Telephone: 01273 471 777
Address: 145 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex
Lunch for two, including wine and service, £50 to £60 (£70 in the evening)
The genteel town of Lewes in East Sussex is where Brighton sends its dirtiest laundry to be washed in public. Brighton, just a few miles away, provides an endless supply of nasty crimes; Lewes is home to the glowering Victorian Crown Court where the accused are tried. As a result, I have a distinctly uneasy relationship with the town. The last time I was in Lewes it was to report a horrendous court case, the details of which were barely appropriate to the news pages, let alone a restaurant column. All you need know is it gave me nightmares and that, since then, I have come to associate the town with Very Bad Things.
Which is desperately unfair. Lewes is a pretty place, and what's more, friends told me recently, it has a newish restaurant which would be worth a look. And what better reason would there be for me to face my demons than a new restaurant?
Circa occupies a corner site at the far end of the high street where the cute shops give way to even cuter homes of ancient vintage. There is a lot of dark beam and mullion window and Victorian nook in Lewes, though the restaurant seems oblivious to all of this. The outside is a massive expanse of shiny glass. Inside it is equally modernist, the space being divided by a series of curving screens in shades of copper and burnt umber. Indeed, it took me a while to work out that what I was sitting in is, essentially, a square room.
As to the food, it too is interesting enough and, for the most part, well executed. (The bread, a fair test of any kitchen, was very good.) If the menu needs to wear a label, then fusion would do, though it is always a tricky one, rich in hazards - gimmicks and unnecessary ingredients among them - and the chef here does not avoid them all. But, taken in the round, the good things far outweigh the bad, particularly at these prices. At lunchtime, all starters are £4.50, all main courses are £9 and all puddings £4.25. That's three courses for less than £18. (It's a few quid more in the evenings.)
I began with what was described as 'Blue swimmer crab and pink grapefruit spoon, pomegranate'. As she placed it upon the table, my sweet and efficient waitress said, 'Avoid the temptation to flick it through the window.' I could see what she meant. The salad was heaped in the bowl of a large kitchen spoon, the handle of which was balanced on two halves of roasted lemon, one on top of the other, which would serve as a perfect fulcrum. I'm not sure what the point of it was, but the salad was terrific: great thick chunks of crab, lifted by the sweetness of the grapefruit.
As a mid-course I was brought a shot glass of what was described as a pear and black-pepper sorbet. There are some who sneer at the French palate-cleansing sorbet thing, but I've always been a sucker for it.
My main course of roasted duck breast with spiced skin, Parma ham choi and caramel jus also came with something described as 'steamed spiky potato'. This turned out to be a stumpy column of potato, into the sides of which had been stuck what looked like sunflower seeds, so that, attached to a chain, it would resemble some medieval weapon. I finished with a sesame apple tarte tatin. The fruit, scattered with the toasted seeds, had a fine tartness and the puff pastry was very accomplished - another sign of a good kitchen. There's a compact wine list with lots of choice below £20, as well as good value further up.
Around two o'clock, a group of lawyers came in for a late lunch. Lewes Crown Court may give me nightmares, but clearly, for Circa, it's a godsend.
Contact Jay Rayner on jay.rayner@observer.co.uk
