You don’t need a reason to celebrate :)

Sunday Brunch at Lotus Cafe (JW Marriott Juhu)

One of the biggest misconceptions of life is that we need a reason to celebrate. This has been some form of the attitude that I have carried for most of my life and I’ve begun to see the fallacy of that concept. I am breathing in every moment of every day, taking in the good things and the bad events that all get put into my path, and sometimes missing on the most important aspect of it……living! I must have watched that advertisement about the priceless moments of life over a thousand times never realizing that I too can change the way I think to make many more moments of my life and family priceless! Why should I wait for life’s priceless moment to come my way, can’t I make these moments appear more frequent than otherwise they may?

And so yesterday I did just that. Although it was a lazy Sunday morning, I woke up with a new zeal, to make my precious priceless moment happen. It was interesting to note that it didn’t take much to decide how I was going to make that possible. Contrary to my usual whims of being well planned and prepared, I decided to be spontaneous and preposterously decided to book a table at the Lotus Café, JW Marriott. For a star-studded entourage, brunching at the Lotus Café might be a regular affair, but for me, I would normally need a really good reason to dine in at such a luxurious buffet. When I broke the news of the reservations made to my husband, he looked a bit confused, albeit perplexed by the notion that he had forgotten an all-so-important date, which is not unusual for him to do. The fact that there was no reason to celebrate just added to his bewilderment but he was kind enough to play along.

We walked into the palatial dining area of the Lotus Café at just about noon. It was a nice bright sunny day and the café was well lit with natural soft sunlight similar to a solarium adorned with tall glass windows overlooking a well-maintained garden area reminiscent of an Egyptian oasis. Although Mumbai day temperatures can be harsh, the buffet area seemed to capture all the beauty of a natural oasis while keeping the room pleasant and cool. Live music with numbers both retro and current rolled along which definitely set the backdrop for an enjoyable afternoon. At one end of the hall was an organized play area with a couple of clowns and a handful of activities to keep our kids distracted for a while till we got ready for brunch.

The buffet was exotic beyond what I could imagine with a spread as far as my eye could see. The Grill section was loaded with humongous servings of giant lobsters, tiger prawns, sliced squids and fish fillets on the seafood front while large chunks of juicy chicken breasts, lamb chops and steak formed the meaty front. My children loved the prawns and squids which seemed to still hold their deep-sea aroma while we feasted on them. The lamb chops were succulent and tender, and my mouth has begun to water again just thinking about them as I write this. What I loved the most about the meat extravaganza was that the spiciness was toned down, which suits my tongue, but at the same time the flavour emanated deep from the preparation evident in every bite into it.

The live Italian counter was up and about sizing up pizzas and custom pastas while to one end was a Chaat counter which was overwhelmingly faultless in its bhel-puri and samosas. Another section had different types of cheese, while mini shwarmas and exotic veggies were available at different parts of the dining area. There was also a section with Chinese food, but I was too full by the time I reached that counter. Mojitos and fruit punch mocktails were on the house and my kids went a little overboard guzzling them down. The desserts were colourful looking, enticing and pretty. Chocolate brownies, mousse, flavoured ice creams, barfis, halwas, you name it and it seemed like it was already there. The spread was so lavish, I guess I could have gone back for dinner and still not be done with exploring everything.  

And there it was. The excitement on my children’s faces, their hugs and kisses summing up their gratitude and their squeals of laughter as we cracked frivolous jokes, all precious priceless moments that I love to collect as they light up my life. It is true that there are somethings that money can’t buy, but I love the fact that I’ve found a way to make those precious priceless moments happen…..and now I definitely don’t need a reason to celebrate!!