Celebration

 It has been another stunning day. Temperatures again reached the high 20s here by the coast and peaked over 30 inland. Ellie was dropped off, as usual, and we took her to school. Darren, however, would be picking her up later.

Diane had an appointment at the hairdresser during the morning and I cracked on with domestic chores while she was out. We had some book time after lunch and then Diane phoned Denise. It appears that Becky had fallen while out running and was suffering from severe road rash - having landed on a mixture of stone and gravel. I should think she's feeling pretty sorry for herself... and it will take a while to heal.

We headed out to Chichester. Tomorrow is Jon's birthday so we had arranged with Kim to join them for a meal.

They had been shopping in Chichester during the day, picking up some new trainers and so forth for their forthcoming holiday. 

We met up with them in the garden of "The Nag's Head" for a drink, then wandered along the "Masala City" for a curry.

"Masala City" has received many awards for their food. This year they were winners of the "Nation's Curry Awards": 

After months of anticipation and fierce competition, the awards ceremony took place on Monday 20th February at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel, with over 150 guests in attendance.

The prestigious event recognised and celebrated the talents and hard work of individuals and businesses within the UK’s curry industry. The awards recognised excellence in a range of categories, including Best Chef of the Year, Vegetarian Restaurant of the Year, and Best Customer Service.

These Awards celebrate the UK’s rich and diverse curry culture and encourage the continued growth and evolution of the industry. The winners have distinguished themselves with their exceptional quality, innovation, and consistency in offering a truly memorable dining experience.

On the night, Masala City was a finalist in the; Curry Restaurant of the Year category. Masala City won both the regional and overall title. 

Well, it was certainly a very busy restaurant and the staff were both attentive and charming. The menu was rich in their own specialities in addition to traditional dishes. We dispensed with starters, going straight to the main course. Diane selected a Chicken Tikka Masala, Jon had the Lamb version of the same, Kim had a Chicken Anokha, and I decided to try a Chicken Naga Subwal. The Tikka Masalas were rather swamped in the Masala sauce but they were very tasty (apparently). Kim loved her Anokha - though asked for a doggie bag to take half of it home. I didn't choose well. The Naga Subwal was a bit underwhelming. It was tasty enough, but somehow lacked the depth of flavour that I would have expected. (Though having never tried it before, I didn't know what to expect).

It was a lovely evening and we dropped Kim and Jon home on our way through. We got in just before 20:30 (a late night for us!)