Food Miles: The Regency Club

The Regency Club
10 April 2012
The Regency Club, 19-21 Queensbury Station Parade, Edgware (020 8905 6177; regencyclub.co.uk)

Normally ES tells me where to go and eat, and I persuade a friend to come along. But this was different: an email came from ES with the subject 'exciting news!'. And it really was. It wasn't that a distant relative had been killed in a plane crash in Africa and that I, despite having two living parents and an older brother, was somehow set to inherit the entirety of their estate. Nor was it a competitively priced offer to have a section of my anatomy lengthened.

No. Rather, did I fancy having a curry with Lily Allen? Lily Allen the pop megastar and clothes designer? Lily Allen of such impeccable taste that she has publicly stated she likes both cricket and the BBC's ludicrously high-quality Anglican sitcom Rev (in which I star)? Well, why not?

The journey to Lily's choice requires a pretty serious northwards stint on the Jubilee Line. Once you're buzzed in, the door opens and you leave Queensbury Station Parade behind and enter a new world. The Regency Club is huge and colourful, with a big bar area and lots of booths and tables. Flatscreen TVs are dotted about. At only just seven in the evening, it was already packed with people off the train from work and families. A gentleman greeted me warmly, and said that Lily hadn't arrived, so I sped off to the gents to deodorise. Then I was shown to an area roped-off just for us, and sat there all on my own, feeling rather self-conscious, despite the confidence that my deodorant's manufacturers insisted I should feel after application. And then suddenly there she was, being serenely escorted to our table by no fewer than three restaurant staff.

'Hello,' she said. 'Are you nervous?' 'Yes!' I said, relieved. 'Are you?' 'No,' she said. What a sucker I am. Then she unhooked the rope and sat down. 'I come here all the time,' she told me. 'The special thing about the place is the grill. It's amazing.'

Rahul, one of the owners, came over to take our drinks order. His job is to be super-charming. He's excellent at it. Lily was on the Diet Cokes.

Lily and her husband eat here a lot and so I asked her to order. She ordered a lot, and then we chatted. She's very funny. We spoke about music and fame, and about being pregnant. All the stuff I'm good at, basically. What with her being Lily Allen and everything there was a certain frisson in the restaurant, but because of the air of normality she exudes, it manifests itself in a gentle way. A sweet, elderly gentleman came over to our table at one point. 'Somebody over there said that you are Lily Allen,' he said. 'I am,' she said. 'In that case, good luck to you.' He smiled, and then withdrew. Goodness knows who people thought I was. Probably either an up-and-coming DJ, or maybe a financial adviser.

A mountain of food arrived: light chicken samosas, tender mushkati, grilled chicken wings, mogo deep-fried with garlic and some beautifully crispy okra. All stunning. We also had a big plate of tandoori lamb chops, about which Lily rhapsodised. But there was more to come: keema peas, a wonderfully rich palak paneer and a splendid and potent chicken curry they call 'The Lily Special'.

When I finally arrived home, I was still full, and dreading the next morning's run. I was content, though. 'Where have you been?' my wife asked. 'Having a curry with Lily Allen,' I said proudly. 'It was awesome.'

The Regency Club, 19-21 Queensbury Station Parade, Edgware (020 8905 6177; regencyclub.co.uk)

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