Something different, and lovely

Photo courtesy of Max's Supper Club's facebook page

Note: I did not take my own photos of this evening as I went sans camera. I didn’t want to be shackled to it all night. Apologies.

Porteño Ramiro accompanied me to Max’s Supper Club on Friday night. I needed him to act as my interpreter in the event that I would be the only English speaker in attendance. For those of you back home, closed-door restaurants are quite popular in Buenos Aires. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had a pleasantly fabulous time. It was exactly what I had been craving since I arriving to Argentina in early September and I met some amazing people.

The featured artist was a young man named Matías Maroevic, who joined the guests for dinner. As described on their website:

Max’s Supper Club is a puerta cerrada hosted in conjunction with local arts org Juanele AR to bring you locally hard-to-find flavors inspired by art. The event is an adventure in a way that no other closed door restaurant in Buenos Aires is. London chef Max Paarlberg cooks up a five-course themed menu paired with five wines and preceded by a genial champagne reception. Prepare, not only for good food, but also for good conversation andbuena onda! If you’re like most of our guests, you won’t want to leave.

Photography by Matías Maroevic

We were greeted at the door by a lovely young woman who escorted us to a foyer where we were offered champagne and provided the opportunity to greet the other guests, sixteen in total. We were told that Max had to turn away celebrities. I wonder who!

I was immediately attracted to a Swiss woman named Isabelle and her dapper friend from Melbourne, Australia named Rhys. Based on their conversations I had eavesdropped on when I arrived, I knew that they had a similar sense of humour as mine.  And they didn’t disappoint. I learned that they had met each other while living in London, England back in the late 00s, three years after I had returned to Canada, so it was nice that we had similar experiences and a passion for living abroad.

The guest list included individuals from countries as diverse as America, Peru, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and of course, Argentina. It was a stellar group of individuals with a shared sense of adventure and culinary interest.

Photography by Matías Maroevic

Before I go any further I need to say how cute Max is. The cutest person alive. I wanted to put him in my bag and take him home to put on my mantle. So adorable.

We had previously exchanged emails because I had requested vegetarian options for each course. He was more than willing to appease me and went to Barrio Chino to purchase the tofu I would later enjoy. I felt quite comfortable when he formally introduced himself and was surprised to learn that he is only 24-years-old. He made an effort to speak to each guest individually, thanking them for attending. Not only is he a talented chef, but a wonderfully kind human being. His mother must be proud.

During the dinner Max asked how I was enjoying the meal and confessed that because of my name, I didn’t look at all the way he thought I would. I told him that I get that comment all the time, and have been known to warn people before meeting me that my appearance does not sufficiently represent my name. I think he was disappointed — as they all are — that I wasn’t an Italian stallion!

I was surprised at how gay friendly the evening was, in fact the majority of attendees were gay. The funny part was that we were all very reserved in the beginning of the evening and then the lesbian couple started to make-out and that gave the rest of us permission to monopolize the conversation with gay topics. Plus, I was very enamored with Isabelle, who seemed as equally fascinated with ordering more champagne, as I was.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend you make a reservation to Max’s Supper Club, especially if you have recently moved to Buenos Aires. It’s a great way to meet people.