EVERYONE turned to stare. And the waiter was heading in my direction...the dish on his tray understandably the centre of attention.

A three-storey high structure of shortbread, strawberries and cream. And it tasted every bit as good as it looked; which was generally the case at Circus, Darlington's new-ish bar and brasserie in the Market Place.

Town centre competition is tough. But from my experience it would seem Circus is going to be a real contender.

We were the first into the basement restaurant area on the coldest night we have had in a long time.

The waiter thoughtfully asked if we were warm enough and offered to add extra heating if not. This was a nice touch as I have known more than one meal ruined by restaurants which have been simply too cold for comfort.

However, there was no need to worry as the small dining area soon filled up to create a cosy atmosphere which buzzed with life.

The menu had a decent choice of dishes, but not too many options - something I always think is a sign of quality. And there was a blackboard of specials to complement the main list.

I started with filo goat's cheese deep-fried and served on a warm peach with a delicate dressing around the edge. It was delicious.

For mains I had Cajun chicken in a pepper sauce. The meat was moist and tender with just the right balance of spice and bite. It was served with new potatoes and a small terrine of vegetables.

But we also got a large bowl of mixed salad with a beautifully delicate dressing and a dish of chunky chips.

My guest's choice was not such a success - foil-wrapped trout. This had been flagged up as being cooked in orange and coriander, but the "orange" was more like lemon and, apparently, there was little evidence of coriander, normally an unmistakable flavour.

But the portion of fish was generous and was also served with potatoes and vegetables.

What my guest's dessert of dark chocolate mousse lacked in visual clout, it more than made up for in taste. This was gorgeous, served up with creme fraiche, fresh fruit and a chunk of dark chocolate.

Throughout, presentation was superb.

This also applied to the liqueur coffees - another little marker I use when eating out. A place which does this right is usually OK in other ways. And these came looking perfect and tasting fine. Not a sign of "spray-on" cream.

To drink we tried a bottle of the house red which was perfectly adequate.

We had the table for the entire evening and the service was attentive but not intrusive.

But Circus is not cheap. The bill came to £53, including a liqueur.

Starters range from around £3 and include soup, smoked chicken, deep-fried brie and prawns.

The mains range from around £8.50 up to £16.95 for medallions of beef, which were on the specials board.

My Cajun chicken cost £9.95 and the trout was £10.95. The starter was £4.50 and the puds £3.95 each. The wine cost £9.95.

Circus opened in May when a previous cafe ceased trading.

Manager Marc Hardy is delighted with the way things are going.

"We just want nice people to come and enjoy what we have to offer and then come back again," he said. "This is not a fun, fun, fun place, it is for the more refined diner. That is the market we are aiming to reach."

Although it is still early days, Circus is already planning to have a pavement cafe with outdoor heaters so that customers can eat outside even if it's not high summer