Nov 14 a memorable evening!

I had a feeling the november event would be a quiet affair… how wrong I was! It turned out to be the most popular cosmosoirée ever, a record 55 people confirmed on facebook alone (not all of them serious of course) and by thursday night I was already turning people down (sorry). The final guestlist of 67 was eventually cut down to 62 with the (still unacceptable) handful of no shows. There was a noticeable majority of women, with 36 as opposed to a mere 26 men. A good mix of 19 countries of origin were present, the more unusual ones including Bulgaria, Poland, Japan, Mexico and Peru. Just over half the guests were first timers and 29 were cosmo regulars.

I had felt it was finally time to branch out from my usual menu and I rather optimistically prepared a main course of chile con carne with condiments, instead of my diehard chicken curry (which I could make with my eyes closed) This rather complex procedure through me totally off schedule, not helped by my determination to finally add my famous tortilla española (two in fact) to the cosmo-buffet… and I entered panic mode by 6pm! Anyway it all turned out ok, and with the early arrival of Irma and Jamie to help me out with final touches all was ready on time and slowly but surely the party began.

Other highlights on the buffet table included salad and quiche from Brigitte and Marc, Sonja’s delicious lentil salad, Ana’s pakoras, and an amazing roast vegetable platter from Philippe, who was also my right-hand-man in the kitchen all evening. For dessert I prepared a fruit salad as well as my usual chocolate gateau, and we had a special treat with Jamie's world renowned choc-chip cookies.

When I finally escaped from kitchen duties around midnight I joined the happy crowd and saw for myself it was yet another incredibly successful and enjoyable evening for everyone. However I had had to put a damper on proceedings and steer people to the door by 2:30 am… unfortunately I had a work meeting for my elusive day job at 10:30 am Sunday, OUCH!

THIS SATURDAY'S EVENT IS FULL, NO MORE PLACES, SORRY!

EL EVENTO DE ESTA SABADO ESTA LLENO, NO QUEDAN PLAZAS, LO SIENTO!

OCTOBER 17 PARTY REPORT

Expectation was high after the long summer break and with the flourish of early RSVPs I braced myself for a big one. Indeed it looked like an overbooking, but thanks to a number of no-shows (still a no-no) and “facebook flakes” (as I lovingly call them ;) the final number was reduced to a manageable 57 people. There were 15 different countries of origin present, 31 women and 26 men, with 33 cosmo-pros and 24 rookies.
My wonderful friends Irma, Jamie and Brigitte arrived a little early to help with final preparations and all was in place by 9:15 when the surge through my front door began. It was a lovely October evening with the first signs of crisp autumn air... and an overloaded coat stand! To avoid the usual congestion on the terrace (where the only drinks service has always been located), I introduced a second bar area in the bathtub which served its purpose well.
The first course buffet spread of salads, slices, baked potatoes and pakoras obviously went down a treat before I served the hot main course. My chicken curry, basmati rice and cachumber salad were as delicious as ever, and we also had a vegetarian option, a delectable spicy curry made by Bill. For dessert we were treated to Mitsi’s famous brownies, as well as my chocolate gateau and honey crackles.
As usual the party atmosphere was really buzzing and happy with everyone mingling and making new friends. On this occasion I chose to ignore the hopeful hints at a salsa session or ABBA-mania, but guests still lingered till late… eventually I made a few hints of my own and everyone cleared out by about 3am. I felt really happy with another successful cosmosoirée but my bed was beckoning!

Salut de Paris!

That's right, I am in the city of lights until the end of september, doing some serious research on parisian soirées;-)
THE NEXT BARCELONA EVENT WILL BE ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 17
Santé!

Photos june 27 from Marisa lopez

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!