c’est la vie; That’s life

“C’est la vie”, she said, her chocolate-brown eyes twinkling back at me; her cascading curls bobbing down her strong shoulders. Every time she speaks, her eyes smile back with a spark of sunshine. You know, there are just a handful of people we ever meet whose eyes speak for themselves. And when they do they pour a confetti of joy your way. Ginny is one of. them.

I was sipping into my full-bodied, Blue Tokia Latte at C’est La Vie, while Ginny was digging into a sunny-side up. We were animatedly discussing the various wonders and challenges of life, to which she had smiled that mystical smile and chimed, “C’est la Vie”.

C’est la vie also happens to be Ginny’s very own, warm, quintessential neighbourhood café. It’s a happy, vibrant nook, where people from the neighbourhood and Gurugram go to unwind, indulge themselves to a lip smacking spread, catch up with their tribe and grab a quiet time away from the hustle bustle of life. 

C’est la vie, Moi and Some Others:

I go to C’est la vie often with my friends, family and a multiple times all by myself, to get away and write. I edited my second book, April Anecdotes at C’est la vie.

Sometimes I just take off to C’est la vie when I need my “me-time”.  The café has a uncanny way of enveloping me in a warm, snug hug. I return home recharged and rejuvenated each time.

A few months back I was editing my book, and was having a hard time doing so at home, due to multiple distractions. I just escaped on that weekend afternoon, for a couple of hours to C’est la vie, armed with my Mac and writing gear.

On that very afternoon I bumped into a stay-at-home-mum who was buried deep into the recesses of her book. We got chatting and she told me how she had taken off on a whim, and come here as  she needed to get away from the madness at home. It was her first time, and she said she was loving her solitude and “me” time. I told her I do that pretty often, and it’s a must-do to salvage ones sanity, between managing home, work, children and what-have-yous. She told me excitedly how she was looking forward to more of these wind-me-downs away from home, in the future. I on the other hand returned home accomplished. I finished editing all the twenty-six chapters of April Anecdotes, in two and a half hours. 

C’est la vie and Its Vibe:

The canary yellow and lime green upholstery and furniture add a whole new dimension of cheer and optimism to C’est la vie. The charcoal black walls have graffiti and writings in coloured chalk, that give this quintessential café an upbeat vibe. One of the walls has been meticulously adorned with floral and paisley art by a youngster from school.

C’est la vie  stands out unassumingly, reflecting ample joy. The walls are adorned with bookshelves that boast of a wonderful collection. These include, Sadat Hasan Manto, Murakami, James Paterson, Amish, R.J Palacio; to name just a few.

The Menu:

Honestly when C’est la vie started about two years back, I was not very impressed by the quality of their food and felt there was immense scope for improvement. But over the years they have matured like good, old wine, and the versatile spread speaks volumes about the café.

Some of my personal favourites on the menu are; the unique, Shakshuka, a lip-smackingly delicious Mediterranean dish (an ideal meal for an egg lover), Hearty Herby Omelette (Yes! I love eggs), and the Vegan Chick Pea Omelette ( the version of the Indian Besan Cheela), Broccoli Slaw, a super healthy salad with the mighty goodness of broccoli, almonds and dried cranberries, drizzled with a buttermilk dressing, Minced Meat Lasgna and Grilled fish with Tangy burnt butter sauce- I usually replace this sauce with a barbeque sauce and it is finger licking delicious.  

Their Blue Tokai coffees are a league apart, and stand out with their flavourful aroma, taste and goodness. I’ve drowned myself in copious mugs of those while working on a deadline. I also love their freshly prepared watermelon juice with a dash of mint. 

As for the desserts the C’est la vie Caramel Cheese Cake, does take the cake! Literally! And so does the Lemon Tea cake. They used to have a  Kit-Kat cake which has been now shelved. That was our personal favourite, especially my ten-year-old’s. 

C’est la vie is just a stone’s throw from my home. I’m fortunate you see. So I go there every other day. They used to have live bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Not anymore. That transformed the place into a hip, spunky, swinging cafe on weekend nights, though minus the booze. I hope Ginny get’s the live music rolling back, sometime soon. 

So, if you are in Gurugram (Haryana, New Delhi Capital Region) anytime soon, don’t forget to pop in to one of my favourite cafe’s, C’est la vie, in Nirvana Country to soak in some sumptuous bliss. I promise you, you will return re-invigorated with that extra smile in your heart and a spring in your step.

Cest la vie, folks!

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Note: This is not a sponsored or promotional post. This is a post to celebrate Life. And the sheer brilliance it bestows upon us, through simple pleasures through a handful of places, that have a way of sprinkling our lives with that extra dose of cheer.

 

Linking up with #FlavoursomeTuesdays hosted by the two lovely bloggers, Sunita and Shilpa