SAT JUNE 27, THE BIGGEST AND BEST YET

8:45pm and I was starting to panic, more than 60 people about to descend upon my doorstep… Thankfully help arrived in the angelic form of Hyon, soon followed by Amanda (guest of honour, my old friend all the way from Sydney), the ever-lovely Jamie and a spectacular Brigitte. Food was laid on the buffet table and last minute details were tended to before the onslaught of the masses.

I was somewhat concerned about the “over-booking” with 60+ confirmed, but in the end there were a few no-shows (which I consider very rude but in this case perhaps a blessing). The final total was 59 guests - 32 women and 27 men. Of these there were 33 first timers and 26 repeats including a hard core of regulars! The relatively limited number of nationalities present, a mere 15, I would have to blame on the local invasion, with 23 Spanish/Catalans it would seem they are trying to claim the cosmosoirée for their own;) There was also a healthy U.S. contingent of 10, and a sprinkling each from Australia, Italy, France, Britain and Germany. Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden managed to rustle up a representative or two, and I was particularly “encantada” to receive 3 latino americanos (además todos chicos guapos) from Venezuela, Peru and Argentina… bárbaro!

The highlights of the 1st course buffet were Hyon’s delectable oriental summer rolls with peanut sauce, wonderful salads by Jamie, Brigitte, Paolo and myself, Natalia’s mouthwatering meatballs and Maite’s exquisite quiche. Unfortunately my lovingly- prepared tabuleh salad remained neglected in the fridge behind a mountain of bottles, and I completely forgot to put it out! Oh well, it was very much enjoyed by my workmates on Monday.

With my kitchen overtaken by party animals I did as best I could to serve out my old faithful chicken curry in a civilised manner, and it went down a treat as ever. Then finally the dessert selection - fruit salad, chocolate torta, a special coca from Olot (thanks Jordi) and my childhood special honeycrackles (a little underdone, sorry) – and I think I managed to perfect the surprise spotlight dessert presentation on the terrace table amid gasps of appreciation.

At that point I was able to relax and enjoy the party, and what fun it was! The terrace was even more packed than usual with people enjoying the balmy summer evening. Later some ingenious guests cooled off by wading in the icy bathtub, and some crazy photos were taken (I want to see them!) There was salsa dancing and general mayhem till 3am... luckily my neighbours were away!

For the moment I’m not planning another event over the summer, at least not in my loft. But you never know, I might suddenly be inspired, or have a special event in a different venue. There will indeed be une petite soirée in September… and a welcome back authentic cosmosoirée in October. See you then!

TONIGHTS EVENT IS FULL, NO MORE PLACES!

EL EVENTO DE ESTA NOCHE ESTA LLENO, NO QUEDAN PLAZAS!

PARTY REPORT SATURDAY MAY 30

It was a beautiful warm night, summer was in the air at last… and most of Barcelona was out of town for the holiday weekend! Would anyone come to cosmosoirée???

I optimistically prepared my house anyway, and left the terrace awning-less to reveal a clear sky with the illuminated crown of my neighbouring skyscraper hovering overhead like a UFO... It was still dusk when the first trickle of guests started to arrive, naturally gravitating out onto the terrace to the fresh air, and the drinks! Gradually the trickle grew into a respectable sized crowd, smaller than usual with just 38 people, but a very interesting and animated group, and the party soon got going!

I know you’re all hanging out for the vital statistics - there were 20 men and 18 women, exactly evenly matched between first timers and repeat attenders - 19/19. We had the lowest ever count of countries of origin with a mere 12, mostly the predictable ones, but I am happy to report two new nationalities on the cosmosoirée list – China and the Dominican Republic!

I for one especially enjoyed the evening, perhaps because it was smaller and more intimate than usual I was able to relax and socialise more. But even objectively speaking I would say that it was a great mix of people and everybody seemed to have a wonderful time, thanks to all for being such fabulous guests! Also a special mention to DJ Julius for providing the cool vibes, and to Stephane for doing a great job as my official helper :)

Might I also take a moment to congratulate myself;) for preparing basically ALL the food. With most of my friends away I couldn’t rely on the delicious dishes usually brought by a number of them so apart from the scrumptious croquetas made by Natalia and Ana (gracias chicas), I provided every other morsel of food. I managed to fill the buffet table with a nice array of salads, of which the bok choy was the clear favourite, plus jacket potatoes with cashew pesto, guacamole etc... My main course chicken curry was possibly the yummiest ever (in my opinion), and since it is toned down for delicate local palates I was rather astonished that several Spanish guests asked me to spice it up! Be warned for next time;) For dessert, along with a giant fruit salad, I managed to throw together a very impressive and surprisingly delicious layered chocolate cake with berries on top… I think this will be making a regular appearance!

Now that the weather is hotting up the logistics of preparing and keeping all the food and drinks cool has become quite a challenge I must say. In fact my fridge was seriously threatening to go on strike with the work overload, not to mention the difficulty for myself working in such conditions and the possible discomfort of the crowd in summer... So the plan for the moment is that the next party on June 27 will probably be the last such one until after the summer… However there could be a few surprises with special events and a change of venue, so keep watching this space!

No more photos sorry, I was having too much fun and forgot...