Circa11 Brings Minimal Aesthetics And Maximal Flavours To Indiranagar 12th Main

A 7:30 PM reservation on a Tuesday night meant we could finish dinner by 9 PM and be in bed by 10 PM (we're already turning into elder millennials, sigh). But at 10 PM, instead of the warmth of our bed, we were scooping up a cold, light, and lemony panna cotta. If we are staying past our bedtime, there has to be a reason — and that reason is Circa11, 12th Main Indiranagar’s latest entrant to its long list of dining options. And dare we say, one of our favourite dinner experiences in the last few months?

We assumed the space has been done up in brick red or some sort of terracotta hue, based on the few social images we have seen. However, as we walked past the coffee bar at the entrance, through the frosted glass door, our heads perked up. It’s not red to begin with. It’s grey. It’s muted. And unexpected. It features a loft-style interior with a New York sensibility — clean, urban, and minimalist. In fact, the only bright spot is the bar at the centre that draws your attention like a moth to a flame. We are later told that the “red” we saw is at the coffee bar, which also acts as a foyer for when you are in the neighbourhood and need to grab a coffee on the go.

Ambient lighting makes this a spot for dinner dates, and we did see couples (a lot for a Tuesday night; must be the season) chatting away. But we are told by Ankit Aggarwal, one of the three partners at Circa11, that we need to drop by for breakfast or even lunch to see the restaurant’s ‘shapeshifting’ nature. With just the main door acting as the primary source of natural light, it transforms from a bright lit space to the current scene for the evening. “Even our cutlery for the day and evening is different to keep in theme with the restaurant’s changing looks”, added Aggarwal.

Chef Pradyumna Harithsa, or Chef Prad, the chef-partner, dropped by our table to walk us through the menu, which he says doesn’t follow any particular cuisine but rather focuses more on the ingredients and inspiration. The Fried Chicken, for instance, is his take on the Southern chicken and waffles with sesame banana waffles. “I was in the US for a few years, so these are some of the flavours that I was drawn to”, quips Chef Prad before telling us what he’s sending our way for the night.

There’s wine, house cocktails, and sober cocktails to pair with your meal, and our libations for the night were Ctrl + Alt + Drunk (yes, all the cocktails have a cheeky name, don’t ask us why, ask Sudhiksha Kaushik, the other partner, who might pop by your table to check in on you) and a Garden Circuit, a sober drink.

First on the table were the Prawn Rosettes and Stuffed Chicken Wings. We haven’t had rose cookies in ages, and this one gets such a boujee upgrade with prawn pate stuffing in the crevices and finished with sweet chilli gel. It’s very Southeast Asian in flavour profile, and moreish; we’d definitely recommend you starting your night with this. The wings, stuffed to the point of bursting, were served on a bed of house hot sauce and chicken mousse, and you ought to get messy with the dish to savour it. And you will enjoy it. It’s got that fieriness that pairs well with your drinks. Our cocktail, with nori-infused gin and notes of celery, helped wash down all that heat in preparation for the Lamb Tostada. Another hit with the table, with the braised lamb — almost like a birria — brought alive by an addictive tamarind BBQ sauce.

Maybe Chef Prad is Team Jellyfish, because we had Glazed Carrots on our table next. Now, we didn’t ask the chef if he had watched The Summer I Turned Pretty, but this Jeremiah-like dish — gochujang-black bean-glazed chunky carrots with a labneh foam — while good, stood weak against the Team Conrad of tostadas and wings. We are Team Conrad. And also, we are devout carnivores. It’s clearly for Denise and for your vegetarian friends.

For mains, we got the Crispy Pork Belly (yes, but it wasn’t intentional, iykyk) that’s served with a funky and fiery peanut sauce and sticky black Assamese rice. It reminds you of Bangkok, but also the time you’ve eaten at one of the Northeast restaurants in the city. Everyone insisted on dessert, and we picked the least sweet-sounding of the lot — Sweet Lime Panna Cotta. Light, airy, and with sweet lime wedges, adding a very refreshing floral aftertaste. Perfect way to end our night, really.  

Definitely one of our favourite dining experiences of the year, and we are already making plans to drop by for breakfast and lunch. There are sandwiches and truffle gnocchi on the menu.

Timings: 10 AM to 11 PM on Tuesday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 11 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed on Monday.

Cost For Two: INR 2,500

Rating: 4.3/5 on Google

Instagram Handle: @circa11.blr