Restaurant Circo T
It’s a cocktail bar, it’s a live music venue and now it’s upped the ante on the food, it covers all the bases, reckons KATE AUTHERS
hose who like to keep their socialising, DJ-led background music and dining all under one roof can now rejoice: for Circo,
which opened 15 months ago on South Parade – and expanded to create another floor in the vaults last October – manages to cover all the bases with aplomb. Billing itself as a lively cocktail bar and
lounge, each level serves a distinct purpose. Battling gale force winds, I walked through a side door – there are pavement tables outside for those (fingers crossed) balmier days – and found myself in the upstairs bar, the more chilled of the two spaces. You can prop yourself at the latter, no problem, and sip on one of the cocktails – we reckon that a couple of the Frisky Bisons should set you up for a Saturday night. It being a Wednesday, I opted for a more
demure espresso martini and took a seat on one of the chic grey Chesterfields adorned with orange velvet cushions. A quick glance around at the Tom Dixon lights, Julian Chichester smoked mirrors, comfy leather chairs and wealth of individual pieces and there’s a definite nod to the Soho House vibe, with a sophisticated after-work crowd to match. Downstairs plays host to DJs playing a mix
of similarly grown-up loungey funk and soul through to disco, house and electro beats at weekends. It’s a fairly intimate space where you can have a bit of a shimmy (or not), and
a good a proposition for a wet Wednesday evening in Bath as any. Though tempted by the marinated
“The pizzas are on a par with any I’ve had in Italy”
they’re fierce advocates of non-commercial music – it’s definitely a Rihanna-free zone. We were here to try the food, however
– we’d heard good things, since we found out former River Cottage Canteen chef, Hannah Cowling, is at the helm in the kitchen – and the prospect of informal mezze/tapas-style dishes, vibrant salads and ginormous pizzas all washed down with a bottle of prosecco was
52 Bath Life
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anchovies with lemon and parsley (£3) and the char-grilled smoked peppercorn mackerel with salsa verde (£4) from the tapas menu, my dining companion wasn’t feeling the fishy vibe. She did concede to the chilli and ginger king prawns (£4), however, and we also ordered the Moroccan lamb meatballs with mint yoghurt (£4) and some Greek yoghurt flatbread (£1.50). Our tapas arrived on an impressively large circular slate, ideal for sharing. The prawns were wonderfully juicy beasts, packed with the Thai influences of chilli, fresh
ginger, lemongrass, lime and finished with a sweet, sticky glaze – seriously moreish. Moving to the other side of the world, and the plate, the mouthful-sized Moroccan meatballs were delicately spiced with cumin and a pleasingly gentle back heat, the perfect partners to the fresh yoghurt and mint dip, while the accompanying flatbread, generously sprinkled with thyme and sea salt
was, hot, blistered and totally delicious (not that we really needed it). Had we spotted the size of the pizzas
before ordering, we could have easily made do with one, but as it was we’d ordered both the garlic mushroom (£9.95) and the local salami (£10.95) varieties. You can’t help but notice, that considering the quality of the food, it’s all extremely affordable. Both delivered well over and above what
the menu promised. Über thin crispy bases were generously topped with homemade tomato sauce, garlic mushrooms, baby spinach, soft ricotta, jammy-like red onion, pine nuts and fresh basil; and local salami, charry aubergine and courgette, salty olives, creamy mozzarella and lashings of fresh coriander, respectively. Hannah’s clearly taking the more is more approach but all the flavours worked brilliantly and the pizzas are very much on a par with any I’ve had in Italy. We couldn’t find room, but expect the
likes of double chocolate cheese cake and strawberry Eton mess (both £4) for pud. There’s something about this sort food that
I absolutely love. The big plates, and multiple hands all digging in to enjoy the tasty morsels. The ability to eat your way through most of a menu and the convivial nature of the whole experience – it’s just more relaxed, more fun. Another espresso martini you say? Why not. . . BL
Visiting details
Opening hours Food served from 5-10pm Tues-Fri, 12.30-10pm Sat – 12.30-6pm Sun Prices Tapas £1.50-£4; pizzas £7.95-10.95; puds £3.50-£5 Vegetarian choice Good Disabled access It’s underground, so there are quite a few steps to negotiate Wine list Impressive mix of Old and New World wines by the glass and bottle, plus a formidable not-to-be- missed cocktail menu Service/atmosphere Relaxed, efficient and super friendly; the staff look they’re enjoying themselves
Circo, 2/3 South Parade, Bath; 01225 444100
www.circobar.co.uk
Photograph ©
www.akmphotography.co.uk
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