Johnny Depp continued to celebrate his defamation case victory against Amber Heard by hiring out an entire Indian restaurant for a slap-up £50,000 meal in Birmingham. The Hollywood megastar dined with Jeff Beck, 77, and his entourage at Varanasi in Broad Street on Sunday night.
Owner Mohammed Hussain, 38, said the 58-year-old enjoyed the food so much he ordered the same again, took it back to his hotel room and left a "large tip". The Pirates of the Caribbean star spent around three hours at the venue, which can cater for 400 people, mingling and talking to staff members.
Mr Hussain, who has run the posh restaurant for the past six years, said: "It was all very much out of the blue and last minute. We had a call, which I thought was a prank at first, but then his security arrived and wanted to book out the entire place.
"Jeff Beck was here as well and he is playing Birmingham tonight and there were about 20 people in total. They came in through a secret entrance and we sat them in a private room.
"I won't disclose how much it cost, but the figures I have seen £50,000 are not far off the mark at all. We had to cancel existing diners' reservations, so it does cost a fair bit to hire out the entire place, but it was an amazing experience.
"They spent a lot of money, it's a big venue to hire out, but they never even looked at the bill. He gave a large tip. He was very humble and quietly spoken. He came across as a gentleman and had time for all my friends and family and all the staff.
"He’s just such a nice guy, he just came over and hugged people. He just showed everyone lots of affection. We laid on a bit of a banquet and he had chicken tikka, veg samosas, tandoori king prawns and shish kebabs for starters.
"There was butter chicken, king prawn bhuna, paneer tikka masala and lamb karahi for the main courses. He said it was the best curry he had ever had and ordered the same again to take back to his hotel room.
"They had a few drinks of wine, champagne and all sorts and were all in good spirits. They left us behind a little bit dumfounded at what had happened.
"We've had celebrities like DJs and footballers here before but this is the biggest star we have ever catered for. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment."
Depp has been in the UK to join Beck on his tour and has previously made appearances on stage with his pal in Gateshead, Glasgow and London.
