Tom Cruise unable to pay for curry mega-meal in UK

"I was shaking I was so nervous," a young waiter who recently served Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise at a modest curry house in Hertfordshire, England, told Britain's The Telegraph. "At first I couldn't look in his eyes."

But pretty soon it was the Hollywood star's turn to be embarrassed, with The Daily Mail saying he was left "red-faced" after being informed that Veer Dhara restaurant did not take American Express cards. 

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The bill for Cruise and Co., including the actor's 19-year-old daughter Isabella, came to £220 ($350) with the extra-spicy tikka masala dish the chef prepared special at the actor's request, reported The Daily Mail.

(Cruise to restaurant staff after walking in late Sunday, according to The Guardian: am "really hungry." Proceeds to order multiple appetizers, lobster dishes, lamb meals and chicken dishes. Oh, and let's get some rice and bread with that. And sparkling water.)

Turning to creature comforts after his recent divorce? Maybe. "The table was very chatty but Tom was more withdrawn and seemed a lot more quiet – I guess he might have a lot on his mind," 23-year-old waiter, Ashish Srivasdava, told The Guardian. Or he was just, yeah, really hungry. "He ate all his curry so I guess he must love spicy food," said Srivasdava. 

Guess so. But at the conclusion of the multi-course meal, an unexpected money problem arises.

Can't you just see it: curry-stuffed Cruise sitting there in his casual pale-blue sweater-jeans-leather jacket ensemble, being like, um, seriously? You don't take Amex?

Before you write it off to the charge-card American mentality, bear in mind that millionaire Cruise is not exactly a stranger to old-fashioned English countryside — his family owns property not far from Hertfordshire, according to The Daily Mail.

But the film legend was not in the area for family matters, he's busy filming "All You Need Is Kill" with Emily Blunt in a nearby town. 

All was reportedly very awkward until Cruise was saved by a mystery woman. The Daily Mail, citing the restaurant manager, revealed that "a lady came forward and paid in £50 notes," a person described by The Telegraph as "a friend." 

Maybe it's fitting that when a Mission Impossible hero is in distress, he's saved by a damsel, instead of the other way around. Since we're at a curry house, let's chalk it up to good karma.