The Opera Populaire

Colleagues treated me and another leaving colleague to lunch at the Masonic Club, just beside our office. Walk past it everyday for the past 5 months I've been working here and I always see people all dressed up to attend wedding luncheons there. Have always felt a bit wary esp upon seeing the many carvings of the eye outside the building, though it looked very posh.

The inside is so colonial, filled with many very British school insignias and badges and even portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and other dukes and duchesses, I think. There are oso some swords. And a jackpot room, which the manager told us is not very popular becos people lose money there. They oso have an old piano which apparently nobody plays and so they use it to set up their buffet spread on! The place kinda reminded me of the cottage hotel my cousin held her wedding luncheon in UK, except that this has more of a club feel to it rather than cottagy. And I kept turning around wondering if the men in black would decide to have their regular club meetings there today. Hmm.

We had North Indian food, which was very good. Had dhal, mutton bhanna, chicken masala and mixed vegetable curry. They were not hot like South Indian curries tend to be. And the taste is not overpowering, so it was very delicious. The rice was served on a banana leaf and I could smell the delightful fragrance even before the waiter set it down before us.

As we were leaving, the animated manager asked us to consider getting married in the garden there! It does look like a pretty place, with bouquets of roses tied with ribbons as decoration. But no, heh. I shall only get my marriage solemnized in the future in a church, in front of God.

PS: My last day is earlier than expected. I'll be out of office by Fri. Heh.