Add Summerhouse at the Liguanea Club’s Veuve Clicquot Garden Party to the list of highlights of summer 2018.

A part of the restaurant’s summer series, the Champagne garden party catered to those with an appetite for more discerning entertainment options. The Rousseau sisters breezily moved around the garden greeting guests at each table — it was as if they were personally being entertained by Suzanne and Michelle Rousseau in their own homes. Resident deejay Alex Delapenha skilfully pumped out tunes at a volume that allowed for both head bobbing and conversation. The Mediterranean-inspired menu was fitting for a hot summer’s evening. And bartenders poured perfectly chilled Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut and Veuve Clicquot Rich.

The shiny-bottled Veuve Clicquot Rich is softer and sweeter than traditional Champagne and is designed for drinking over ice or mixed in cocktails. Guests had the option of having their Rich garnished with cucumber, fresh berries, pickled ginger, orange or pineapple. Thursday Food had Rich with fresh berries (raspberries and blackberries) and it was absolutely delightful. Of course, there were copious amounts of the iconic Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut being poured all evening.

The special-event menu comprised sharing platters of grilled meats, veggies and seafood and light “al fresco bites perfect for hot summer nights”, which included grilled flatbread, Mediterranean empanadas and grilled sausages. The grilled chicken salsa verde was well-cooked but under-seasoned. However, the spiced lamb kebabs were quite good. Both the mixed herb couscous and the tomato and feta salad were scrumptious. And the West Indian chimichurri, hummus and spiced yoghurt raita were full of flavour.

The Rousseau sisters partnered with Tai Flora Luxe to create a charming ambience. It was clear that quite a lot of work went into creating the event’s look, which was simple and sophisticated.

What should have been the final Veuve Clicquot garden party of the season was so well-received that it has been extended for a last hurrah — this evening starting at 5:30 pm.

— Vaughn Gray