Proud Cabaret City

We went to this restaurant for our Christmas party and I was disappointed. Thankfully, we were all in good spirits because the service was deathly slow. Our drinks (bottles of wine) took 35 minutes to arrive at our table. The food was below average. The quality of performers, bar two of them, wasn't anywhere near good enough what we should expect by London standards. This wasn't helped by the horrible sound system that provided us with nothing but feedback from the speaker above our table. In every area it seemed like corners were cut leaving us wanting and expecting more. Clearly this is an attempt to surf the popular wave of burlesque to milk people who work in the city. It wouldn't take many improvements to turn this around but at present it isn't good enough for what they provide by way of food, service and entertainment.

we had a fantastic night out on saturday. the show was great and all the punters had made the effort and dressed up to the nines. I think we may have been the last to leave at 2am, as a result the bill did stack up somewhat, possibly due to the vast quantities of wine we ordered. At £49 per head for a three course meal and a show I think its great value. The food was of a very good standard. The pork belly was divine and the meat from the lamb shank fell apart. Choclate fondant and cheese plate were the best of the puds we tried. The service was wonderfully attentive and charming. All the staff seemed very chirpy and looked like they were enjoying themselves – always nice! I will be back.

I was lucky enough to have my husband wine and dine me at Proud Cabaret last weekend! It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday, and I'd certainly reccommend it as a top venue to indulge in some naughty, risqué entertainment. Waiters were attentive, topping up the glasses regularly…perhaps slightly too regularly! A fantastic evening not to be missed.

“Interesting.” Is normally a polite response to something one finds diffiulct to level with, and that is certainly quite apt for Proud Cabaret. The first thing that you might wish you had done once you have descended into the bowels of Minster Court, is that you after making your reservation you had dug out your ‘power cut kit’ of torches and candles. To say that PC is dark is an understatement, and for those of us suffering from SAD this isn't going to assist of a lunchtime. The staff alert you to this fact, the darkness, not your lack of handy boy scout preparedness, and advise you to proceed with caution as some of the internal steps are difficult to spot – mainly because of the 200 Watt Halogens in the floor that are blinding your night vision. The tables are decked out in all manner of sliver and glass and it is questionable as to whether you will be able to squeeze any food on the table. The staff are attentive to say the least, especially when another diner goes sunnyside up on her way back from the restroom. The food has some honest hearty fare; with Jerusalem artichoke soup with obligatory truffle oil drizzle and surprising inclusion of ricotta, pleasing the palate. The nostalgic trip down to school lunch lane leads me to a Shepherds Pie which was so intensely hot I wonder if the halogen bulb collection extended into the kitchen. The staff are well meaning and the current (lunchtime) offer of 2 for 1 makes it hard to pass up. I quite enjoyed the pianist, whose efforts went largely unnoticed by the suited lunchtime crowd. Maybe the evenings are livelier, but I am struggling to see who this is aimed at, and given city restaurants have to fight pretty hard these days for a more discerning crowd of corporate lunchers, this Stygian den needs to lighten up.