Dinner Party Planning Part One.

It's cookbook madness for me! Thank Goodness I have Nigella and Jamie on hand to help!

For the last two years, I’ve hosted an array of dinner parties at my place. I live in a cute 100 + year old terrace in Sydney’s Inner West and I have a cozy backyard perfect for intimate dinner parties. Every year I have a lot of fun planning the theme, the menu, the music, the table setting…the works! Right now, I’m at the beginning planning process of my annual pre-Christmas dinner party that I always look forward to.

Last year’s dinner party was more of a house-warming party and it was very effortless chic. Actually, make that, very effortless. From memory, I had chosen to serve Thai food I bought locally (Chao Thai, if you’re wondering) considering my kitchen was not yet finished in renovations and the ability to re-heat or cook food was practically impossible. I was lucky that the weather was glorious and a warm night filled with some jazz in the background was what it was all about.

Forward to a year later and I’m ready to go all out this year. This winter was dreadfully long and ridiculous to me anyway. I‘m so summer deprived that I seriously get butterflies in my tummy when I think of summer holidays and Christmas break. Call this dinner party planning procrastination or venting but I seriously enjoy it. I’m not a truly organised person in some areas but I try my best to ensure that everything goes to plan. At this moment, I’m thinking an intimate Metropolitan meets the Middle East feel would be amazing for that perfect mesh of culture and style, not to forget pizzazz.

I have a lot of planning to do still and right now, I’m just going nuts on inspiration websites to get a feel for what I plan on doing. I'm loving the idea of a Moroccan Marrakech which is probably more Africa than Middle East but the exotic flavour and culture aspect is still in the concept. I need to do a lot more research but I can already imagine the amazing rich flavours, colours, table setting (beaded scarves, cushions and all) as well as colourful Moroccan inspired cocktails for that extra culture twist on a classic favourite. It's a lot of work at the moment, but at least I'll know that it'll be another first for me and ultimately a dinner party unlike any other.

A Sydney alternative to this Marrakech Spice Market would be nice!

XO LC.