De Niro's restaurant surprise

21-12-2006 15:00

Robert De Niro moved a restaurant to a different US state to celebrate Dakota Fanning's birthday.The 'Godfather' actor threw a surprise party to mark the child actress turning ten on the set of their thriller 'Hide and Seek' in New York.To make it extra special he arranged for food and staff from her favourite restaurant in New Jersey to be flown in. Dakota, now 12, told Vanity Fair magazine: "Bob De Niro, everybody calls him Bob, gave me a surprise lunchtime party for my tenth birthday. They brought in my favourite restaurant. It's Panda Express. It's Chinese fast-food, but good."They don't have one in New York City, so they brought it in special from New Jersey, and the cupcakes spelled out 'Happy Birthday Dakota'."I walked into lunch, and they had all these pamphlets with pandas on them."I turned round and there were all these Panda Express people with their spoons, ready to give me chicken and stuff, and I turn round and Bob's in this bloody raincoat from the film, saying, 'Happy Birthday.'"