TRAVEL
SARASTRO T
here is always a pang of sadness in my heart when I go to Sarastro. It reminds me of Richard Niazi, the late owner
of Sarastro Restaurant. He was an ebullient and fl amboyant character full of the zest of life, and he had a heart of gold. His contribution to the attractions of Covent Garden and his generosity to destitute retired actors and the homeless were legendary and gained him the moniker of “King Richard of Covent Garden.” Every Christmas, he would hold a Christmas party for this underprivileged sector of society. His untimely death at the age of 67 was a great loss to the community and to the many charities he supported. He was a gourmand extraordinaire and
60 FENGSHUIWORLD | JUNE 2014
Richard Niazi was a gourmand extraordinaire, a lover of opera, music and art, and a patron to many charities.
THE LEGACY OF KING RICHARD
BY HELEN OON
a lover of opera and music. Whisky in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he would regale me with his adventures and life stories when he was a young man. He came to London from northern Cyprus, the Turkish side of the island, when he was seventeen as a stowaway on a ship bound for UK. T e only job he could fi nd was as a kitchen boy in a restaurant, which set him on a path to being a restaurateur in his later life. After years of struggling and
working his way up, he acquired a semi-derelict corner property that the Westminster council had been used as a doss-house for the homeless and vagrants in Drury Lane, a once slummy part of London infamous for its prostitutes and gin-soaked outlets in the 18th century. It was
redeveloped in the 19th century and today, it forms the heart of London’s theatre land in Covent Garden. In August 1996, King Richard opened his restaurant and as a homage to opera, and he called his restaurant Sarastro, named after a character in Mozart’s opera ‘The Magic Flute’. Surrounded by theatres, he was inspired to create a theatrical theme for the restaurant. The bohemian decadence and exuberant ambience spiced up with a large dose of mischief bears the hallmark of King Richard, who had a wicked sense of humour.
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