Street Level: Circus has come to town

(by Mike Fletcher)

It’s easy to walk straight past Circus on Endell Street, Covent Garden, if you’re not paying attention. There’s no big top entrance, or street entertainers juggling or hula hooping outside. In fact, there’s nothing to betray the entertainment that awaits within, only a polite doorman who ensures you have the correct destination and bids you a pleasant evening as you enter a short corridor with a cloakroom at the far end, guarding the main doors to the restaurant and cocktail bar.

Since opening in January 2010, I’ve walked through those main doors on two other occasions. My guest for this particular evening had never seen what lies beyond the cloakroom. Her interest was immediately peaked by the Californian-sounding model attendant who took our coats and led us through to the main dining area with its catwalk showpiece table that doubles up as a performance stage.

Aware that the circus-style performances wouldn’t begin until after 8pm, I encouraged a visit to the bar before we settled down to eat. Circus’ bar cocktail list is designed by Henry Besant and the Worldwide Cocktail Club – the team responsible for the bars at Bungalow 8 and Notting Hill’s The Lonsdale. It’s a short but encyclopedic menu of cocktails from which my companion chose a Kumquat  & Almond Caipirinha. Unable to decide, I asked the barman to surprise me with a bourbon-based creation. I already knew my drink would taste amazing however it was created so the requested surprise must have been its brink pink coloration when poured into a martini glass.

For dinner, I had the special of marinated steak in a tiger prawn and chorizo dressing whilst she opted for the cajun sea bass (I would have opted for the highly recommended 24 hour slow roasted beef short ribs if the special hadn’t changed my mind). For starters we shared baby squid and chicken and prawn satay skewers. The Circus menu is Pan-American (just like almost all the staff) and, just as on both my previous visits, the baby squid and steaks are divine perfection.

The first indication that a performer is about to take to the stage is the open kitchen’s shutters going down along with the lights. If you’ve timed your food order correctly this will coincide with the end of each course. If not, then it’s a straight choice between melt-in-the-mouth steak in the dark or an aerialist, performing on a hoop above the catwalk table.

On each of my previous visits the performances have been different so you never know what to expect. On my first mid-week visit, we stayed all night and witnessed the acts grow ever-more burlesque as the evening draws on. This time however was a Friday night and the DJ was playing more to the bar crowd than the diners who wished to talk. So after a hula-hoop girl, a fire-dancer and the aerialist, we settled the bill, saved our vocal chords and made our escape.

Thankfully, with Circus now catering for weekday and weekend brunch menus and quieter mid-week sittings, there are better times to plan a visit to ensure you get the full performance and dining experience in Covent Garden’s unique cabaret restaurant. The popularity of this particular Circus has ensured that it’s not about to leave town any time soon.


BOILING POINT: Interview with Silla Bjerrum, Feng Sushi

London Restaurant Festival talks to Silla Bjerrum, co-founder of Feng Sushi, about eating in London.

LRF: What was the last London restaurant you visited?
SB: Zuma last Saturday – they do vegetables really well. I like just having snacks in the bar or by the counter instead of doing the whole fine dining sitting down thing.

LRF: Describe the best meal you’ve ever had in London.
SB: I’ve had excellent lunches with my partner David on sunny weekdays at the Petersham Nurseries. Also, celebrations at Corrigan’s Mayfair.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
SB: Princess Victoria is very good – it’s informal and relaxed.

LRF: Which restaurants would you recommend to a tourist with one day to spend in London and why?
SB: Breakfast at La Fromagerie, lunch at Feng Sushi in Borough, then Coffee at Monmouth Coffee. Then stroll to the Tate Modern and Southbank Centre, have afternoon drinks at Skylon and then dinner at Corrigan’s Mayfair.

LRF: Where do you go for a great Sunday roast in London?
SB: It’s not really my thing! I do not eat much meat and prefer home cooked food at the weekend – but I would recommend Princess Victoria or The Electric Brasserie in Notting Hill. Alternatively, The Providores in Marylebone or the Petersham Nurseries.

LRF: What’s the best coffee shop in London?
SB: Monmouth Coffee, absolutely 100% – no one does it better!

LRF: What’s your favourite London pub or bar?
SB: Princess Victoria for its excellent wine selection or The Electric Brasserie.

