Roll Up To The Circus

There’s a growing gap between the Edinburgh we imagine and the Edinburgh we experience. Flattered by visitors who launch themselves into those crazy few weeks in August, we too readily accept that this dear old town is a cosmopolitan hub of creativity. For those left behind, it becomes tough to find the evidence.

Edinburgh is short of at least one good club, and the collapse of the charity that kept the The Roxy rocking and the wolves from The Forest door has left the city in dire need of artist-friendly spaces. Our little Bohemia is becoming, as our chums in the west might say, ‘all fur coat and nae knickers’.

Well, pants to that idea. Circus has come to town, and I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s going to be the café that Edinburgh deserves. Hell, the café Edinburgh needs. In many ways the food is a front for owner Osman Celik’s real dream of maintaining a multi-purpose arts venue in the centre of town. Circus is an attractive space, large windows front and back making for a naturally bright and airy dining room. And when the shutters close, the beautiful wooden table tops make way for an intimate performance area.

Celik is a veteran of the Culture Collective, a loose group who sought to promote migrant and refugee culture by helping those new to this country to express themselves. Following on from that, Circus is an attempt to bring people together in and with their community, by providing a stage that is committed to the work of aspiring artists, of any age and of all nationalities. He has already had to turn down offers for the use of the venue from established promoters in order to maintain the concept, a ballsy move which surely shows that he's serious.

Indeed, it is Celik's own integrity and warm personality that allows you to dismiss your cynicism that this is nothing more than a liberal pipe dream, and see the potential of the place. “I dealt with a lot of shit,” he says “so I thought it was time to do something positive.” Having done this type of thing both here and at home in Turkey it's hard to argue with him.

So far so worthy, but you’re no doubt wondering about the cafe side to this enterprise. It should come as no surprise to those who know the Celiks from the much loved Empires restaurant that the Eastern Mediterranean menu is familiar territory. The vegetarian breakfast, for example, includes grilled halloumi and the lunch menu features Menemen (a kind of Turkish ratatouille with egg).

However, steps have been taken to ensure that more local tastes are catered for, with beans on toast and burgers sitting beside the kofte and meze platters. Should you be in the mood to treat yourself, there’s a good selection of cakes to be had including the health-and-safety-baiting ‘Scrape of the Pan’.

Overall, it seems that Circus' arrival is good news for anyone looking for a light bite in town, or an arts venue to point to during August and say 'that's open all year round'.