Kathmandu:

On a sunny afternoon, imagine yourself taking a dip in the cool water of the pool to beat the heat; and as you come out of the pool after a refreshing swim, a huge Italian buffet is laid out for you. And you don’t even have to worry about keeping your children occupied for they can try their hand at making their favourite food — pizzas.

If this is the way you want to spend your Saturday afternoon, then Soaltee Crowne Plaza has good news for you. Soaltee’s Italian restaurant Alfresco is starting its poolside lunch every Saturday from July 14. The lunch hours will be from 12:30-3:30 pm.

Sous Chef Aman Singh talked about the similarity between the Italian weather and Kathmandu weather. “In Italy, during weather like this, people like to enjoy barbeque lunch on the beach.”

The buffet lunch includes authentic Italian cuisine like salads, pastas, breads and desserts. There will be a variety of pastas and salads to choose from. And that is not all — the lunch will also serve barbeque chicken and fish and one complimentary drink of your choice (beer or soft drink). In order to make every lunch special, there will be different menu every Saturday.

So that’s what is on offer here. You have the Italian menu and the water. Perhaps the only thing missing is the sand. And you wouldn’t miss it much as the food is delicious.

Sharad Upadhyay, Food and Beverage Manager, quipped jokingly, “If it rains, then we will also include rain dance.”

(Rs 600 for adults, Rs 350 for children, local taxes extra)