LRF: Which London farmers’ market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
SB: La Fromagerie, Brindisa, Clean Bean Tofu and Borough Market on Thursday’s.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion?
SB: Paul Auster.

LRF: What do you like to cook the most?
SB: Sashimi; in particular local handline mackerel or Loch Duart Salmon – more cutting than coking really!

www.fengsushi.co.uk

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

BOILING POINT: Interview with Rowley Leigh, Le Café Anglais

London Restaurant Festival talks to Rowley Leigh, head chef/patron of  Le Café Anglais, about eating in London.

LRF: What was the last London restaurant you visited?
RL: The River Café.

LRF: Which London restaurant is your favourite?
RL: Le Gavroche because it’s like a magic carpet ride and you’re treated like a king!

LRF: Who has been the biggest influence on the way you cook?
RL: My mother.

LRF: What’s your signature dish?
RL: I don’t believe in them.

LRF: What’s it like to work in your kitchen?
RL: It’s a warm, friendly, creative and dynamic rollercoaster ride.

LRF: What do you most like to cook in your spare time?
RL: Pasta and barbeques.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
RL: At my place of work I like Hereford Road and Four Seasons Chinese. Near home I prefer the Princess Victoria pub.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion (dead or alive)?
RL: I prefer them alive!

LRF: Which restaurants would you recommend to a tourist with one day to spend in London?
RL: The Goring Hotel.

LRF: Which London farmers’ market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
RL: Damas Gate on the Uxbridge road. And HG Walter butchers in Barons Court.

www.lecafeanglais.co.uk

Get your tickets to London Restaurant Festival’s Big Quiz at Le Cafe Anglais here.

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

BOILING POINT: Interview with Pierre Koffmann, Koffmann’s at The Berkeley

London Restaurant Festival talks to Pierre Koffmann, head chef of Koffmann’s at The Berkeley, about eating in London.

LRF: What was the last London restaurant you went to?
PK: Texture.

LRF: Which London restaurant is your favourite and why?
PK: Bistrot Bruno Loubet, because he cooks the food I like to eat.

LRF: Who has been the biggest influence on the way you cook and why?
PK: My Grandmother – I loved spending time with her on the farm.

LRF: What is your signature dish?
PK: Pig’s trotters.

LRF: What’s it like to work in your kitchen?
PK: FUN and hard work!

LRF: What do you most like to cook in your spare time?
PK: Nothing! I love to be cooked for and I love my partner Claire’s salad.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
PK: Raouls on Clifton Road, it has a lovely atmosphere.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion?
PK: Daniel Chobert.

LRF: Which London farmers’ market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
PK: La Fromagerie.

Pierre Koffmann’s restaurant at The Berkeley will be opening on 15 July 2010.

www.the-berkeley.co.uk/koffmanns.aspx

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

BOILING POINT: Interview with Santino Busciglio, Mennula

London Restaurant Festival talks to Santino Busciglio, chef/patron of Mennula, about eating in London.

LRF: What was the last London restaurant you visited?
SB: Ristorante Semplice.

LRF: Which London restaurant is your favourite and why?
SB: Bar Trattoria Semplice; great food, nice atmosphere, ice-cold Menabrea beer on tap.

LRF: What’s your signature dish?
SB: I’ve got three. Seabass ravioli, pumpkin sauce, marjoram & razor clams. Rabbit wrapped in pancetta with aubergine sauce, spaghetti of carrots. Pine nuts, sultanas and Savoy cabbage.

LRF: What’s it like to work in your kitchen?
SB: Very hard work, disciplined but still fun I like to think.

LRF: What do you most like to cook in your spare time?
SB: A barbeque with friends when the weather is good, especially vegetables like corn, aubergines and of course lots of fish.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
SB: Red Pepper in Maida Vale makes great pizzas.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion?
SB: Marilyn Monroe, she would be a fun date; or Monica Bellucci. I cannot make my mind up – both of them together would be even better!

LRF: Which restaurants would you recommend to a tourist with one day to spend in London and why?
SB: Mennula of course! The finest ingredients cooked with passion and care, together with a very professional friendly front of house staff led by my manager Angelo and his assistant Rocco.

