A treat in town: Food & Entertainment at Circus London

I define a treat as something that is a surprise to me and that makes me happy.  Some examples are if someone buys me a cupcake. I was not expecting a cupcake, yet I like cupcakes and therefore it is a treat. Liverpool winning a tough game four nil is a treat. I am surprised when we win and even more so, by such a big margin.

So, when I was invited to go to Circus London, I knew I would be in for a treat.

Circus has the aim of providing top quality Pan-Asian food alongside the spectacle of a cabaret, which one would expect with a name like Circus. In our two hours their, my brother and I saw a cabaret dancer tease the crowd, an aerialist swinging round and round and dancers wowing the crowd.

Based on the title, I think you can safely assume that I enjoyed my evening. Laura was unwell this evening, so I went with my twin brother and Guest blogger on the site, Sherwin.

To enjoy Circus, you need to enjoy the whole experience and treat it as such. The food needs to compliment the performances and vice versa. One without the other means that you will look for alternatives.

Lobster Tempura with Truffle aioli

How do you make food compliment a show. First off you need to make it sound appealing. Second it needs to look good to capture your attention and lastly and most importantly the taste. If you get all three then you have the whole package and a certified GOOD experience.

Circus managed to achieve two out of three to a high degree. All tables faced inwards in order to see the shows. These took place on the stage, which was a huge dining table in the middle of the restaurant by the kitchen.

The shows we saw were a dance, which led to an aerialist spinning round and round on a ring. Second was a cabaret singer teasing the crowd and lastly was an amazing dance by a couple. I won't go into too much detail on the acts as the surprise is part of the fun. SHOW = WIN

We were presented with good looking food. We were recommended some tasty sounding dishes from the menu and went for Seared Tuna with cayenne, Duck & foie gras dumplings, lobster tempura and Miso Black Cod and a Black Angus Fillet. All the dishes looked really appealing and we were grateful for the choices our waiter suggested. GOOD LOOKING FOOD = WIN.

Main Courses; Black cod w Miso, Angus Beef and Baby Bok Choy

Chocolate Fondant and Yogurt Cake

FOOD TASTE = NO WIN
The Food at Circus London is tasty. However, it does not match the levels set by the rest of the restaurant. Some aspects were really good. The Black Cod melts in your mouth, just as it should do. The duck with foie gras is deeply rich and reminded me of a Pie, with a velvety texture that packs a punch. This goodness is matched by the Lobster tempura. The chef is generous with his portion and the light batter which has tequila in it is complimented well with the truffle aioli.

So far, so good, yet the seared tuna and the angus steak did let the side down. The Tuna needed to remain quite simple and fresh. The vinaigrette dressing on the salad of the tuna was over powering and took away from the quality fish. Then the Black Angus Steak was slightly dry and without the soy caramel and sauce, would not have been that great.

​Two out of Three is not bad. Circus does need to achieve all three to make me rush back with prices of £28 for the Lobster and over £25 for the Black Cod, a bit pricey. I felt that I could have had better for elsewhere for that money.

​The staff here are helpful and great, you have to keep your eyes open as the restaurant is a spectacle and the shows are exciting. Circus was a treat for me, the food was good, although some work on a few dishes would help.
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Thank you for the experience and spectacle, Circus is definitley a hidden treat in Covent Garden.