Closest thing in Birmingham to Las Vegas dinner and show that's 'ultimate in good value' dining

There’s a decadent retro glamour to getting dinner and a show. The kind of thing Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack did in Las Vegas, but now it’s happening in Birmingham on Thursday and Friday nights.

Revellers are getting dressed up in their glad rags and heading below stairs into its swanky cellar bar and restaurant, Isaac’s, at celebrity favourite, The Grand Hotel. I joined them in Birmingham city centre and couldn’t believe how much you get for your buck.

This Cabaret & Cabernet dinner service has a live performance of show-stopping numbers, along with regular themed sessions based around different icons. I got a whisper that there’ll even be a re-run of their NYE night later in January for those looking for a post-Christmas pick-me-up.

There’s low lighting and tables with vintage lamps packed in around a stage with a piano at what’s been dubbed Downstairs At The Grand - a hotel that’s a favourite with Hollywood action hero Tom Cruise. Thursday and Fridays veer towards West End show favourites while Saturdays are for jazz in a speakeasy atmosphere.

Talented singer Shannon and her pianist husband Sam take centre stage between courses, nipping off at regular intervals. It’s all a throwback to scenes in glamorous old movies with Doris Day or Grace Kelly, and you may even be tempted to say ‘play it again, Sam’ after one of the pianist’s lively renditions.

The couple perform hits from the musicals along with anthems like Bohemian Rhapsody at interludes between each course. Songs get more rousing as the wonderfully feel-good night progresses.

On the night I’m there, Shannon starts by showing off her stunning voice from the get-go with the big-hitter from Dream Girls’ And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.

After a couple of songs, the pair slip away, allowing guests to chat over their starters.

Food at Downstairs At The Grand

Three courses and a glass of Prosecco cost £45 per person at Cabaret and Cabernet. and they really haven’t scrimped on quality, as I found out.

It’s tightly timed from 7pm with a set menu of fine offerings. Waiting staff busily hand out Prosecco and get all the food and drinks orders done and dusted before the music starts, so everyone can sit back and enjoy the live show, that ends around 10.30pm.

You can keep ordering more drinks throughout the night. Yet, despite the name, The Grand Hotel bar had run out of Cabernet on the night I was there, but there’s plenty more wines and a few beers to choose from.

The food menu is varied too and there are generous portion sizes. It has several choices for starter, main and dessert, plus some more extravagant options where you pay a supplement, like £5 extra for a King Scallops starter, £7 extra for Braised Ox Cheek main and a £6 supplement for a cheese board.

I found the regular options were mouth-watering enough. From the three regular starter choices, my guest and I tried the Celeriac Veloute with truffle oil and Salt And Pepper Squid with chilli jam. There was also Smoked Duck Breast.

The veloute was deliciously creamy, light and well balanced with the subtle celeriac flavours and a freshly baked mini-baguette balanced on the bowl. It was all lip-lickingly good in fact. While the squid tasted fresh and came in plentiful supply with a moorish batter and sprinkled with pieces of chilli and spring onion to add spice.

As dishes were swiftly cleared away, Shannon and Sam were back on to provide more entertainment and banter before we headed into the mains. I opted for Roasted Halibut that was beautifully cooked and gelled perfectly with lashings of a jus gras sauce.

A pretty roasted leek perched on top added flavour along with Chateau potatoes, which were a bit like large, plump roast potatoes but the recipe was invented in Napoleanic times.

My guest was equally as impressed with the tightly wrapped and flavoursome Chicken and Pancetta Ballotine, enhanced further by a covering of truffle along with celeriac mash, morrells and green beans. There was also a vegetarian option of Pumpkin & Sage Gnocchi.

One of the standout things about the menu is how options aren’t run of the mill. It was true for the dessert too, which came out following more songs and even Shannon taking over on piano for a while.

Although tempted by the Crème Brulee, I plumped for the Croissant Bread Pudding with Crème Anglaise and was so glad I did as it was divine. Melt in the mouth scrumptiousness that I’d eat all over again, any time of day. It’s a must if it’s on the menu.

My guest, chose the Pumpkin Spiced Latte Petit Gateaux with chocolate syrup and plant-based ice cream that looked too good to eat. It’s carefully shaped like a pumpkin and balanced on a biscuit base.

It was beautiful enough to be Instagrammable, but wasn’t a match for the Bread Pudding taste-wise.

Price and Verdict

All that was left was time for a big finale from Shannon and Sam featuring Abba and Queen hits that got everyone on their feet, cheering and singing. It was a dazzling way to bring a night of good food and entertainment to a close.

The cost of £45 each for the amount of food you get and quality, plus the glass of Prosecco and a full show during the night is really impressive. I’d go as far as to say it’s the ultimate good value glamorous supper when dining out in Birmingham.

From the service to the buzzing ambience, I felt like I’d been transported to a Las Vegas dinner-show. This Cabaret & Cabernet night harks back to more stylish times of elegant dining for an unapologetically uplifting night of entertainment - that I’m sure even Sinatra would approve of.

Find Cabaret & Cabernet every Thursday and Friday for Downstairs at The Grand Hotel in its Isaac’s Restaurant, in Church Street, Birmingham city centre, B3 2FE.