Miss Immy's London: CIRCUS, Covent Garden

Photo by Gui O'Connor

I had no idea that tucked away on a street in the heart of Covent Garden, lies a restaurant that not only does fantastic food and cocktails, but provides thrilling entertainment too. Circus is a late night cocktail bar; a cabaret restaurant and an unusual venue all rolled into one. So Ladies and Gentlemen, roll up, roll up, it's time for the show to begin!

Photo by Mark Whitfield

Circus has been wowing audiences since its launch in 2010. It is located within an old warehouse, which apparently back in Victorian times, housed elephants for the nearby Royal Opera House, which seems quite fitting. Although I'm pretty sure you won't see any elephants at this Circus. Unless you've been overdoing it on the absinthe that is.

The stylish interior has been designed by none other than leading designer, Tom Dixon, which definitely makes it an impressive venue for all sorts of exciting events, such as press launches; fashion shoots; corporate do's and premiere parties. As a restaurant, Circus prides itself on its excellent Pan Asian cuisine. A friend and I went along for dinner recently and we were hugely impressed with the menu, trying out various heavenly morsels including prawn & chive dim sum; beef & foie gras gyoza; sashimi; rock shrimp tempura; black cod and seared beef. All bloody lovely! The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, the service was excellent and we were really well looked after all evening.

All food photography by Mark Whitfield

To whet your appetite, here's a taste of what you can expect to find on the menu at Circus:

Lychee & aubergine green curry with chicken

Banh trang rolls (pomegranate, pomelo, cococut & peanuts)

Rock shrimp tempura with lemon ponzu

Chicken & roast chilli dumpling with chive flower

New York strip loin on hot rocks with truffle teriyaki

Sashimi selection

All food photography by Mark Whitfield

Throughout dinner, around four or more surprise acts suddenly appear on stage, offering a burst of entertainment. As the kitchen blinds slowly close and the lights are gently dimmed, you know it means one thing... SHOW TIME! These incredible short performances include synchronised acrobats; hot hoola hoopers; fire-eating ballerinas; crooning drag queens and sexy muscle men, all so jaw-dropping, it's enough to make you choke on your foie gras dumplings!

Photo by Gui O'Connor

Photo by Mark Whitfield

Photo by Gui O'Connor

So whether you're just wanting a good old fashioned dinner a deux with a few acrobats thrown in, or you're a late night reveller who's on a cocktail and dancing mission with your mates, Circus is definitely one for your 'to do' list. I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Circus and will definitely return.

Miss Immy was a dinner guest of Circus