When the weather just won't make up its mind, what's a Leeds Yelper to do? Head out for another fabulous Elite Event, that's what! And come rain or shine, of which we had plenty of both this fine Wednesday, nothing stops a Yelper from partying hard and discovering new hot spots in the city. And this time around it was a sumptuous sampling session at the fabulous Lazy Lounge that had folks' tongues wagging and mouths pleased.
To welcome everyone in, and amuse their bouches, first on the agenda was a refreshing welcome tipple of Koko Kanu rum punch. As everyone gathered in, and grabbed a sip from the bar, they had a chance to catch up and take in the swanky surroundings of this elegant bar. With everything from fine wines, to gourmand bites, no wonder 50 folks flocked to get a taster of the action! And the theme of the event this evening, lovingly put together by Lazy Lounge, was to demonstrate their prowess in food and alcohol matching.
Once everyone had gotten a chance to try out the welcome cocktail, the first pairing was introduced, which was rather well received. As a starter, guests got a chance to suss out how a well matured cheddar can compliment a refreshing lager. Sound like an odd combo? You'll never know how divine it is until you try! The lager in question was a healthy taster of Pilsner Urquell, an intensely hoppy beer, that's sweet, crisp and so the sharply bitter hop meets the high oil and acidity found in a decent slab of cheddar.
After this fabulous first round, folks were ready for the second of the evenings tastings, which were swiftly handed out by the lovely folks at Lazy Lounge. In no time everyone took the opportunity to get their smackers around a delicious bit of Prosecco, delicately fragranced with blossom, apples and pears. To pair with this deft delight came some beautifully battered fish goujons, whose delectable flavour perfectly accompanied the crisp bubbles and acidity of the wine.
The penultimate sampling had everyone dabbling in a cheeky bit of Cono Sur Gewürztraminer, an expressive white wine with fantastically fresh flavours of rose petals and lychee fruit – which couldn't have been more excellently paired, with a sumptuous selection of sweet chilli spiced prawn mousse crostinis.
And finally, after these came the final. The pièce de résistance was a truly gorgeous bit of Burlesque Zinfandel, a darkly simmering and beautiful red wine, with notes of black pepper, dark chocolate, and ripe cherries. Nothing could have brought out the flavours and tones more than a sexy little slab of the most divine sea salt and caramel #Brownies – a truly divine bit of guilty pleasure, which was instantly seductive.
Of course, the party wasn't quite finished then, as there was a lasting surprise in store. Firstly, it was high time that Natalie O was presented her prize for 'First to finish the race' in the fantastic PhotoHunt held for Leeds' Passport To The City Centre, to which a huge round of applause was sounded out. And Lastly, The Yelpers of Leeds were treated to the ultimate compliment – to be the first ever folk to test out the Lazy Bomb – a specially created alternative to everyones' favourite (or not so favourite) party drink. You know the one we mean… Since they were the first ever to try this teasing tipple, a little competition was held, which of course involved a spot of writing.
After supping on the newly created Lazy Bombs, everyone took pen to paper to describe the drink in the most useful, funny, and cool manner possible. And of course there were little prizes to be won! Once the Lazy Bombs were sipped or slung, folks got poetic about this fabulous new tipple, which is made up with a delectable sangria, cinnamon and an injection of Licor 43.
Most useful came from Natalia M: "A bomb of flavours, lazily settling in the mouth, making the experience last longer."
Most cool came from Nadine P: "Warm tones run through it. (Á la, A River Runs Through It.)"
And most funny came from Neil H: "Vivacious, like 50 Shades of Gray, but in a glass. I'm slipping about on my chair."
A huge thanks goes out to the wonderful folks at Lazy Lounge for their generosity and warm introduction to their wonderful venue, Mark Cato for his delectable drinks, Matthew Kitchen for his fantastic photos, and Kevin L who popped up from London town to visit for the Leeds event! A delightfully lazy and relaxed evening was had by all, and there's been much talk about returning to try out one of their fantastic Lazy Burgers… Want to read all about it, direct from the Yelpers' mouths? Check out the reviews, take a look at the talk, and see the pictures for yourselves!
Until next time, see you on Yelp, friends!
Rowena H
