The Magician's Cabaret — Attraction in Sydney

With such mixed reviews on this site I thought this would be one I do leave a review.

I had a Groupon for this and upon calling to book I was told that my date was not available but was offered (very nicely) an upgrade to the Saturday show as they had moved a large booking which freed up some space. The place is nice, the staff are very polite and the guy that comes to the table with card tricks during your meals was great.

So upon switching from the Sunday Groupon to the Saturday program I was told we would have a three course meal, the show would be longer and it's a better show. Why wouldn't I accept that?? I looked on the website and saw the show that plays on a Saturday night with the description that courses would be served in between acts, which seemed great.

Arrival at 6:15 and we received all three courses one after the other. The food was average. The prawn cocktail was nice but it peaked there. The chicken was bland and the portion size of the main course was pretty poor. The creme brulee was lukewarm and really not good at all. We went for food elsewhere after the show. The show didn't start until about 8pm and finished at 9pm. There was nothing Cabaret about the show. I've been to a few in different countries and this was definitely at the bottom of my list unfortunately. The tricks were good! But the delivery was awkward the majority of the time. The couple next to us were also confused about the courses not coming between acts as advertised and then the show finishing at 9pm when online it says it finishes at 10:15pm. That's a huge difference. It should have been La Fortuna Cabaret but instead we got Tales of Trickery.

It's a lovely place with friendly staff and has great potential but there's definitely improvements that need to be made with the performance and the food.

EDIT: For clarity to those reading this review, we did have the Groupon for 'An Intimate Evening of Magic' but weirdly the same weekend I called to book the night and was told there was no availability I also looked online and 'An Intimate Evening of Magic' was no longer listed online (it was when I originally got the Groupon voucher as a gift). I was sat next to another couple who were equally confused about what they paid for vs. what they received so I know that this was not only my issue.

When I looked at the website upon receiving the voucher and also the weekend just gone when offered the upgrade, there is only one show advertised for the Saturday night, so it is reasonable that if you tell someone they will be upgraded to a longer show, better show and three course dinner, then look online for the night you booked and this is the show advertised then they'd be under the impression that this is the show that they'd be attending. I'd also like to say that this upgrade was offered over the phone and upon accepting it took a few hours for the confirmation to be sent (this is obviously not an issue) but over the phone I wasn't told the name of the show. I'm not disputing the gesture of the upgrade, I'm giving a review of my experience. I feel it's also worth noting that a review from a TV channel doesn't mean they got the real experience. I have no idea what surrounded the review of being the best in the biz, however if they had the same experience as myself and the couple next to me, this would not be the case. There are several reviews that mention similar critiques about the food, the awkwardness of the show and overall feel and with them being mixed with those of people saying it was a great night then wouldn't you think to maybe improve the consistency? Especially as it's the same issues arising over a reasonable period of time.

I appreciate your response, however I do not feel that you understand the true experience of some of the customers. But then again, you can't please everyone and if you're the best in the biz then surely my review won't resonate with anyone else and I'll disappear amongst the other great reviews...

Don’t bother. Disappointing from the outset. Dull, boring and lacking in atmosphere. Unfortunately, 1 star is the lowest rating you can give.

We were seated in a cramped space and although our table had 4 chairs, we were advised that we could not move to the empty seats beside to us as management did not allow this. There were several empty tables behind us, but instead of spreading the audience across these, or removing them and spreading the remaining tables across the small space, everyone was squashed together. And the waitress continually insisted in squeezing between my husbands chair and the lady’s seated directly behind him.

The meals began arriving and as we had not been asked about a meal preference, I wondered how they knew which option the diner’s would want. I’m a vegetarian and therefore, I queried the waitress and was advised that it’s a set menu, which we were aware of. The website advertised both a meat and a vegetarian option, so we had no issue with it. There had been no option to provide a preference, at the time of booking and the booking confirmation did not include advice on preordering, therefore we assumed our preferences would be obtained on arrival.

