There’s a flashy new Mexican gaff that’s just opened its doors on the Kings Road in Chelsea – and it looks the business.
This stylish little number has a tasty menu and is not your typical Tex-Mex fajita dive. It’s all fancy tacos, on-trend small plates and some right smart cocktails so you can get properly sozzled and spot some of the famous clients they boast about, like Callum Best (son of the late great George) and Laura Blair (don’t worry, we’ve never heard of her either).
But here’s the rub – this fancy new joint has a proper dodgy geezer behind it, namely, one Khalid Virani. This muppet is putting his mug all over their PR push and seems to be an important part of the team. Though no one seems to know what part.
Virani, a man of mystery, is a real slippery character who’s rubbed shoulders with Z-list celebs despite his shady past – failed companies, a disgraced family hotel group, and even claims to be an “unqualified lawyer” putting him in the same boat as most of the population! With a CV like that, it’s no wonder he lurks on the fringes of fame.
So why is this man of many hats, now wearing a sombrero?
Maybe the team at Ixchel think he has the right personal “brand” to promote their glitzy cantina. After all, this chancer has featured in the news – in Stoke.
Up North, he is known for getting tanked up and crashing his motor into a bus, while the hotel group owned by his family was dragged into court for putting their £80-a-week guests in danger of injury or death. Let’s face it, eighty quid a week is a steal for staying in a hotel so you can’t expect it to be in the 5-star Chelsea bracket. But at the same time, you don’t expect to be in danger of getting killed either!
So, what are the guys at Ixchel thinking? Though his role there is not exactly clear, after the bus incident and the disaster he made of running another Kings Road boozer, Raffles, he’s not exactly someone you want looking after the bar! His family’s allergy to fire extinguishers also rules him out of being the health and safety officer!
There’s rumours that he tried out for the resident Mariachi band but these are unsubstantiated. Perhaps, that is why they’ve relegated him to posting adverts for new chefs on Facebook! Though, looking at his track record he’ll probably hire someone who doesn’t know a chicken burrito from a Chelsea bun.
As a jack of all trades, it’s fair to say Virani couldn’t organise a prayer in a mosque, as he’s proving in his other current role as Legal Counsel at much-maligned lottery company, Lotto Billions. It’s a wonder he has the gall to show his face anywhere, let alone on the social media of a tarted-up tequila bar!
Perhaps it’s time for him to get his next hat. A balaclava would be a smart choice!
