WHAT MUM REALLY WANTS

#NB : Luckiest mum and blogger EVER to be invited to the #swissotelsydney for lunch on Mother’s Day. 

Whilst this was a gift to myself and my sisters, all of the following delicious opinions are my own.

I guess the big question is; when is it OK to start your meal with dessert?

This was on my mind last Sunday.

That, and not too much else for once.

You see, it was Mother’s Day here in Australia, and my present this year was a day where I didn’t have to think.

Being a Mum is a true gift, but sometimes my brain is ready to explode wondering about nappies and snacks and fresh air and toilet trips and screen time and washing and lego houses and on and on and on…

I wanted needed a day for me.

My kids are young enough, that the bunch of flowers and little gifts presented to me on Saturday meant job done. And this weekend was always going to be special, as two of my sisters had flown in from interstate to visit me. Yes…three 40 year old plus women, all mums, with nine children between us, KID FREE…can anyone smell trouble? I needed to plan something memorable and amazing.

Enter – Swissotel Sydney.

Nothing spells a decadent Mother’s Day like they do.

Seriously, it took every ounce of my decorum (and possibly my heels) not to tap dance through the lobby. The Crossroads Bar was calm, elegant and oh, so tasteful.

And….breathe…and…relax. 

For today, it was all about, well, me; no rush, no arguments, no sticky fingers, no cold food. And definitely NO Ben and Holly theme music cluttering my brain; rather the soothing, tinkling of the piano music. My sisters and I could actually talk, uninterrupted, and we set out on our mission to devour the buffet, taste test the champagne and solve all the problems of the world.

Could watch these bubbles forever…but I was thirsty

Oh, but where to start?

Well, I behaved and began with the canapes and sushi; exquisite flavours in tiny mouthfuls and not a fish finger in sight. This was coupled with sparkling wine and good conversation. Bliss.

I nearly skipped to the buffet for the main, as I was super excited about the 16 hour slow roasted beef – 16 hours! Love eating food that I will NEVER cook; kids or no kids. The salmon was also divine. No photos here I’m afraid. Look – my plate was piled high. It was not ‘photo pretty’. And I was hungry.

But, without further ado….

Time for dessert.

I just love when they are sooo small you feel justified eating more. I held my head high as I returned to my seat; not an ounce of shame in the glorious mountain of sugar I was about to devour. For me, it was the triple chocolate mousse (always the mousse) that had me licking my teeny, tiny, little spoon.

More? MORE????

But I couldn’t possibly fit anoth…

Oh, OK then.

This year, the feature of the lunch was the bright display of macarons. Kind of like a dessert for the dessert, and I would hate to have left without trying these unique flavours. Sensational indeed, though the vegemite one had me mildly concerned for the first time that day.

And so, as I fell back on the plush seat in the most beautiful food coma, I reflected on this moment.

Simply put, the Swissotel really made our day. Gifting this lunch to three busy and grateful mums was incredibly generous and greatly appreciated. 

I am also super thankful for my sisters (all of them), whose advice and support is always packed with laughter and love; I mean who knew that you could consider tomato sauce a vegetable? I am a richer woman for their invaluable insights.

But of course, later that day, I returned to my true source of delight. My core reason for celebrating Mother’s day. My husband and my two little kids, whose beaming faces and squeals of delight finally wiped the memory of the triple layer mousse from my mind…for a little while anyway…