The waitress stated she would go and speak with the Chef and see what he could do. It took a very long time to be advised the Chef could actually provide me a vegetarian meal, but the waitress made it sound like he was doing me a huge favour. Dear Reader, I can tell you this was no favour and in fact they shouldn’t have bothered. The meals were tiny and tasteless. The Crème Brûlée, served for dessert was like no Crème Brûlée I had ever tasted. While the sugar on top gave a satisfying crack when smacked with the spoon, what was underneath was runny raw egg. Maybe having a family with several Chefs/cooks I have been spoilt, but even with my limited culinary skills, I know the menu was not at all technical. I would think that if a restaurant has only 1 main and 1 dessert option, surely it would be have been perfected.

Following ‘dinner’, the ‘entertainment’ eventually commenced. Strangely, the audience were advised that the bar was closed during the performance and apparently also the toilets! One of the audience attempted to visit the bathroom during the performance and was headed off by the waitress and shown to a toilet outside the venue.

We were subjected to a bizarre performance by an ‘Actor’ attempting to depict several French historical figures, including Voltaire. Being a long time fan of Voltaire’s work, I found the actor’s depiction offensive. The Philosopher, Writer and Historian, was no idiot, completely unlike the asinine histrionics of the actor.

The two dancers did their best in the tiny space they had. Unfortunately, they were unable to fully extend in their routines and ran into the side wall of the stage, several times.

The Magician was another massive disappointment. He seemed to be confused by whether he was a Magician or a Comedian and did a poor impersonation of both. The few tricks he did perform were basic magic. The jokes were cringe worthy and at times down right offensive. Before adequately reading the room, he pointed at a gentleman sitting at a table of couples and referring to his single status said something to the effect of ‘couldn’t she make it, didn’t get the visa in time’. The audience gasped…and not in wonder and awe…incredibly tone deaf.

At the conclusion of the catastrophe, we left and still being hungry went in search of food. We had the most amazing meal of authentic Nepalese cuisine at Chulho on Liverpool street. Absolutely sensational.

Maybe the management and staff of Cabaret La Belle Rose Dinner & Show, advertised “an authentic stylish Parisian Dinner Theatre experience”, should visit Paris…actually they don’t even need to go that far…visit the Gold Coast to see what cabaret is...

I dont really write many negative reviews however I feel this is absolutely necessary. I would've loved to read an honest review like this before I went last night because all I saw was 5 star ratings, raving about how good this place was.

Where do I start....

Ok we were told to get there by 615. Got there at 6. Doors didnt open until 630. Not worried at this point because we were pretty excited about the night.

Drinks overpriced. $12 beers and wine but not that worried at this point. The time from our sit down to first "show"and entree was about 1 hour 20mins. Way too long as we were pretty hungry. There were also cockroaches crawling next to us on the wall.

Entree was a tiny pumpkin soup. No bread. Just 2 croutons and some parsley inside. The fact this was one of the courses and that it took this long to come out was ridiculous. The only plus was that it came out semi hot.

Ok now its probably about 2 and a half hours in and we are starving. They have managed to drag out 3 mini "shows" and entrees during this time. Finally the mains come.

A tiny roast chicken, with no sauce and some steamed veges. When I say some I mean 2 mini carrots and some rockets leaves on the side. Its actually hilarious thinking back to how bad everything was.

So now probably 3.5 hours in, we have watched a few very short shows, some very amateurish magic, barely eaten anything and spent over $65 in drinks (3 rounds with my wife), dessert comes.

We were considering leaving before as the wait was so long however we toughed it out and made it for the dessert. An average creme brulee at the best. Man as soon as they brought it out the show said "enjoy your desserts, we have one last finale soon". We had one bite then left as we knew the finale wouldnt be for another halfa or so.

We left and went straight to get more food on the way home 😂

Im glad it wasnt a special event and just a date night with my wife. Still $108 tickets for this rubbish is actually ridiculous. This place is the pits!

I hope anyone who is thinking about going reads this, as this is actually what you will expect when you get there. Don't believe these 5 star ratings like I did. I would give it 0 stars if I could.

Seriously couldve spent the $270 on a movie and night out at a...