Bollywood Night at Rafiks Restaurant

You may remember me telling you a while back about the Bollywood Nights I go to once a month.

It is held at a local restaurant in Carlisle, called Rafiks, and for £12 you get a wonderful meal  (dishes of food are put in the centre of the table and you just grab yourself a spoon of whatever takes your fancy) and a Bollywood movie downstairs in their cinema - which has squashy sofas and an interval for ice-cream, should you be able to fit any in after such a huge meal.

This month, as it is the last of the year, we went the whole hog and dressed up Bollywood style too with the most beautiful saris.

I don't often show photos of myself, as you may well have worked out, but this is me (in the red) with my daughter Shona and buddy Lezley.

We had borrowed the saris of another friend and neighbour, Thomina - we could hardly choose, she had some many delightful ones, the materials were just divine.  Manny, from the restaurant, had enough to dress the others.  We were in a rainbow of colours.

Fiona, Shona, Lezley and Fiona.  The first Fiona is in a Salwar - a Pakistani outfit.

Fiona and Nair, rocking their sari look.

Then we talked Marie into giving us all a little Henna design.

Shona and Marie, don't they make a lovely couple?

I did mean to take photos of the food BEFORE we ate it, but I was too busy with my snout in the trough to remember.

The film we watched was 3 Idiots - blimey did we laugh!  It was so very funny. The plus point being it starred my favourite Bollywood actor Aamir Khan - yummy eye candy  :)

That's it now until next year, but looking forward to it already  :)

English Vinglish

Last night I went to a "Bollywood Night".

This is held in a local restaurant, called Rafiks, and hosted by the marvelous Koish Alom.

First of all you have a sit down meal, the food is chosen for you (you can state allergies and vegetarianism of course) and out out for everyone to share.  You get chatting to new people and is generally just a really good night.

Last night we had a whole host of vegetarian starters, followed by chilli paneer, a meatball dish, chicken tikka massala and a butternut squash dish which was so moreish I could have ate it all!

After dinner it's time to wander down to the underground cinema, all decked out with comfy sofas and a large screen.  It sits about 25 people or so.

Last night we watched English Vinglish - not at much Bollywood dancing as in others I have seen, but a lovely feel good film which kept you entranced the whole 2.5 hours.

We always break in the middle for ice-cream and a drink top up.  I am not a huge lover of ice-cream, but their Cardamom & Saffron is just divine.  Sounds odd I know, but trust me, it works.

The next one is in August, on Wednesday 7th.  The ticket price is £12 (food and film - you pay extra for your drinks and ice-cream).  Maybe I'll see you there?