If you’re the kind of person who craves being seen at the trendiest tables in town, you’ll love Billionaire.
The restaurant’s imposing facade, looming over other hard-to-book spots like ROKA and Nozomi on Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz Road – the city’s de facto Restaurant Row – is flanked by a reassuringly expensive Rolls-Royce on one side and a reassuringly intimidating bouncer on the other.
Inside, the glamorous welcome team show us to the reception area, where we take our seats alongside the city’s glitterati.
But just as we’re pondering how it’s possible to charge SAR360 for a truffle risotto, or SAR950 for slow-cooked ossobuco veal shanks, we’re whisked to our table in the centre of Billionaire’s extravagant (and enormous) dining room.
The high-ceilinged space itself is beautifully finished, with a large bar in-the-round taking up one end of the room, and the other adorned with a bright red curtain.
That’s thanks to Billionaire’s recent announcement that dinner will be accompanied by a live cabaret featuring singers and dancers as part of a thrilling spectacle led by production director Montserrat Moré, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Cirque du Soleil and Ibiza’s Pacha.
After ordering from the Asian-Italian fusion menu from our friendly waiter, who keeps smiling despite struggling to keep up with the high volume of visitors, our attention turns to the promised entertainment.
Rather than continuing throughout dinner, the lights are spontaneously dimmed and a singer appears on stage, either belting out a cabaret hit or (rather unusually) whacking huge sticks on the ground in synchronisation with another performer.
Between official performances, the Billionaire staff have a spontaneous routine of their own – clapping in tandem on alternating bars of the blaring restaurant soundtrack. It certainly keeps us entertained.
Just as we’re settling in for another act, a waiter whisks out a giant stand and starts filling the table with plates. With the exception of the wagyu beef gyoza – which renders the tenderness void by using ground meat – all of the food is outstanding.
It turns out that SAR350 doesn’t just get you a measly spoonful of risotto. Instead, the perfectly seasoned portions, while still pricey, are large and easily shareable among a group. The side dishes we order – truffle mash and broccoli in an Asian-infused dressing – are equally delicious, as are the rich leafy salads and bread basket.
Service at Billionaire can be painfully slow, but luckily there’s plenty to watch on stage (and in the dining room itself if you count the synchronised clapping).
Whatever you do, make sure you bag a reservation before showing up. It’s so popular that you are unlikely to get in on a walk-in, and if you do the wait will be long.
It’s extravagant, it’s a bit of fun, and it’s one to add to your list for the spectacle alone – especially if someone else is paying.
