‘James Bond’ drops in for a balti in Burnley

IT was a case of From Usha With Love when a James Bond impersonator landed in spectacular fashion at Burnley’s award-winning Indian restaurant in preparation for a wedding.

Bond star Daniel Craig lookalike Steve Wright, who had a small role in the last 007 movie Quantum of Solace stepped out of a helicopter, wearing a tuxedo naturally, in a field opposite the Usha restaurant in Rossendale Road.

And while the suave Mr Wright didn’t have a Thunderbalti at the Usha, he did enjoy an Asian wedding banquet feast that the restaurant will prepare for a glitzy ceremony in London.

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Ibrahim Ali, head chef and owner of the Usha, has been asked to prepare some of his signature dishes for guests of the bride and bridegroom on board a jumbo jet in November.

Wealthy London couple Abdul Hassan and his wife Layla – who have already had a traditional Muslim ceremony – will celebrate 3,000ft above St Paul’s Cathedral with 400 passenger guests.

Ibrahim said: “I have catered for weddings before but nothing on this scale. I don’t know the couple, but they obviously heard about the Usha through our awards and contacted me to prepare the food.

“I am most worried about the logistics of getting the food to London and then getting it on the plane without dropping it.

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“I invited Steve, who will also be at the wedding, to come along and sample some of the food beforehand. He enjoyed it, and I just hope the couple and their guests do too.”

Mr Wright, a commercial photographer in Norwich by day, flies around the world in his part-time role as a James Bond lookalike to add some glamour to weddings.

He was recently flown out to St Tropez for the day where he was asked to swim out of the sea to meet the bride.

And what did he make of his first trip to Burnley?

“I love it,” he said. “Norfolk where I come from is very flat so it’s lovely to see all these hills. I feel like I need some oxygen it’s that high up!”

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