Rapper West flies in Welsh curry

The British Raj restaurant in Rogerstone near Newport said it is preparing a rare five foot long Ayre fish for the rapper and his entourage.

The food and head chef Kaysor Ahmed will be flown by helicopter to Heathrow on Tuesday before they fly to New York.

Restaurant manager Masud Ahmed said his staff were "very nervous".

Mr West's record company Raw Soul have organised the curry banquet for the award-laden performer.

Musad Ahmed believes the company were aware of The British Raj because the restaurant has provided takeaways for pop stars performing in south Wales on previous occasions, including Girls Aloud. But he said the request was still a "big surprise".

Members of the Wales rugby team are regular customers and the restaurant has catered for large charity events in the past, said Mr Ahmed.

"We are all very nervous about the meal, especially Kaysor," said Mr Ahmed, who describes the British Raj as an upmarket restaurant. "We're not used to all this attention.

"We just hope that everything goes well on Tuesday and that we provide good food.

"When it is all over then I'll feel relief.

"But this sort of thing happens once in a blue moon so we are very pleased to be able to do it."

The helicopter will be flying into Tredegar Park Golf Club at 1330 GMT on Tuesday to transport Kaysor Ahmed and the food to Heathrow. He will then fly to JFK airport, New York before being taken to a secret location to cook for Mr West and eight to 10 members of his entourage.

WEST FACT-FILE:

• His father was a member of the Black Panthers and his mother an English teacher and activist
• Suffered a near-fatal car crash in October 2002 that left him with a wired jaw
• Produced John Legend's debut album Get Lifted
• His name means "The Only One" in Swahili
• Biggest hits include Diamonds From Sierra Leone, Touch the Sky and Gold Digger

Mr Ahmed's trip will last two days before he flies back to the UK. His manager said he will be back in the restaurant's kitchen by the end of the week.

The Ayre fish, which has been bought especially, will form the centrepiece of the banquet which also feature speciality dishes from the British Raj's menu and standard Indian fare including poppadoms, bhajis and naan breads.

Mr Ahmed said they were charging £2,000 because of the special circumstances. The record company will be paying for the transport.

He has already received faxes from the record company and helicopter firm about arrangements.

It is believed that Mr West, who has achieved world wide fame with his multi-million selling albums The College Dropout and Late Registration, has never eaten at the restaurant.

He performed at the Cardiff International Arena in 2006.

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