cheap wedding inspiration

As foodies, it is really important that the food be a reflection of our taste, and surprise and delight our guests with its tastiness. That’s why we were so excited to have our expectations exceeded by the Bungalow Club’s delicious“middle-terranean” cuisine (thats Middle Eastern/Mediterranean fusion, yo.). Its even got a hint of Japan here and there. Perfect for our eclectic asses!

During each meeting with Anat, the owner, she’d periodically yell out to a member of the staff – “bring them the Moroccan cigars! Bring more hummus! Bring the spring rolls!” … and we lapped up every morsel like starving puppies.

I’d always dreamed of having a tray-passed hors d’oeuvre cocktail hour, but it always seemed like an unreasonable expense whenever I talked budget with caterers. But, Anat assured us that she’d have it no other way, so hooray! We’ll be having a mix of 6-8 passed appetizers, from tuna tartar to avocado spring rolls to lamb lollipops to sushi rolls. They have a great selection of vegetarian food, which is important because I (as well as many of our friends) are either vegetarian or very picky about their meat.

Having both worked in catering, we’ve never been big fans of buffets for groups over 50. They often seem to result in traffic jams and long waits for food, and often the food quality doesn’t hold up well in the chafing dishes. Table service doesn’t really fit the feel we’re going for either… it’s a bit too formal. Anat suggested family style service – which would not only encourage conversation and keep the energy up at each table, but also allow everyone to have a sampling of all the entrees and sides rather than being committed to just one. I think it’s the perfect answer for us!

We’re not 100% sold on the menu, but here’s what we’re thinking:

Salad course: Mediterranean Salad (a nod to my Greek heritage)
For the entrees, we need some advice:
-Organic Scottish Salmon
-4-Cheese Mac n Cheese with truffle oil (oh ma ga its soooo gooooood)
-For Chicken, We thought about going with East/West Chicken, since its boneless, but the last two times Hunter had it, he second guessed it. The other option is roasted chicken. He can’t decide, and I’m not about to get in on that taste test

Our sides will be the delicious Bangkok hummus with sweet soy glazed mushrooms, roasted asparagus, and maybe some parmesan-y cous cous… yeah baby.

All of this will be accompanied by some delicious cocktails from our bar – but more on that later!

But sweetest part (other than dessert!) is that a couple hours into dancing, we’ll all be served sliders (mini-burgers) and sweet potato fries! Nothing but grease to cut through the alcohol and refuel us for more dancing!

What do you think? Sound eclectic and exotic enough? How about those entrees – your input would be greatly appreciated!

Now I’m hungry… yum!