Stay at home, have fun this New Year

A sushi bar with cups of sake, fajitas with fresh guacamole and salsa, paella garnished with prawns. This is not part of the Rs-4,000 per person New Year buffet at a fancy restaurant, but the menu at a house party in Versova, reports Kiran Wadhwa.

A sushi bar with cups of sake, fajitas with fresh guacamole and salsa, paella garnished with prawns.

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This is not part of the Rs-4,000 per person New Year buffet at a fancy restaurant, but the menu at a house party in Versova.

Many Mumbaiites are opting to stay indoors on December 31, but that does not mean they have settled for takeaways and the annual Bollywood gala on TV. What they are planning instead are house parties — dos with menus and themes exotic enough to give the city’s best restaurants a run for their money.

“A house party is more intimate,” said Shalini Mehta, a Mahalaxmi-based fashion designer who is busy buying fondue pots for her fondue table. “Hotel parties get unruly after everyone is drunk and God help if they run out of booze. At home, you can choose the music, crowd, food and the best part — stay over if you are drunk. It’s not difficult to organise as everyone chips in.”

Even the variety of alcohol at home can be extensive. “I make at least 200 jello shots and experiment with cocktails. Since you can stay over, you can drink to your heart’s content and it doesn’t cost Rs 600 a drink,” said Ravi Shroff, who is the F&B manager at the party at his friend’s Bandra home.

Catering to home parties are shops that provide ingredients for any dish you want to create. Stores like Patel Provisions in Bandra, Alfa in Vile Parle and Godrej Nature’s Basket outlets stock a variety of imported foods, from chesses to wasabi.

“Since many people are celebrating at home and trying different cuisines, a lot of our product assortments are in demand, especially cheese platters and cold cut platters,” said Mohit Khattar, MD, Godrej Nature’s Basket.

To help Mumbaiites organise all this are professional party-planners who can provide you with everything, from unbreakable shot glasses that hang from your neck to anti-stain tablecloths and mini roulette tables, available at places such as Party Basket in Colaba or Party Hunterz in Bandra.