New dinner and show in Dubai is a Wonderland – with or without Alice
The Queen of Hearts – or rather her famous red pout. A rabbithuman hybrid prancing about in a waistcoat. Tiny vials of blue curacao labelled “Drink me”. Welcome to The Showhouse.
Dubai’s latest dinner-andshow restaurant pays homage to Alice in Wonderland. Accessible through a car park in the basement of InterContinental Marina, its debut act is titled Down the Rabbit Hole. Here The National goes along for the ride.
The dinner
Before delving into details about the lavish costumes and impressive acrobatics involved in this production, the threecourse meal served alongside them deserves a shout-out.
Curated by Rob Rathbone, the group culinary director of Solutions Leisure Group, the French-Mediterranean menu is, in a word, delectable. Many of the dishes are infused with more cream than even the Cheshire Cat would know what to do with. Not me, though – I live for the stuff.
My party of four is able to try nearly every item on the menu, and not one is disappointing. Among the appetisers, the velvety burrata tastes like it has been freshly pulled, while the delicately steamed prawns come drenched in tarragoninfused olive oil.
Even the foie gras ballotine, which is more firm than the usual pate consistency, goes down a charm, served alongside buttery brioche and a piquant onion-pepper chutney.
Mains are equally decadent. The vegetarian in our party has no choice but to get the mushroom risotto, but we each enjoy hearty mouthfuls of the truffle and Parmesan-infused rice, dusted with cep powder.
A word to the wise – go easy on the baguette basket as the three meaty mains – filet steak, cornfed chicken and wild sea bass – are so filling, you’re unlikely to do much more than roll into bed after this meal.
The steak is served with potato dauphinoise slivers that could rival any unputdownable packet of crisps. More cream comes by way of the beurreblanc sauce that accompanies the sea bass. The nutty textures of cep and hazelnut are the prominent flavourss in the duck confit (served with truffle gnocchi) and chicken (on a bed of Jerusalem artichoke puree).
Given all the delicious excessiveness, dessert is a struggle. Of the three bites I manage, the crunchy creme brulee and airy vanilla cheesecake are favourites, while the tarte Tatin is a touch too sweet for me.
Proceedings at The Showhouse play out in a continual loop, rather than the usual short bursts and separate acts The show
A top hat glitters under a spotlight, sequins winking as diners take their seats around the central stage. As the clock chimes 9pm, out comes “Alice”, belting out Edge of Midnight, in a voice that does justice to the Miley CyrusStevie Nicks number.
What follows is a mix of timeless pop, plus tunes from Broadway and West End musicals. Think everything from Land of 1,000 Dances by Tina Turner and It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls, to Little Bird by Annie Lennox and It’s All About That Walk by Prince.
These are all personified by a talented troupe of dancers (ballroom, tap, contemporary, et al), plus gymnasts, aerial artists and contortionists. Graceful ballerinas with arms outstretched one minute, twisted as pretzels the next, the performers are par excellence, perfectly in sync with the music and one another.
The bit with a dancer ducking in and out of a giant stiletto that doubles as a ladder and a slide is particularly noteworthy.
My one complaint? That the rich Alice x Looking Glass x Rabbit Hole theme was not adhered to throughout the show. Confusing (although no less fun) throwbacks to Wizard of Oz and other obscure references had me pedantically pondering whether there were any Lewis Carroll cues I might not be “getting”. But this is still a whimsical Wonderland, with or without Alice.
It’s also worth noting that the proceedings at The Showhouse play out in a continual loop, rather than the usual format of short bursts and separate acts. This is a deliberate decision, says head of entertainment and show producer Claire Wheatley, to help “diners stay transfixed in this immersive world rather than cut the narrative with a DJ”.
Indeed, as Alice comes out for her final solo – Left Outside Alone by Anastasia – you can’t help but hope she finds her way back home.
The Showhouse is open from 7pm to midnight on Wednesday and Thursday; 7pm to 3am on Friday; and 1pm to 5pm and 6pm to 3am on Saturday. Dinner is served from 8pm and the show starts at 9pm. Prices range from Dh395 (silver) to Dh545 (VIP), inclusive of a three-course meal and limited drinks. Bookings can be made at www.solutions-leisure.com