Did you hear the one about the three girls who walk into a Victoria bar and, after a cocktail or two, thought they were in New York?
“It’s The Last Martini,” declared one, Patricia Sims. The Victoria-based filmmaker laughs as she realizes her toast to the end of an era at Empress Hotel’s Bengal Lounge sounds like a movie title.
The iconic lounge that opened as a reading and writing room in 1912, and became the Coronet Lounge in 1954 before its reinvention in 1969, is slated to close at the end of April.
The beloved room inspired by Queen Victoria’s role as Empress of India became best known for its Indian curry buffet, Nehru-jacketed servers and tiger skin adorning its wall above the fireplace.
Sims and two fellow filmmakers — Sarah Robertson and Barbara Hager — waxed nostalgic about many past business meetings at the bar in the colonial-style, oak-panelled lounge where time stands still.
“This is the last time we’re going to have a drink together here,” lamented Robertson.
“It’s where we come to feel like we’re big-city producers,” joked Hager. “I’m going to miss the place, because it’s where I brought my daughters for their first drinks when they turned 19.”
The elegant bar reminds them of institutions farther afield, they said.
“This has always reminded me of the [Plaza Hotel’s] Oak Room in Manhattan,” added Sims, as jazz singer Maureen Washington crooned Over the Rainbow.
“It has that same kind of feel and legacy.”
The Bengal clientele’s diversity was particularly obvious Thursday night.
Literary buffs and the blue-rinse set rubbed shoulders with eye-catching Burning Man event participants out to create their own fun.
“I had to get one last picture with the tiger,” said a pith helmet-wearing man named Flux.
“The Bengal is going to be reincarnated so we wanted to have one last hurrah, and create a new memory before it goes,” said Lucy Fur, wearing hoop earrings and a pink-and-fuschia brocade waistcoat.
Quipped Cathy Christopher, part of a more conservative crowd nearby: “I thought we might have missed something about the attire tonight.”
“It’s a little bit of nostalgia,” said retired lawyer Gil Smith. “It takes me back years ago to when I was in business. I used to come in for lunch quite often but I haven’t been here for ages.”
Members of a local book club also bade the Bengal farewell this night.
“I love the Bengal Room and I’m devastated it’s going to be closing,” said Ginny Glover.
“Our book is I Am Malala, so we thought we’d have Indian food. It’s a good pairing,” said Victoria artist Shelley Wuitchik.
“It’s one of those institutions that remains the same throughout your life.”
Washington, who performs again here March 17 and 31, said she was grateful to the hotel for supporting local musicians in such a unique venue.
“You feel like you’ve stepped into another place and time,” she said above the din. “It’s got a classiness and elegance to it.”
Adds her piano accompanist Karel Roessingh: “There isn’t anything like this anywhere else. It’s historic, comfortable and the buffet is great.”
Lineups have been constant since the hotel announced in January that the Bengal would close this spring. The space’s future, part of the hotel’s $30-million-plus makeover, hasn’t been revealed yet.
“A lot of people from Victoria are resistant to change,” said longtime server John Chau. “They love the classic, old-world charm, but I’m sure whatever takes its place will be wonderful.”
Meanwhile, the Bengal Lounge remains open for business. Reservations can be made except for visits from 5:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, when it operates on a walk-in basis.
“It’s been excellent,” said outlet manager Kyle Bruce.
“Local patrons have been coming to show their support for the Bengal Lounge and its long history and they’ll continue to support the Empress under its new look.”
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