Old friends, good company

A few weeks ago a surprise email landed in my box from an ex-colleague I hadn’t seen for at least 6 years. I thought it was longer, but apparently Nick was at the very last ICL Engineering Conference. Unfortunately that Conference is all too easily remembered, since it was interrupted by the breaking news of “9/11”, but though the conference itself is therefore memorable, neither of us specifically remembers seeing the other there. He’d found my entry on Friends Reunited, followed the link to my website and got in touch.

We exchanged a few catch-up emails and after some debate arranged to meet up for a curry, with partners, in Rusholme. Since he lives in Crewe and no longer works for the old firm, he rarely gets chance to sample the delights of Manchester’s curry mile, so we elected to visit our favourite – the Royal Naz. As a bonus, his wife Pat (who coincidentally still works in the same building as me, albeit on a different floor) offered to drive for the evening, so the scene was set and the event took place last night.

They say time flies when you’re enjoying yourself and if I tell you that the first time I looked at a clock after leaving the house at around 7pm was when we were sat back in our lounge at the end of the evening and I caught sight of the time on the PVR, you’ll have some idea how much fun the evening was. It was a quarter to midnight.

Nick & I worked together in the strategy unit in the “old VME days,” so we have a wealth of shared history and common contacts. Pat still works in VME and is in touch with those who are still around. On top of that the last 7 years have seen a lot of changes for all four of us, we had the traditional 50c tour of the house to get through, incorporating details of all the work we’ve done, and what with one thing and another the conversation never stopped the whole night whether it was 4-way or 2x2.

One slight disappointment was that the Royal Naz is no longer the Royal Naz. It is now the Gogi, and a quick check online reveals that it's been taken over by the guy who ran Shere Khan. This alone is enough to explain why the meal was not as nice as I remember the Naz being, and I think it's safe to say we won't be going back there even though everyone else was complimentary about the food. With so many other good curry houses, especially in Chorlton, it was a shame we chose that one, but it only goes to prove you can never assume that your favourite eatery will always be there for you.

In the end though, this was a minor issue – the evening was a great success and we’ve already been invited down to Crewe for a rematch. I always love spending time with friends, but somehow there’s an extra enjoyment in catching up with friends you haven’t seen for ages, especially when they both love curry!