Cosy Club, York

I’ve been desperate to give Cosy Club a visit ever since it opened a couple of months or so ago; it’s exactly my kind of food, all the cocktails sound amazing and it couldn’t be in a more incredible building. But alas, every time Danman and I plan a meal and I suggest this place, it’s completely booked up (I could perhaps have got around this by booking more than two days in advance, but…I’m unorganised, ok?! Jeez, get off my back!). But since it’s been open a bit longer now and everyone’s not clamouring for a table quite so much on a Friday night, we finally managed to get ourselves there.

The most striking thing about Cosy Club is most definitely the décor. The interior of the huge space has been decked out in full art deco glamour in a nod to the building’s history as the old Curzon cinema, with 1920s inspired lamps and chandeliers providing atmospheric lighting and almost every inch of wall covered in framed posters, illustrations and pictures.

We arrived a bit early so had the perfect opportunity to enjoy a couple of cocktails before our meal, and my, oh, my, oh, boy, oh, my. We’re both suckers for a cocktail but since being spoiled by Dan’s drink-making skillz after two years of working in a fancy pants bar, we’ve got a wee bit picky, but I can safely say we were pretty taken with the cocktails on offer here. They were so specifically to our tastes and as amazing as they sounded on paper, they were even better once they passed our lips. I had the rhubarb and ginger bramble which was as sweet and tangy and spicy as you could wish for and I drank in a shockingly quick amount of time. Danman had the maple and pecan old fashioned which sounds like a glass of bournbony heaven and truly was. I could have skipped the meal and sat with cocktails all night but experience tells me that’s a recipe for disaster!

When our reservation rolled around we sat in the wonderfully atmospheric (if a little noisy!) dining area, which has the added touch of having all the tables facing different ways giving each table a little more privacy, which I thought was a brilliant idea and something I’ve not seen before. Then for the food! DanMan couldn’t resist some salt and pepper squid to start, which was lovely little starter and came with the softest warm bread. For the main event I went for the roasted beetroot and goat’s cheese salad, which came with butternut squash, baby kale, edamame beans and a balsamic and honey dressing. I don’t think that combination can really fail, and I ate it all happily and quickly. My only criticism was that despite advertising that the dish comes with quinoa on the menu, not a grain (or whatever the hell quinoa counts as) was to be found, and the salad really could have done with the extra carbs as I was left a little hungry. Regardless, I would gladly eat this again, but pray for quinoa.

Dan had the sirloin steak which was perfectly cooked and came with literally the perfect number of chips. He had no complaints and was much fuller than I come the end of the meal!

The food was solid and great considering the prices, but the real reason to visit Cosy Club is to soak in the1920s atmosphere and grab a few cocktails. I would return for food if we were in need of a quick bite, but I think I’ll be back for drinks at the next opportunity!