New Vegan Menu at Circus in Covent Garden
Earlier this week I was invited to The Circus cocktail bar and restaurant in Covent Garden to sample their new vegan menu.
Circus is an immersive dining experience. The restaurant is set up with two long tables in front of the kitchen where the performances take place. There are also booths and tables lining the room. Throughout the evening, there are a variety of acrobats, aerialists and fire-eaters who perform atop and around the long table.
Circus offers an A la Carte menu for parties of 4 or less and a variety of tasting menus for larger groups. We were there as part of a large group and had the Vegan Tasting Menu. I spoke to Executive Chef Andrew Lassetter, who created the vegan menu, and discovered that he himself is not a vegan or even vegetarian but as they were getting more and more requests for vegan menu items, he decided to look into vegan options. He found a world of creative vegetable combinations and as the cuisine of Circus is Pan-Asian, he has devised an innovative and delicious menu.
The Sharing menu has 3 starters which come out one by one and include; Edamame, Nori Poppadoms with chili garlic and plum sauce and Banh Trang rolls with sweet chilli sauce and peanuts. All very mor-ish and whetting the appetite. The starters come with a glass of vegan Prosecco which was dry and fresh.
The starters are followed by 3 small plates which are Crispy Cauliflower and Four Bean Salad, the cauliflower was nicely charred and served atop a rather spicy but complimentary four bean salad.
A single Date and Water chestnut Gyoza was up next. A single, large and plump gyoza drizzled with sweet red vinegar was a salty sweet delight. Some might find it a bit sweet but I like salty sweet flavour combinations. I could have had 2 or 3 more of those!
The last small plate was a Truffle & Mushroom Spinach parcel, garnished with yuzu soy sauce. This was another interesting flavour combo, the spinach wilted and folded into a parcel.
After the small plates, the Large Plates are served; Chili Crusted Tofu and Quinoa & Pomegrante San Choy Bau.
The Chili Crusted Tofu is buried under a heap of Morning Glory, bean sprouts, coriander and mint with sweet tamarind. I’m not usually a big fan of tofu but this was a very tasty dish.
Quinoa & Pomegrante San Choy Bau is a single huge lettuce leaf filled with quinoa, pomegranate, chopped cauliflower and cashew nuts – another dish I could have had seconds of, the crunchy and soft textures of the different ingredients giving each mouthful a very mor-ish quality.
The Large plates were accompanied by Grilled Asparagus with sweet soy reduction and Smoked Aubergine with white miso.
Dessert ended the night with a light and fruity Mango Sorbet Eton Mess. The perfect ending to the tasting menu. Opting for vegan cuisine, for me, is not only about opting out of eating meat but about changing my mindset. A meal can be complete and filling without having protein on the plate.
The Vegan Tasting Menu is available for £65 per person/£75 per person includes a glass of Prosecco and seating at the main Stage Table. For more information, visit their website, Circus.
I was a guest of Circus and all opinions are my own.
