Circa Restaurant

Ph: 9536 1122; Prince of Wales, 2 Acland St, ST KILDA 3182 www.circa.com.au

Kemenys Wine List of the Year, $$$, ** for Food & Ambience, Good Wine List
Open 7 days 7-11am 6.30-10.30pm Sun-Fri noon-3pm; Licensed; AE DC MC V
Chef Matthew Wilkinson (5-12-08) Owner John & Lisa Van Flaandel (5-12-08)

Mietta's Review
Circa remains one of Melbournes most beautiful dining rooms. Light filled and luxurious in cream, it affords views over the bay. This flagship restaurant of The Prince complex is an important part of Melbournes dining scene. Within the modern elegance of the dining room, new chef, Andrew McConnell produces adventurous new European food, excellently executed. A fabulous wine list and good service complete this very fine package.

Other published opinions

Age Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 16/20 "Circa's solid foundations have come to the fore in the past year, during which The Prince Hotel's flagship restaurant has weathered ownership shuffles and the loss of some key players (a consulting executive chef, a co-head chef and a pastry chef)"

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: ** "Despite a tumultuous time of chef and ownership shuffles (including the departure of chef Andrew McConnell and pastry maestro Philippa Sibley), Circa continues to impress. St Kilda's reigning glamour queen has sturdy foundations - a gracefully airy dining room, wine service and wine list that remain at benchmark quality and a kitchen committed to excellent, interesting ingredients - that see it cruising along steadily"

Herald Sun GLUTTON, "or vist www.circa.com.au 'Are you celebrating something special?" asks a mellifluous voice when I call to make a reservation. We're not, but climbing the dramatic staircase to Circa, The Prince, I feel as if we should be"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 17.5/20, Two Hats "9 9 Kemenys Wine List of the Year With spot-lit tables, low lighting and splashes of colour against a backdrop of black-draped walls, Circa remains a dramatic, contemporary space"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "The beautiful dining room at Circa remains one of Melbourne's most romantic and chic eating spaces, a relaxed and stylish place with sexy lighting, great sightlines and comfortable seating"

The Age Dani Valent, 11-12-2006 "A pigeon dish on the current menu is one of the curtain-peepers, perched at the juncture between reality and drama. What you notice first are the curled claws at the end of a bony foreleg. Eek. The leg fattens, giving way to a plump roasted thigh, its crisped golden skin stretched so tautly that you can see the pores. It's bald and confronting and thrilling because there's no getting away from the fact that this is one very dead bird. Cut into the meat and it becomes food again. The meat is rich, punchy and delicious, stuffed with a succulent pork-and-pistachio mixture. Accompanying the pigeon are ping-pong-ball-shaped pork sausages and pickled watermelon: we're back in fantasyland."

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 18/20 3 Hats "Circa is a place for serious dining - so that means dinner, right? In fact, Circa is quite a different but equally splendid place for lunch; light and airy, with views to the bay through fleur-deho-patterned glass, and some dishes you won't find at dinner."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide *** "For a snapshot of what fine dining has become in Melbourne, look no further than the relaxed, elegant dining room at the Prince. Big-ticket dining is still in demand, but Circa's one of those rare dining rooms affording each visit "occasion" status. And this is matched by usually excellent service, a stunning wine list, and Andrew McConnell's quirky, simple and stimulating food."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide Best romantic restaurants "It's got "occasion" written all over it with seating arrangements, lighting and staff that put the focus very squarely on you and your date. And the food s outstanding."

