Banging Birthday Banquet Bonanza.

The month of March is famous for many things. We kiss summer goodbye, but not before one last bender on St Patrick’s Day. Festivals and events cram our calenders (in a normal year) and the long evenings are spent debating Eastern Mysticism and theoretical particle physics. But March is mostly famous for being the birthday month our Maharajah.

The gentlemen of the RCCC decended on Armadillo’s Halswell to get things started in March 2022. With an eye on the infamous meat pack raffle (always won by a local, never a visitor), conversation veered from covid to cricket and of course, birthday vindaloos. Before long it was time to cross the car park to the next venue, but not before a couple celebratory birthday pints to get the evening started. When the RCCC last visited Roti Chai in December 2020, both the service and food received high praise. Only time would tell if standards had slipped…

A show of hands indicated the assembled throng were hungrier that a retreating Russian battalion so it was banquets all round, bar one holdout. The smorgasbord of spicy starters would have filled up most punters, but the fine men of the RCCC pushed on through to the main course of the banquet. As befitting one of our favourite places to visit, goat was on the menu and it was rated as one of the best in a long time. The chicken vindaloo also came in for special mention from the Maharajah, who handled its spicy heat with aplomb. Afterwards, the satiated smiles and groans of gluttonous contentment confirmed what we already knew – This is the best value banquet in town.

3 hardy souls risked burst belt buckles by returning to the pub for a night cap to end a most delightful visitation. Disturbingly, we also learned that Sasquatch stalked Nirvana in ’91 and curry fumes can singe cat fur…

Scores on the Doors:
Service: 4.3/5
Food: 4.3/5
Total: 8.6/10

Roti Chai, 29 Ensign St