Au Cirque @ New Farm

On my occasional visits to New Farm, I’d always see a huge line outside Cirque. It wasn’t until a few months later I found out why….

Cirque is located on Brunswick St in New Farm and is easily accessible by public transport – the 199 or 196 bus. It is a small and narrow café but its two-storey set out maximises the café space. On the second level, there is also a small balcony that looks over the rest of Brunswick St – the perfect spot for a Sunday morning brekkie!

Their coffee is very aromatic, with a strong blend that really does wake you up!

Apple and Cinnamon Muffin served warm

They serve a daily selection of home-made cakes and muffins and today’s special was apple and cinnamon muffin served with butter and raspberry jam. I really enjoyed the muffin because it wasn’t too sweet and you could really taste the fresh apples and cinnamon. And if you did want it to be sweeter, the raspberry jam and butter complemented the muffin extremely well.

Buttermilk Hotcakes with Kirsch-soaked Black Cherries and Couverture Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Their hotcakes were not disappointing at all! The black cherries and ice cream balanced the hotcakes nicely. For those who are French-toast Lovers, their hotcakes can be switched with French toast.

Buttermilk Hotcakes with Roasted Fresh Figs topped with a Honey-and-vanilla Anglaise Sauce

This one was the better-liked hotcake option for me! I love fresh figs and I love custard-based sauces! Normally, I’m not a big fan of honey but today, the combination really complemented each other!

Sweet Corncakes with Avocado and Tomato Salsa served with Cirque Relish

If I had to choose one savoury dish that I would recommend someone who was trying Cirque for the first time, their sweet corncakes would be the way to go!

Two small pancake-sized corncakes and the salsa were served with some rocket leaves and their own blend of creamy salad dressing. The corncakes weren’t too greasy and it was pan fried so that the outside was crispy and the inside was still chewy. When you bite into it, you can really taste the sweetness of each individual corn kernel! The condiments blended really well with the corncakes, not at all stealing away the main “star” of the show.

Chowdown

The Chowdown consisted of softly-poached eggs, bacon, sausage, roast tomato, potato and parmesan rosti, onion jam and sourdough. This one is definitely for all the meat lovers out there! Everything was nice from here but what really stood out for me was, again a Cirque exclusive, the potato and parmesan rosti!

The only bad thing about Cirque is that the portion sizes are quite small for what you pay for – but then again, would you prefer quantity or quality?

The menu at Cirque is simple yet intriguing at the same time. Each dish is complemented with some sort of Cirque-exclusive condiment and that’s what makes a café special. There was something in each dish that you would order again for and I guess that explains the never-ending lines of customers who are willing to wait for some Cirque-goodness!