LRF: Which London farmers’ market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
SB: La Fromagerie in Marylebone. Patricia Michelson is a wonderful person who happens to be the cheese guru of London, plus her shop is a Mecca for anyone who loves food.

www.mennula.com

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

Street Level: An evening with Andrew Edmunds

(by Mike Fletcher)

I spend far too much money on eating out. It’s one of the inconvenient pleasures of living in a city with 50 Michelin-starred restaurants and hundreds of secret hideaway eateries just waiting to be discovered and then savoured.

Despite a constant urge to try out new places however, I always find myself returning to one of my favourite Soho establishments, Andrew Edmunds on Lexington Street.

Admittedly, Andrew Edmunds receives most of my custom during the winter months. It’s somewhere familiar to escape the drizzle and swap the falling temperatures for the warm dark glow of intimate candle-lit tables, plain white tablecloths, great British food and an extensive red wine list. I wasn’t entirely convinced therefore that I’d made the right choice when, on one of the warmest days of the summer so far, I reached for the phone and booked a table for two downstairs at this charming gourmet bolt-hole.

Maybe I opted for a table downstairs so we could pretend that the balmy summer’s evening unfolding on the street outside was actually a dark winter’s night as we swapped stories over a naked flame and drank a 2006 mid-priced bottle of Argentinian red.

Actually, the real reason I requested downstairs is because that’s where my preferred table is located (the only restaurant where I actually know which table I prefer). Tonight, table 22, side on to all the other diners so that you’re not distracted by their food choices or over-heard snippets of conversation, was available and ours for three straight hours.

My starter choice was the same starter I always go for at this home away from home diner – Dressed Crab (superb). After our very amiable Kiwi waitress Katy had joked about the hand-written menu and then translated the hieroglyphics, my guest went for Lincolnshire asparagus vinaigrette with thin slices of Pecorino cheese.

For main, I went for the Calasparra risotto with squid, mussels, prawns, clams, chorizo and langoustine whilst my guest plumped for the poached wild sea trout, accompanied by Jersey Royals and a watercress mayonnaise. I had definitely plumped for the more flavoursome dish as my seafood arrived infused with chili and was extremely satisfying with just the right amount of heat. The trout looked a tad boring but I was assured that it tasted very nice.

I rarely go for dessert but was quite happy to sip my expresso whilst my guest pondered long and hard over whether to have the peach and almond tart. With no decision reached and a cursory look round to see that most of our fellow diners had departed as it was approaching 11pm, I requested the bill and inspected the damage.

Our meal for two, with wine, coffee and 12.5% service charge came to a very reasonable £79. It was only after the tab was settled that Katy returned to our table with a slice of peach and almond tart and two forks. “There’s only two slices left and I know you were tempted so you have this one and I’m going to save the final slice as a treat for when I finish my shift,” our waitress said with a smile.

It’s service like that which will keep me returning to Andrew Edmunds all year round and sets London’s restaurants apart, in my view, from those anywhere else in the world.

BOILING POINT: Interview with Klaus Kabelitz, The Berkeley

London Restaurant Festival talks to Klaus Kabelitz, general manager of The Berkeley about eating in London.

LRF: What’s the last London restaurant you went to?
KK: The last restaurant I went to was Galvin La Chapelle.

LRF: Describe the best meal you’ve ever had in London.
KK: The best meal I’ve ever had was at The River Café. I had the most delicious grilled calamari and pasta dish on a warm summer evening accompanied by my colleagues – both General Managers for The Connaught and Claridge’s.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
KK: We are very fortunate to have a variety of restaurants that offer a wonderful selection of international cuisines in our neighbourhood. The restaurants I particularly rate are Amaya for its tapas-style modern Indian food, Zuma for its contemporary Japanese cuisine and the French restaurant La Poule au Pot for its romantic atmosphere.

LRF: Which restaurants would you recommend to a tourist with one day to spend in London and why?
KK: I would recommend Galvin at Windows on the 28th floor of the Hilton in Park Lane for great food and a spectacular view of London. For immaculate service and the best food in town I recommend Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley.

LRF: Where do you go for a great Sunday roast in London?
KK: One of my favourite places to go for a Sunday roast is the Electric Brasserie in Notting Hill. You can sit outside when it’s sunny and look onto the Portobello Road. Alternatively, when it’s cold and wet outside you are just next-door to the Electric Cinema.