The Age Sunday Life, Australia's 20 best restaurants Mathew Evans 05 "The Prince Hotel, 2 Acland St, St Kilda, Vic, (03) 9536 1122. Mains: $29-$39. There's synergy between the lush white furnishings, the feminine grey fabric shielding the windows and Andrew McConnell's food. A bevy of assured waiters is kept busy"

The Age A2 Jane Faulkner 9/4/05 "AT NIGHT, Circa can be a very romantic restaurant. When dusk gives way to a backdrop of night-lights flickering from Fitzroy Street and reflections on the bay, the dining room turns into an enchanted place. And on Saturday night, there's a lot of love buoyed in that main dining room."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "FROM the broad floorboards to the shimmering fabrics and white banquettes, everything at Circa, one of the city's most spirited restaurants, appears the same. But of course it is different. Very. With the arrival of Andrew McConnell (Mrs Jones, Diningroom 211) Circa has taken a sharp turn after six years of Michael Lambie's solid New Brit approach."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide "Few restaurants are as sexy as Circa these days. Always a stylish marriage of heritage and contemporary design, Andrew McConnell's unique, unpredictable food, which builds on his reputation at the now-defunct Diningroom 211, has taken the restaurant to new levels."

Herald Sun CityStyle Best of Melbourne 04 Best taste of new Melbourne "the place is buzzing - great snapshot of where Melbourne food is now."

Herald Sun Simon Plant 9/10/04 "Then, when I'm seated on a white leather banquette, the dining room never fails to seduce me with its cool charms. Those gauzy chiffon curtains misting the lights of Fitzroy St. Those long wicker lamps casting moonbeams on each table. It's a magic space."

Herald Sun Stephen Downes 31/8/04 "Circa's high-bistro food should be considerably more exciting at these prices. Service is amiable and attentive. The wine list is vast and expensive, the five whites and five reds by glass very dear. Fortunately, some bottles are priced in the high $20s and low $30s."

Age Epicure John Lethlean 27/7/04 "As a dynamic entity, Circa is without peer at the top end of Melbourne restaurants, a place where inventive gastronomy and the craft of the restaurateur meld very comfortably."

The Age Cheap Eats 2004,'Circa's dinner menu is out of bounds for cheap eaters,but at breakfast you can enjoy the classics-bacon and eggs and the like-in the restaurant's stylish surroundings.'

The Age,Agenda,20/6/04,John Lethlean,'Another serious chef who takes non-meat-eating seriously is Andrew McConnell.His goat's cheese agnolotti with brown butter,wilted greens,pine nuts and raisins oozes style and warm,tart luxury courtesy of some clever little nanny goats.'

The Age,Agenda, 23/5/04,John Lethlean,'Circa,always a lovely package,has taken off in a diferent direction...dishes are unique.Seasonality has a lot to do with them,as does surprise.'

The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'Definitely put on your party frock to come here.Headed up by Michael Lambie,the kitchen produces unique modern Oz-European dishes,such as the spectacular roasted duck breast with confit leg and chorizo ravioli.The wine list is one of the best in Melbourne and the exceptional service and ambience will make you feel truly special...$25 buys you two courses,a glass of wine and free parking.'

SMH GFG 2004,'Soft and feminine touches,such as the organza that shrouds the windows and the pale bench seats for lovers,are matched with Michael Lambie's classically honed food.'

The Age Good Food Guide 2004-Wine list of the Year, 2 hats, score 17/20, wide selection of vegetarian options, excellent bar,excellent wine list

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 2 Red Stars, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'Romance and circa go hand in hand...If you're not swept away by your dining companion, you're sure to be seduced by the refined food...Service is generally accomplished and attentive...stellar wine list is boosted by attuned wine service.'

The Age, A2, 14/02/04, John Weldon,'Circa enjoys a well earned reputation as one of Melbourne's top dinner venues, it is still a relative unknown when it comes to lunch...one of Melbourne's most romantic dining rooms...famous for its excellent wine list'

The Weekend Australian, 31/1-1/2/2004, George Megalogenis,'The food was terrific, the service attentive but not overbearing, and the venue stylish as well as comfortable.'

Vogue Entertaining & Traveller March April 2003

Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, Dani Valent, 8/6/03

The Age Good Food Guide 2003. Best Wine List. Score 18/20

The Sunday Age, Eat Streets, John Lethlean,1/12/02

The Sunday Age, Eat Streets, John Lethlean, 20/10/02

The Age, 07.11.00, John Lethlean Score: 17 out of 20"

The Age, Sunday Life,28/9/03, John Lethlean