The sweetie pies at Barbeque Nation surprised me last weekend with an invite to a lunch. This was a part of a general event across all their outlets to celebrate and appreciate moms.
The PR person who sent me the invite didn't mention any particular theme in the email. It was one of those standard PR invites with the date and time and request to be there, and blog about it later.
So, I was really taken by surprise by the very special welcome and the pampering that followed.
On this special day, guests were invited to acknowledge their mom's efforts and treat her to a delicious buffet spread at Barbeque Nation. They were welcomed with fun activities
and a menu curated especially for mothers. The event had radio jockeys visiting with their moms and interacting with the guests about their experience. Guests participated in fun engagement activities with their moms. A few of the activities included games like MOMpedia, exciting rounds of charades for mother-child pairs to compete and win. As a part of Mother's Day celebrations, the staff dedicated an entertaining performance and a special Mother's Day cake for the guests.
For Mother's Day, there was an interesting array of starters - Paneer Pudina Tikka, Shahi Kumbh Malai, and and Tandoori Saundah Tangdi Murgh among others.
Having just arrived from the boiling heat outside, Snubnose and I went a little slow on the starters, instead helping ourselves to generous helpings of the drinks.
Then it was time for the live grills on our table.
We helped ourselves to multiple portions of Cajun spiced potatoes, Paneer tikka, and BBQ pineapple, which were simply too good. My favorite always though is the achari mushrooms - grilled just enough to be tender.
Snubnose feasted on the prawns.
And on the chicken.
I was very happy with the amount of grilled fruit and salads that were available to us. It was very welcome in the summer heat, and the combination of sweet and spicy was excellent - especially in the pineapples and watermelon dishes.
For the main course, the buffet offered dishes like Hyderabadi Kachhe Murgh ki Biryani, Bangalorean Fish Curry and Bademiyaan ke Rolls at a live roll counter. There were also chaat and paav bhaji stalls, which proved irresistible.
Then it was time for dessert, where Snubnose and I split a kulfi. She decided on the kulfi flavor and toppings, and I just went along with whatever she decided. The result was this over-embellished monstrosity.
And now comes the surprise. After dessert, we were just preparing to leave when the waiter appeared at our table with a small box in hand. To my surprise, it turned out to be a Mother's Day cake, and I found myself getting quite emotional.
The thing is, we as a family always do a family outing for Mother's Day. This year, unfortunately my father-in-law is not keeping too well, and hence Mother's Day was not on anyone's radar at all. In fact, I had not connected the PR invite from Barbeque Nation with Mother's Day at all arriving there like it was any other regular blog event. So it was a real surprise to have a cake presented to me, and which I cut and shared with the family.
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful lunch!
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