Jerry the Clown suddenly jumps out. Wearing his red polka dot hat and frilly costume, along with his playfully exaggerated body language and funny lurid make-up, he takes his position next to Shiv Karan Singh, who recently launched a casual dining place and alfresco cocktail bar called Circus, and starts to make him laugh with his random outlandish antics. This was the first time in the last so many hours that Singh’s guffawed wholeheartedly. “How easily we forget to rejoice and celebrate life,” he thinks out aloud. He adds, “Life is too short to spend your time being serious. This joker reminds me to not look for a reason to be happy, but to just be happy. At this restaurant, fun is on top of the agenda.”
Spread over an area of 10,000 sq ft, the restaurant is inspired by old-time circuses using motifs such as stripes, stars, hoops and mirrors. The restaurant is unified in its promise of delivering the finest ingredients, the most inspired dishes and exemplary service, Singh says.
There’s something about being part of a circus that seemed so magical when Singh was a child, that introducing a concept dining place after it, seemed just right. “It’s a wondrous place; a metaphor for life, where crazy, unexpected things happen. At our restaurant, we live by the same philosophy,” he says.
Inspiration also takes the form of pushcarts and hawker stalls, as it brings you global street food fusions like Butter Chicken Pizza, Andhra Mutton Pao, Bombay Sandwich, Chilli Chicken, Double Cooked Pork Ribs, The Perfect Walk (muddle drink with cucumber, mandarin and vodka), and more.
In Singh’s 15 years as a restaurateur, the one thing he’s been made to learn by his experiences has been pushing the boundaries to the next level. He plays many roles—entrepreneur, son, husband, a doting father and a friend to many. Each of these have their own deliverables and commitments that he’s passionate about, and believes that if life is a circus, then one should be at least the star of his own ring.