Bloomsbury gastronomic encounter

To celebrate London's St Pancras station’s 140th anniversary, hotels Number Twelve and Ambassadors Bloomsbury are offering guests the Bloomsbury Gastronomic Encounter package.

Based on the famous 1945 great romantic film, ‘Brief Encounter’, guests can stay in a deluxe room at Ambassadors Bloomsbury, with rates starting at £199.00, inclusive of a full gourmet breakfast, daily newspaper, the use of the brand new, state-of-the-art Technogym and a three course dinner at Number Twelve, including a bottle of house wine.

‘Brief Encounter’ is a classic romantic drama, set in 1945 during World War II in the fictional Milford railway station. The film tells the story of a married women, Laura, who meets a Doctor, Alec, in the station’s waiting room, who kindly removes a piece of grit from her eye then leaves to catch his train. They meet again and a friendship begins to develop. Although they are both married, they gradually fall in love with each other and embark on a passionate affair, before a final goodbye as Alec departs on a train from the railway station to South Africa.

Number Twelve (numbertwelverestaurant.co.uk) is a stylish, contemporary Italian restaurant in Bloomsbury, that opened its doors at the end of 2007, and is the perfect setting for a modern romantic encounter in today’s world. Located a five minute walk from St Pancras, the new terminal for Eurostar, this year Number Twelve was nominated for Best Italian Restaurant at the London Restaurant Awards.

Head Chef Santino Busciglio, Sicilian-born and Lancastrian-bred, sources the freshest British produce from local markets where possible and cooks with Italian flair and passion. Santino salts his own cod, smokes his own meat and fish and oversees the baking of six different types of bread every morning, using organic flour ordered from a specialist supplier in Italy. Unique Number Twelve olive oil is also now available for sale at the restaurant, which a friend of Santino's decants specially in Puglia, Italy. Pastas and gnocchi are also home made as are the ice creams and sorbets. A highlight of Number Twelve is the cheese table, piled high with British farmhouse cheeses from La Fromagerie.

Ambassadors Bloomsbury (ambassadors.co.uk), recently re-opened after a £7million two year refurbishment, is a four star, independent hotel with luxury touches, offers the perfect retreat for a short break in the capital. Owner Dilip Kaneria has worked closely with Italian designer Giuseppe Boscherini to develop a modern and fresh feel to the property which complements the original 1930’s features.

Special touches at this stylish hotel include flat-screen LCD televisions and complimentary internet access in every guest room, a brand new gym facility (Energise) with state of the art equipment, superior soundproof windows to shield the traffic noise from Upper Woburn Place and L’Occitane toiletries which ensure the hotel continues to remain a four star hotel deluxe that is always one step ahead of the competition.