For years, the Rupali on Newcastle's Bigg Market was the go-to place for a curry after a night on the town or an afternoon at the match.
It was a restaurant where you'd always be assured of top-notch Indian food and a warm welcome from Mr Abdul Latif, the larger-than-life proprietor.
Never one to shun a publicity opportunity, our main image shows him outside his restaurant in 2000, wearing his regal robes (more on that later).
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And never one to turn away a famous face, our second photograph - from this week 35 years ago - shows the affable restaurateur entertaining a well-known politician from the time, Liberal Party leader David Steel.
Born in Bangladesh, Abdul Latif arrived in Britain in 1969, living in Manchester for a while, before moving to the North East.
He worked as a waiter in Whitley Bay, before opening the Rupali in Newcastle’s Bigg Market in 1977. In later years, the popular restaurant was called Curry Capital.
Frequently appearing on the pages of the Chronicle, in 1992 he had some advice for curry eaters. "Never have one when you're drunk," he said. "You won't be aware of what you are eating and your stomach won't be ready for it."
Ironically, his Bigg Market restaurant was often a favourite port-of-call for lads out on stag nights, for which Mr Latif introduced the infamous 'curry hell' challenge in 1994. Reputedly the hottest curry in the world, if you finished the explosive dish, you didn’t have to pay for it. Few managed the feat.
But away from 'curry hell' shenanigans, the Rupali also served seriously good food and appeared in the Good Food Guide on more than one occasion.
Also in 1994, Mr Latif bought the title Lord of Harpole, Suffolk, for £5,000. "It is a great honour for me and the Bangladeshi community," he said. "It's a simple name which people can easily remember."
He soon became well-known for dressing up in his colourful regal robes for customers, and would raise thousands of pounds for local charities.
In 2003, he offered free meals for five years to all British servicemen who served in Iraq.
He also arranged the world’s longest curry delivery, Newcastle to Sydney, and he offered free curries for life to former England rugby star Jonny Wilkinson and the-then Newcastle United manager, Graeme Souness.
He even produced a motivational DVD, and ran his own website titled The New Lord - and he would make regular cartoon appearances in the North East adult comic Viz, which delighted him
Mr Latif also campaigned for racial equality, once saying: “I am a citizen of this country so I have a duty to love and care for people here. I like to make a contribution to life.”
In 2003, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for his civic efforts.
Sadly and prematurely on January 20, 2008, Newcastle lost one if its most colourful characters.
We reported: “Curry king Abdul Latif has died of a heart attack.
“Mr Latif, 52, gained fame through his super-hot dishes and regular appearances in cult comic Viz.
“He created Curry Hell, dubbed the world’s hottest, and offered it free to customers who could finish it.
“Mr Latif was a popular figure on Tyneside because of his charity work and campaigning for racial equality.
“Having returned to his Gosforth home after work last night, he passed away in his sleep.”
After Mr Latif’s sudden death, former director of the Tyne and Wear Racial Equality Council, Hari Shukla, said: “Mr Latif was a true gentleman and always wanted the best for the city.”
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