The phones are ringing off the hook, and the reservations keep on coming at Varanasi restaurant in Birmingham, ever since word spread that Johnny Depp was there on Sunday evening for a celebratory dinner after he won his high-profile defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard. Post Depp’s (reportedly) Rs. 48.10 lakh dinner, both the restaurant and the desi chicken tikka are having quite the moment.

All hell broke loose circa Monday, when the resto shared now-viral pics of the star, and wrote, “The most talked about person on the planet right now joined us for dinner last night! We had the greatest of pleasure to be in the presence of Johnny Depp @johnnydepp and Jeff Becks @jeffbeckofficial! What an amazing and humble experience. (sic)” Accompanying Depp on the culinary outing was his guitarist friend Jeff Beck and his 10-member entourage.

The restaurant has gained immense popularity ever since, with people from across the world calling to check “if Depp is still there”. We caught up with Mohammed Hussain, Operations Head, Business of Varanasi – which is one of the largest Indian restaurants in Birmingham and spread over 20,000 sq ft – who told us, “The last 48 hours have been extremely hectic. I’ve had no time to sleep or have food. We have been getting so many calls from Depp’s fans from all over the world.”

“There has been a massive surge in the number of bookings. It’s really good for the restaurant. I never thought that we would get so popular in just a day’s time,” adds Mohammed, who comes from a family with roots in Bangladesh, that specialises in running Indian restaurants.

On Sunday, Mohammed got a call from one of his close friends who was in touch with Depp’s team, informing him that Depp and his friends would like to visit the restaurant for dinner. “We were recommended to him by some of his close friends when he was looking for a place to relax a day before his performance at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on Monday night. His security team visited us first and really liked the place. We booked the entire restaurant (with a capacity of 350 guests) for Depp and his friends because we wanted him to enjoy the experience without bothering about the crowd. We didn’t have to cancel any reservation and managed to get all guests out of the restaurant premises before Depp and his team arrived. Their entry arrangements were made through a secret door,” informs Mohammed.

Depp and his friends spent over five hours at the restaurant and the actor was “kind and humble enough to chat with staff and pose with them for pictures.” “He even came to my office for 15-20 minutes, where we chatted about running the restaurant, staff and the food we serve,” he says.

A bespoke banquet buffet was curated for the special guests. “We included all our delicacies like chicken tikka, tandoori wild king prawns, butter chicken and the actor ended his meal with some desserts like panna cotta. He loved the food and the curries,” says Mohammed.

Though news reports stated that the actor spent the infamous sum of Rs. 48.10 lakh on the spread, Mohammed told us, “We have not disclosed any amount and we will want to keep that a secret.”