Luxe Retreat

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London is set opposite the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, on the South Bank. It is close to the London Eye, the Aquarium, restaurants and theatres. Westminster and Waterloo tube stations are just a short walk away. The 1,019 rooms of the hotel are large, contemporarily air-conditioned and have modern luxuries, including a flat-screen TV, large desk, mini-bar, fridge and safe. Studios and apartments are also available. The hotel features the modern, award-winning Brasserie Joël and Ichi Sushi & Sashimi, which specialises in sushi and sashimi. The 1WB Lounge and Patisserie serves traditional afternoon tea and all-day tapas. Primo Bar offers live evening entertainment every night. There is a fully equipped 24-hour gym, a 15-metre swimming pool with a sauna and steam room, and the Mandara Spa, offering a range of luxury treatments.

Table to book

Chitalian

The variety of dishes on the menu makes Chitalian the best place to go out with family. It has something for everyone.

• Poonch House, Adam Gee Road, Saddar
•051-5563311

Texas Steak House

This steak house offers a very traditional steak experience. It also offers other options for people who do not really like steaks.

• Saddar
•051-5792132

LAHORE

Cosa Nostra

From the name to the ambience to the menu, everything about this restaurant is very Italian. Head to Cosa Nostra for a true Italian experience.

• 23-A, H-Block, Gulberg II
•03000848645

Veranda Bistro

Veranda is your one stop restaurant to satisfy your Mediterranean and Italian cravings, what makes the menu special however is its kids’ offerings.

• 6-L, Sir Syed Road Gulberg
•042-35714765

What’s in the menu?

Crème Brûlée

One of the first recordings of this delicious dessert in its French form was in 1691 but its origin might not actually be French at all. The French version of this dessert is baked in a pan of water and is chilled for several hours. The custard is sprinkled with sugar and then caramelised with a kitchen blow torch and served quickly, so the contrast between smooth and cold custard, and crunchy and hot topping is preserved.

England, Spain and France all claim to have created the first version of the famous crème brûlée. However, food historians generally agree, that custards were very popular in the Middle Ages and in fact their popularity circulated across Europe – thus being impossible to trace custard’s actual roots.

Early French versions of the dessert did not in fact burn the caramel like its modern versions, but rather placed a previously prepared caramel disc on top of the custard. However the term crème brûlée didn’t appear until the 19th century – it’s generally served cold.

Catalans claim that their ‘crema catalana’, that has a rich custard as the star, topped with caramelised sugar, is the origin of the dessert, though theirs seems to be recorded later in the 18th century. It’s served as a cold base with a hot topping.

Not only that, but Trinity College in Cambridge also claims to be the birthplace, using burnt cream, where the college crest was burnt into sugar on the custard. Titled ‘Trinity Burnt Cream’, it’s said that a student came up with the dish in the 17th century, and the kitchens there are still well-known at making this famous dish.