Perth Voice Interactive

“JACK SPRAT could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean…”

I know how Mrs Sprat feels, ordering Circa’s Venetian fried custard for dessert I doubt there was much lean in it.

But finding its lime sauce too sharp for my weakling taste buds I did a swap and thoroughly enjoyed the yoghurt panna cotta ($14) which my lunch companion had found too rich and creamy.

Between us we did indeed “lick the platters clean”.

The prequel to these amazing desserts was a shared order of herb and fennel fried, salted, chickpeas ($5), and bowl of olives, with toasted ciabatta and a particularly fine EVOO ($8).

Raved and raved

My friend was too well mannered to shut me up as I raved, and raved, and raved, over the chickpeas, in between shovelling them into my mouth.

Crisp and salty on the outside they had a fine coating of oil to help soak up the fresh pan-fried herbs, while inside they were soft and delicious—and I’m pretty sure I ate well more than my fair share.

Even before we stepped foot into Circa I’d been impressed by the service: On booking I’d been asked if we had any special dietary needs, and where we might like to sit.

Death by chocolate, indeed.

The same friendly, attentive service continued throughout our meal, with bottles of water appearing almost by magic.

My mate ordered the seared scallops ($22), which arrived sitting on a bed of roasted, mashed garlic and accompanied by a water chestnut and apple salad.

The scallops were divine, firm but soft and full of the flavour of the sea.

The once-humble beetroot, thought by Aussie kids everywhere to grow ready-sliced in cans and fit only for burgers, has come into its own of late with a number of eateries including it in a variety of forms.

At Circa it was a beetroot ravioli with sage butter and hazelnuts: At $26 for a moderately sized serve I eyed my plate quizzically—until the first mouthful.

If I was a religious person I’d convert to the Church of Beetroot Ravioli: My tastebuds wept in rapture as the soft pink filling oozed across my tongue, the deep purple sauce teasing accents and flavours from the dish with a heavenly caress.

The good thing about smaller serves is there’s room for dessert.

Voice snapper Jeremy Dixon arrived just in time and was blown away by his chocolate mousse ($14).

The rich, soft cloud sat on an even richer slice of chocolate, with the chocolate ice cream sitting on a bed of chocolate “dirt”. Death by chocolate, indeed.

With a couple of very good coffees under our belt we rolled out of Circa vowing to return. What a find.

by JENNY D’ANGER

Circa
676 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley
9371 9971
Open Mon–Sat lunch &
dinner + breakfast Sat, Sun