DINING at Circa

CIRCA

Intriguing plates of food in intimate surroundings. Harriet Noble visits this tucked away gem of a restaurant

There is more than a whiff of Paris about Circa. In the dream we all have of the perfect weekend getaway in France’s capital, this is the impossibly romantic bistro that you stumble across with your other half and stay in until closing time.

The simplicity of the décor – dark walls, wooden floors, flickering candles and minimalist artwork – and welcoming intimacy of the surroundings makes your shoulders drop a good few inches such are the calm and cosy vibes.

If you’ve not been before, Circa opened back in May 2015 and is owned by Rob Weeks and James Waddington. Rob has been head chef since August 2017. It started out as more of a steak house but Rob’s been redefining what the restaurant does since cheffing there, moving towards developing a menu focussed on provenance, culminating in the launch of their tasting menu after lockdown. A lot of what you eat here is made in-house, from the bread to the vinegar, and Rob is known for experimenting with different techniques, which means the menu is always an intriguing read. During the last year they’ve converted the upstairs area, which was a live music venue, to a shop where they now sell their homemade food plus produce from local makers.

Apparently, Rob had no cheffing experience before he was cooking at Circa which is astonishing because the food here is exceptional. It’s also, and this goes for everything about this restaurant, very well-thought- out. From the careful crafting of the menu to the wine pairings, to the general hum of the place, you can feel that someone has really thought about the customer experience from beginning to end. That may sound like an obvious thing to say but it’s not the case in a lot of restaurants. The number of times I’ve sat in a restaurant

where there is a blinding light pointed straight at the table where I am sat meaning I am squinting all night makes me think about the omission of thought on the customers’ behalf.

Anyway, I digress, I’m here to try their tasting menu. First up is a house aperitif of vermouth. This is what I like about a tasting menu. Left to my own choices, would I ever opt for a vermouth? Would you? No, probably not. I’d order what I always have and not widen my horizons because that’s what some of us humans do. Same can be said of my music collection but that’s another story.

And, predictably, I am so glad I do have the vermouth. Along with the four classic vermouth botanicals – wormwood, yarrow, gentian and cassia bark – Kate, who looks after me on my visit, tells me that the Circa team have added their own twist by foraging and adding sea beet from Exmouth estuary, spruce and pine from Haldon Forrest and Harcombe, and gorse flower from Dartmoor. The result is a refreshing drink; light, crispy, sweet, with a decent echo of bitterness.

The warm, crusty sourdough that arrives comes with homemade, creamy butter with spikes of flavour coming through with the salt. The canapés are delightful little mouthfuls too, one a sprightly springy soupçon with the freshest of peas, mint and bacon; the other a celeriac foam so light and airy with black garlic purée, pickled shimeji mushrooms and a rye crumb.

Up next is the asparagus, Cornish seaweed, dashi, cultured buttermilk and chard. The asparagus comes pleasantly al dente; and the dashi (like a warming Asian broth) is gorgeously warming, and has me chasing it up the sides of my bowl with my spoon.

Paired with this is a white a handcrafted Gruner Veltiner from Austria. It’s an unusual wine, slightly cloudy in form but light as you like and a happy marriage with the crunchy asparagus.

The following option is gurnard but as I don’t eat from the sea the team bring a gnocchi dish instead: a beautiful plate that comes with butternut squash and pickled onion, followed by chicken and hen’s egg ravioli, with roasted chicken broth, shimeji and lovage.

The biggest dish of the evening is the hogget, accompanied by sheep’s curd, black garlic, broad beans, pea tartare, carrot and spruce honey. This is a great twist on a roast lamb dish; the sweetness of the honey, the mint with the broad beans flowing through the dish giving it a fresh English garden feel.

The dessert menu offers a spruce parfait which comes with gorse flower sorbet and some decadent chocolatey petit fours. Delicious.

I love this menu. Taster menus can be overwhelming but it is, to repeat that phrase again, really well thoughtout with balanced flavours pervading. Kate and the other members of the team are amazing, providing encyclopedic knowledge about the origin of every ingredient on this menu.

It is such a treat to go out for a meal where the food is front and centre, beautiful and surprising. This, paired with its undeniable charm, makes it a really special place. If you fancy treating yourself and a pal, lover or relative to a bonnie night out, I strongly recommend making a beeline for Circa. n

“The food is front and centre, beautiful and surprising”

DINING DETAILS

Circa, 6 Northernhay Place, Exeter; www.circadevon.co.uk Opening times Tasting menu Wednesday-Saturday 6pm-9.30pm; a la carte menu Wednesday-Saturday 5.45pm - 9.30pm; Sunday lunch 12am-4pm; 2/3 course set lunch menu 12-3pm Wednesdays-Saturdays Food Inventive dishes, locally farmed and foraged Drinks Interesting choice of wines, beers and cocktails Service/atmosphere Intimate, cosy and friendly Anything else? It’s open as a café from 12pm-4pm Wednesday-Saturday