LRF: What’s the best coffee shop in London?
KK: Daylesford Organic in Pimlico.

LRF: What’s your favourite London pub or bar?
KK: My favourite London bar is The Blue Bar at The Berkeley. Designed by David Collins, the balance between the contemporary and historical finishes makes it one of a kind. I must admit to enjoying a martini once in a while at The Connaught Bar from their signature martini trolley.

LRF: Which London farmers’ market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
KK: Pimlico Farmers’ Market within walking distance of Sloane Square. Borough Market is also an all-time favourite.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion?
KK: Peter Ustinov.

LRF: What do you like to cook the most?
KK: Chilli chicken with lemon and garlic.

www.the-berkeley.co.uk

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

BOILING POINT: Interview with Charlie McVeigh, The Draft House

London Restaurant Festival talks to Charlie McVeigh, owner of The Draft House about eating in London.

LRF: What was the last London restaurant you visited?
CMV: The Providores and Sipsmiths’ Pop-up at the Sipsmith Distillery in Hammersmith.

LRF: Describe the best meal you’ve ever had in London.
CMV: The somewhat liquid dinner Rowley Leigh and I had with Maureen Mills and my wife Sof after winning Best UK Restaurant at Le Café Anglais.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
CMV: Other than Le Café Anglais – Gold Mine on Queensway.

LRF: Which restaurant would you recommend to a tourist with one day to spend in London?
CMV: The Wolseley.

LRF: Where do you go for a great Sunday roast in London?
CMV: The Draft House Westbridge.

LRF: What’s the best coffee shop in London?
CMV: Monmouth Coffee in Borough. It’s below our graphic designers so I make excuses to redesign our logo from time to time!

LRF: What’s your favourite London pub or bar?
CMV: I grew up in the Portobello Star which is now a cocktail bar, sadly, so I’d have to say The Draft House Northcote.

LRF: Which London farmers’ market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
CMV: Alastair Little’s Tavola.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion?
CMV: My wife Sof.

LRF: What do you like to cook the most?
CMV: Curry & Rice (Sri Lankan-style).

www.drafthouse.co.uk

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

BOILING POINT: Interview with Danielle Shaw, Scott’s

London Restaurant Festival talks to Danielle Shaw, general manager of  Scott’s about eating in London.

LRF: What’s the last London restaurant you visited?
DS: Hix on Brewer Street.

LRF: Describe the best meal you’ve ever had in London.
DS: Any day spent grazing around Borough Market with my other half, ending up at Wright Bros for oysters and Champagne.

LRF: Which restaurants do you rate in your neighbourhood?
DS: Medcalf on Exmouth Market, Caravan on Exmouth Market, Moro on Exmouth Market, Fig on Hemingford Road N1.

LRF: Which restaurants would you recommend to a tourist with one day to spend in London and why?
DS: Scott’s of course for the best atmosphere in town… preferably two seats at the oyster bar – right in the centre of the action.

LRF: Where do you go for a great Sunday roast in London?
DS: Medcalf on Exmouth Market, The Easton on Easton Street, Clerkenwell.

LRF: What’s the best coffee shop in London?
DS: Caravan on Exmouth Market who roast their own coffee.

LRF: What’s your favourite London pub or bar?
DS: Currently Public House on Islington Park Street for fantastic cocktails in an original environment…

LRF: Which London farmers market, food shop or suppliers would you recommend?
DS: Borough Market every time.

LRF: Who is your ideal dinner companion?
DS: My good-natured other half, who always lets me try his food…

LRF: What do you like to cook the most?
DS: Pickles and chutneys are therapeutic to make…..when I have the time!!

www.scotts-restaurant.com

BOILING POINT lifts the lid on London’s restaurant scene with regular interviews with London chefs, restaurant managers and restaurateurs.

London Eye Update: Only 3 nights left

Having been on sale for less than a week, only three capsules are now available for London Restaurant Festival on the London Eye.

4 October – Richard Corrigan, Corrigan’s Mayfair
11 October – Atul Kochhar, Benares
18 October – Joel Antunes, Brasserie Joel

Further details, including booking information, can be found here.