Circus

I've been here 3 times in the last few years and I've never been disappointed.

This is obviously a theme restaurant but in my opinion both the 'gimmick' and the food are really enjoyable.

The menu is not extensive but it is well done. Both the rare beef salad and soft shell crab salad were a delicious combination of flavours. The red pepper lamb chops and black Angus on the rocks were equally delicious. The rice and vegetables as sides were underwhelming but it did allow the full flavour of the main course to come through. Deserts can easily be shared, even I can't get through 4 caramel covered churros after 2 courses, delicious as they are and there was no room tto try any of thr chocular fondant. Everything is washed down with a great cocktail list.

The circus acts are in a similar vein, there's not a lot of variety-rings, straps, fire, but all acts are amazing and make you wish you weren't stuffing your face as your wAtcham amaxing feats of acrobatics. The acts generally average 2 an hour so you'll see 4 during your 2 hour seating time. My last visit was on a Tuesday so we overstayed our slot with no issue but I imagine they are more strict at the weekend.

I think Circus is great and I will probably be back again but only for a special occasion because it is very expensive, although I personallythink it's worth it.

What a unique, crazy venue! The food is incredible (although I must warn you, not the cheapest - I visited with a voucher, otherwise it would've been too expensive to afford on my budget). The best thing about this place, though, is the various amazing circus and cabaret acts that perform while you're eating, making for a one-of-a-kind experience.

I was swept up in the hype surrounding this restaurant and booked a table, 2 months in advance. It wasn’t overly difficult to find the restaurant but it isn’t very conspicuous (we did have to ask the doorman if it was the place!)

The staff were very pleasant and accommodating, attentive to our needs and the waiter helped us choose a nice sake.

We saw 3 performances, which were every 20 minutes, lasting about 5 minutes. They were pretty great, especially if you’re lucky enough to be seated at the head table!

The general mood of the restaurant was quite relaxed, it was quite dimly light and at one point I couldn’t really make out what I was eating.

Which would’ve mattered had the food been what I was expecting, given all the hype. Unfortunately, the price you pay is more for the performances than the food. Firstly, if you have even numbers, I would recommend that half of the diners order a starter & main and the other half a main & dessert as I don’t think you would need more than one starter between two people.

We had the Seared Salmon Maki Roll, Chicken Truffle Shumai, Black Cod Tempura & Blow Torched Wagyu Beef Nigiri to start, the latter 2 of which were the clear winners.

For our mains, we had the White Miso & Truffle Baby Chicken, Salmon Salad (which was the best out of the 3) and the Chipotle Chilli Lamp Chops. Overall, the food wasn’t mind blowing or tantalisingly tasty. The presentation was nice, the ingredients were of a high standard but they just didn’t come together in the execution and taste. At nearly £90.00 a head, you could go for a Michelin star meal elsewhere and spend an extra £20.00 to go see a circus show afterwards! It’s fine for a onetime “I went there” experience but that’s all, probably not worth the 2 month wait, glad I tried it though.

Circus is a weird and intriguing collision of cabaret entertainment, restaurant and cocktail bar smack bang in the centre of Covent Garden!

Venturing their on a work Christmas dinner, in the middle of the afternoon, I was immersed, in true Alice in Wonderland style, through the glass doors and treated to jugglers, musicians, artists and dance to keep you entertained between meals! The menu is Pan-Asian fusion , offering the best of British and an Asian twist. When it works, the flavours are outstanding and very unique adding to the exceptional ‘out there’ experience of the restaurant! When it doesn’t work, some of the food can be bland and confusing! 

What is so nice about the menu is that it is a mixture of sharing banquet style as well as individual dishes. It helped my party share and express what they liked and did not like against the backdrop of our own pre ordered drinks mini bar! It all helped add to the party atmosphere .

For starters the table shared Duck & Watermelon Salad with cashew nuts, spring onion, coriander & mint. It was light and refreshing and similar tasting to a Pad Thai but felt a lot lighter, good for a starter and the duck gave it an exciting twist! Starters also included chicken skewers, selection of dim sum and my highlight was the Prawn ball! The ball was Circus’ take on the classic Prawn Toast – a small rolled fresh cooked prawn mix wrapped in crispy  batter and sesame seeds – it was sweet and savoury and juicy ! Absolutely yummy!!

Mains were hit and miss! I admit complete food envy over some of my colleagues’ choice to have Duck Thai Red Curry – it looked gorgeous, smelt so wonderful and really inviting! I had the Scottish Black Angus Fillet Steak with Shiitake & caramelised butter soy beautifully presented on an individual plate for me with béarnaise sauce . The table shared sides of Baby Bok Choy dressed with soy, ginger & garlic, Smoked Aubergine with white miso, palm sugar & chipotle chilli  and steamed Rice with toasted sesame seeds. As a complete plate, whilst the sides were individually delicious – together my main felt bland and dry in comparison to the bursting and unique flavours of my starter. The steak was quite tough too! Still enjoyable to eat, but some confused flavours – pak choi and béarnaise sauce? Oh well, Alice didn’t have an easy time in Winter Wonderland either and it was fun to try these different flavours after all!

Circus completely surpassed my expectations with a fabulous dessert! Again we all shared the dessert and fun to watch everyone nodding in agreement, eyes wide with contentment and the yummy flavours and trying to communicate whilst scoffing! My dentist will be unhappy to hear I ate 4 plates :S We had Baked Vanilla Cheesecake with  Passion fruit & ginger cream, topped with an Amaretto Soaked Blueberry alongside a crispy vanilla profiterole and complimented by a dark chocolate truffle tart. Absolutely spot on flavours, some I was used to –like the tart but perfectly executed and some new exciting flavours that left me wanting more – and I gave in. EVERY TIME! (the ginger essence in the cake with the wonderful touch of blueberry!)  served in a fun and classy bento box!

The entertainment was fun, the atmosphere was playful yet classy as well as the food! The drinks were exceptionally well crafted and the shots after our meal left me leaving wonderland with some new experiences of taste and a new found love of daiquiri’s!

I recommend circus for a party of any occasion!