Celebrity guest photos pepper the walls of many go-to restaurants, but Varanasi Restaurant in Birmingham, UK, can now claim the ultimate prize - Johnny Depp posing for pictures with staff after he turned up for a celebration meal with friends, footing a £50,000 ( around $60,000) bill on curry and drinks.
"The most talked about person on the planet right now joined us for dinner last night! We had the greatest of pleasure to be in the presence of Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck! What an amazing and humble experience. Only at Varanasi Restaurant!” said a post on the restaurant's Instagram, along with a string of photos.
Depp rented the Varanasi Restaurant to celebrate
Accompanied by British musician Jeff Beck and around 20 friends, Depp rented out the entire restaurant on Birmingham's Broad Street for the occasion, to celebrate Depp's victory after a widely-publicised defamation suit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The party ate in the palatial Siddhartha Lounge, a private, finely-decorated dining room where starters like shish kebabs, chicken tikka, vegetable samosas and king prawns were served on dry ice platters. Main courses on the bespoke banquet menu included chicken tikka massala, lamb karahi, panner tikka massala, king prawn bhuna and a selection of rice and bread. Panna cotta and vanilla cheesecakes were served for dessert.
The Metro newspaper reports that Depp "hugged and chatted with staff" in the 400-seater venue, later saying that he "enjoyed the food so much that he left with a takeout bag after staying for around three hours and meeting the manager’s friends and family".
Depp also reportedly told general manager Mohammed Hussain it was the "best curry he'd ever eaten", didn't flinch at the bill and left a big tip on departure.
