Hungarian Deli-Delights @ Paprika Gourmet... EVENT REPORT

As the first of a new type of gastronomic cosmo-celebration last thursday was a very successful evening! The delicatessen was transformed into a perfect setting for our intimite gourmet get together, its tantalizing product displays forming an exotic backdrop as we savored the delicious tapas and excellent wines.
The cosy crowd of 29 discerning guests hailed from 11 different countries of origin; France, Germany, Spain, Italy, USA, Serbia, Argentina, Finland, Turkey, Brazil and Australia. And not to forget our Hungarian hosts who provided a marvelously professional, generous and friendly service all evening.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the social aspect of the evening, given the relatively small crowd and "cultural" theme everyone was in great spirits creating a wonderfully animated party vibe which lasted until we wound up close to midnight... thanks everyone!

Inaugurating a new cosmo-concept series of multi-culti gastronomic celebrations!!!...

*Hungarian Deli-Delights @ Paprika Gourmet*
thursday 7 october 8.30-11.30 pm

We will gather at the beautiful Eixample delicatessen and catering centre Paprika Gourmet to enjoy a delicious degustation dinner of quality food specialties and wines from Hungary. You will be welcomed with a glass of Tokaji (famous dry white wine) and a written synopsis of the tasting proposal before our hosts give a brief talk introducing us to the rich gastronomic tradition of their country. There will of course be plenty of time to mix and mingle as we are treated to a succession of 11 exquisite dishes accompanied by 4 glasses of distinctive Hungarian wines.

Take a look at the mouth-watering menu!

* Smoked ham with fruits

* Pastrami with orange mustard
* Canapé of deer salami with sour cherry jam
*Selection of Hungarian cheeses
*Duck carpaccio and black plum chutney with truffles
*Canape of rabbit salami with carrot and orange chutney
*Foie with Tokaji wine gel
*Cottage cheese selection with Zellers
*Goats cheese salad
*Canapé of Hungarian traditional salami with grated cheese
*Budapest ham with hawthorn jelly

WINES
1. Royal Tokaji Furmint 2007
2. Kékfankos Merlot Rosé 2009 by Ostoros (3rd prize international rosé)
3. Ostoros Cabernet Sauvingnon 2007
4. Sauska cuvée (Hungarian premium wine) 2007

Also included - mineral water, glass of orange juice, coffee and pálinka.

The special all-inclusive cost for the evening is 25€
Additional glasses of wine can be consumed (priced from 2.5€) and a full range of gourmet products will be available for purchase.

TIME: Event starts 8.30 sharp, you may enter from 8pm.

PLACE: Paprika Gourmet, C/ Lepant 311 (M Sagrada Familia)

ENTRANCE: Please have your 25€ at hand to ensure a smooth start.

RSVP: Strictly limited to 40 places, be sure to email me ASAP!

Guestlist must be confirmed by 8pm Oct 6

kimalexandrah@gmail.com

SEPTEMBER 4 PARTY REPORT

With a relatively slow response to invitations in august it looked like being a fairly quiet affair… but the last minute post-vacation flourish of RSVPs filled the event to a near capacity crowd of 63. There were around 21 countries of origin present, the less usual ones including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Peru. The feminine contingent slightly out-numbered the men with 34 to 29, and it was great to see so many new faces with a massive 34 first-timers!
The buffet spread included most of the cosmo-staples with just a couple of variations, plus a delicious salad from my friend Anna who also helped me out a lot on the night, thanks Anna!:) The main course chicken curry seemed to go down as well as ever, though my “basmati risotto” experiment was perhaps not the biggest success, in future I’ll stick to preparing it the normal way;) The meal was of course topped off by my signature desserts of fruit panna cotta and chocolate gateau, yum! The party atmosphere was as vibrant as ever until we wound up around 2am, with many people going on to continue the night in bars and clubs with new-found friends. Thanks to you all for participating in the good spirit of cosmosoirée, hope to see you again next time!

*CITY STARLIGHT* SOIRÉE, JULY 24 2010

Our special summer celebration last saturday was a hugely successful soirée enjoyed by all. A big thank you to my wonderful friend Brigitte for co-hosting this event in her penthouse apartment with its fabulous terrace!

With our estimated crowd capacity of 60 we were fully booked and couldn't squeeze in everyone who wanted to come, sorry! Numbers came in more or less perfect with 59 guests plus the two hostesses, and may we congratulate ourselves on achieving a male majority this time (not an easy task in Bcn), with a ratio of 32 to 29. As usual the crowd was a great mix of diverse nationalities, ages, visitors and residents, including 24 newbies welcomed into the cosmo-ranks.

Photographic documentation of the evening is unfortunately limited... if anyone has any decent photos please post them!

THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED!!!

There are no more sure places for this saturday's event, but you can email me to go on the waitlist.

JUNE 12 PARTY REPORT

With a lucky break in the rain which has plagued Barcelona for the past week, we were blessed with a perfect June evening, and most of the party action took place on the terrace under a beautiful clear sky.

Many cosmo-regulars couldn’t make it this time but we managed to pull in a massive 36 first-timers to make up a total crowd of 57, with 34 women and 23 men. There were guests from some 20 countries of origin, including a truly notable Italian contingent and the French team coming in a close second ;-)

I managed to relax and mingle quite a lot (so much so that I forgot to take any photos…) and it was wonderful to meet so many interesting new people, all happy cosmo-converts it would seem!

Details of the July event (not on the 3rd as previously scheduled) will soon be announced... with a surprise new location... See you there!

MAY 22 PARTY REPORT

Yet again my party program seemed flawed by bad timing, clashing with a big football final and holiday Monday weekend! However we managed to pull in a very respectable crowd of 62 people, 33 women and 29 men from 19 different countries of origin. There were 34 cosmo repeat-attenders and 18 first-timers.

I stuck to my tried and tested menu, buffet spread of salads, ham-veggie slice and baked potatoes, main course chicken curry et al and for desert my fruit panna cotta and sponge cake with strawberries and cream. All seemed to go down well and was pretty much all polished off!
The welcome return of the warm weather added to the party spirit and the revelry continued until almost 3am, a great time had by all!
Next event is scheduled for June 12, at my place again then in July and August at least a couple of parties will be held at a special summer venue!

Photos courtesy of Taru Tuomi... watch out for her cosmo-comments!
http://www.thebcnguide.com/
http://thebcnguide.com/myblog/blogger/Taru+Tuomi/