Belle de Bengal's Birthday

Last Friday I attended the Belle de Bengal's Birthday party at Zebrano's. I took along a friend of mine and we got there a little late, only to find at least 40 people had turned up to wish, what I now consider a social magnet, her a happy birthday.

First things first. The cocktails were immaculate. I mean this sincerely. I had a 'Sex on the roof'. It was far more smooth than I'd imagined. A cocktail made of lychee liqueur and ACTUAL lychees. It was lush.

And then as the night progressed I met a lot of Belle's friends and continued to talk rather openly about my orgy rejection for some strange reason.

If in doubt, blame the dimmed lighting and copious amounts of alcohol.

And of course there was the usual

'Oh, so how do you know her then?'
'Well...we met at a cinema club and then have been regular friends since'
'Ah (arched eyebrow in full force at this point), a cinema club'
'Yes (spoken with the greatest pride I can muster'

And there was this one guy

'Are you Indian?' I asked hinting a skin tone only slightly lighter than mine
'Nah mate, I'm a bag of mixed nationalities innit. If I go to Morocco they think I'm Moroccan, If I go to Brazil they think I'm Brazilian..etc. Nobody ever knows.
'Ah' I said, thinking back to a time when somebody had ever quizzed me about my own ethnicity. Nah, Indian every time.

Earlier this week at dinner with Belle de Bengal (Venue: Katana @ The International Hotel in Leicester Square: Lovely)

'So, why don't any of your friends know that you go a cinema club and a book club and that we meet most Wednesdays?' I asked.

'Ahh, I have many layers to my personality/social life, came her reply.

Happy birthday Belle de Bengal. Let the social orgies continue!