The Cosy Club has launched its summer menu, and we went to try it
Derby’s Cosy Club is housed in the venue of the former Royal Hotel.
Despite the thermometer saying otherwise, slowly it feels like summer is arriving in Derby.
Days are getting longer, the sun is poking out more, and – most importantly – the Cosy Club has launched its spring and summer menu.
That is why I decided to make use of a sunny evening by visiting their Derby location in the Royal Hotel on Victoria Street.
Their new menu promised summery flavours, light cuisine and a new margarita menu.
After being welcomed inside the gorgeous building and greeted by the chandeliers and countless portraits on the walls, we decided to start the evening off by making use of the ‘Teatime Tipple’, a promotion which meant that two of the same drink would cost £14.95.
We opted to try one of their margaritas named ‘The Flirt’, which usually costs £12.75 and consists of El Jimador Blanco Tequila, fresh lime juice, fresh strawberries and agave.
The Margarita cocktails, which consisted of El Jimador Blanco Tequila, fresh lime juice, fresh strawberries and agave.
It proved as a great start to the evening – light and fresh but still packed a punch thanks to the tequila.
For our starters, we planned to order the mozzarella and Gran Levanto cheese arancini (£7.75), but, much to my dismay, they were sold out.
So instead we opted for the sharer monkey bread (£7.95), which has been developed exclusively for Cosy Club, and the Padron peppers (£7.25) – a new addition to the menu.
The monkey bread might be one of my favourite dishes of all time; it’s soft, slightly sweet and, served with oil, balsamic vinegar and clotted cream.
I honestly feel like I could eat five of them and consider that my dinner – but that would sadly defeat the purpose of this review.
The Padron peppers were equally amazing, in the words of my partner “the best I’ve had outside Barcelona”.
I can hardly disagree – they were much less oily than you’d usually get, and, served on a bed of pimento pesto, had a lovely ‘extra-something’ to them.
The monkey bread with clotted cream and an oil and balsamic vinegar mixture, and the Padron peppers.
After we inhaled our starters in record time, it was finally time for the main event.
Staying on theme with the summery vibe, my partner went for the herb-crusted roast salmon fillet (£18.95) whilst I chose the bulgur wheat and pickled green apple salad (£13.95) with an addition of hot honey halloumi (£2.75).
I was a bit unsure what to expect from pickled green apples – it essentially tasted like a salad dressing which had an apple-like consistency, slightly confusing but I quite enjoyed it.
My salad was perfect for anyone who wants a lighter choice (in my case, strategically so I could fit in more dessert!) and was airy, fresh and will definitely leave no one bloated.
Our main courses – the bulgur wheat and pickled apple salad and a herb-crusted roast salmon fillet.
I do recommend, however, to add on either the halloumi or some chicken to make it into a slightly more filling meal.
My partner’s salmon came out of the kitchen looking equally fresh and summery on a bed of pea and tarragon velouté.
According to him, it was cooked to perfection and nicely complimented by the additions of baby potatoes, garden peas, broad beans, and sugar snaps.
Needless to say, the main courses were polished off in no time as well, and it was time for the desserts.
On the summer menu, we spotted two additions to the already impressive dessert range: a tiramisu (£7.75) and a lime and coconut panna cotta (£7.75).
To no one’s surprise, we ordered both – and I did not regret that choice.
I’m a bit of a tiramisu snob, so I expected to be critical, but the Cosy Club’s version definitely convinced me.
It was much less sugary and heavy than I have found them to be elsewhere, and it’s quite close to what you would find in Italy.
The panna cotta, I must say, I was less excited about as its presentation lacked slightly, but it kept its promise of being a light dessert choice.
The mango it was served with was lovely, and it surprisingly went very well together.
The Panna Cotta and tiramisu (also pictured is a miso caramel tart).
In the end, our bill came out to £81.50, to which a 10 per cent service charge is usually added – something I would be happy to pay here as waiters are always attentive and very friendly.
I thought the price was totally fair for the amount of food and drink consumed – I felt like I was going to roll home after three courses and a drink.
I walked out of the Cosy Club feeling a lot more summery than I had come in – it’s definitely one to add to the list for summer dinners!
