas are always made on brick-ovens (one of the first places in Lahore to do that I believe), which use Mozzarella Cheese and tomato sauce in moderation, are paper-thin, thereby making them super-crunchy, but most important of all, unlike any other restaurant in Lahore, they give you the choice of making the pizzas on wheat-bread/dough. Guilt-free pizzas were not a thing for me, but Cosa changed all that.

Furthermore, their pastas/Italian dishes to me have the same authentic taste that I would experience at a quality Italian restaurant elsewhere. The key indicator is that the dishes are not drenched in oil, and the pastas are soft, with tasty tangy sauces, along with flavorful subtle toppings of different cheeses (e.g., parmesan cheese).

Finally, while I am not an ice-crème connoisseur and don’t have ice cream often, it is well-established that they serve the only authentic Gelato/Ice-Cream in Lahore. Someone told me it has to do with the fact that they invested in imported machinery for their Gelato/Ice-Cream way back, something that no other brand has really done, and it pays dividends, because every ice-cream lover in Lahore attests to Cosa ice-cream being the best. My family takes full advantage of it every time. Going to cosa for ice-cream is an experience in itself for them.

This review has been long over-due (10 years in the making). I hope they remain consistent, unlike their DHA Branch, which does not hold a candle to...