It was the social ticket of the year, a star-studded charity gala where the glitterati ate gourmet food prepared by Britain’s top chef. But for one party-goer, the curry house across the road just looked more tempting.
Ivan Massow, a flamboyant arts administrator, was condemned as ”childish” for snubbing his £1 200-a-plate (about R13 200) meal in favour of a takeaway because he could not wait for his food to arrive.
Massow was one of hundreds of guests who attended the glamorous Christmas party in central London held to benefit the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on Wednesday.
As well as entertainment from pop star Sting, the guests — paying £12 000 (about R133 000) for a table of 10 — were also promised a ”gastronomic feast” by multi-award-winning chef Gordon Ramsey, considered Britain’s finest.
However, Massow, who formerly headed Britain’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, told the paper that after an hour-and-a-half of waiting for food — and a lot of champagne — desperate measures were needed.
Spotting the Rajasthan restaurant across the road, he dashed in and bought seven main courses with rice and naan bread for £70.
”We were not trying to cause trouble, or courting an audience, we were just hungry,” Massow told the paper.
”It was just a practical measure,” he said, explaining that the only embarrassment was people at neighbouring tables begging for food.
However, a spokesperson for Event Vision, the company that organised the party, was scathing.
”He was one of the freebies — a guest of someone who had bought his ticket — and he had the audacity to complain,” she said.
”It is shocking. To go and order a curry just says more about the guest than anything else. It is really childish.” — Sapa-AFP