Last night saw the official opening of The Cosy Club in Derby, and what an opening it was. Cosy Club always try to find interesting and quirky locations for their venues, working with the original features of a building and then putting their own brand of style in it.
A magnificent winding staircase takes you up to the bar area and a majestic stags head flanked by two rams heads makes a bold statement as you enter. I really loved the day beds in the bold jewel colours and the leather chairs that just cocooned you as you sat in them. To be honest, with the vintage wallpaper, old school lighting and mix of portraiture and deco prints on the walls it is a veritable feast for the eyes with a lovely cosy (no pun intended) welcoming feel.
The staff are attired in either tea dresses or full skirts, or monochrome trousers, shirt and waistcoats; again very “members club” in its vibe. The Cosy Club has the rare mix of friendly relaxation with the air of an exclusive club in the city.
After taking in the ambience of the bar area, and indulging in a spot or two of people watching we rounded the corner of the bar and went into the more formal dining area. The first thing you appreciate is the incredibly high ceilings with its original cornicing and then the bank of chandeliers on each side draws your eye down the length of the room.
You can imagine yourself in formal evening wear dancing the night away to the sounds of an orchestra in this spectacular space. It seats approximately 130 people for dining, and then there is a further private dining area at the back that can be used for a variety of functions including graduation dinners, milestone birthdays, hen parties or corporate meetings.
The private area is where The Boy Wonder and our friends sat to sample the Tapas, and this really is the epitome of refinement with its dark panelled walls, clusters of regal portraiture and in the centre is an eye catching arrangement of vintage lampshades that give a lovely diffuse lighting effect.
The wine and beers were flowing freely as our server brought bottles of water for the table, and soon after a raft of wooden platters heaving with tempting morsels were placed before our little group. Every single dish was cooked beautifully and two of our party, having never sampled Calamari before, were delighted with the quality of the food.
The Man loved the Patatas Bravas with pulled Chicken and the Jalapeno poppers with their silky cream cheese filling. Both of these had a subtle heat to them without making your tongue tingle, in fact all the dishes had a great flavour to them without being ridiculously spicy, which would give them a much wider appeal.
I particularly liked the sticky Chicken Wings because they had plenty of meat on them and the sauce was rich and smoky tasting. Slices of Ciabatta were being used to scoop up the superb Hummus, and again this was a new experience for one of our group.
Conversation was flowing and we really didn’t want the evening to end. Congratulations to the Cosy Club team for such a successful opening evening; I shall definitely be spreading the word about your amazing venue and food.
Monday to Friday has a Teatime Tipple offer of two cocktails for £9.50 between 4pm and 7pm, Yummy Mondays offers a classic or veggie burger and sticky toffee pudding for £9.50 after 5pm and Tapas Tuesdays allows you to choose any 3 tapas dishes and have a glass of wine (other options available for the beverage, Includes majestic brand wines) for £11.95 after 5pm. Kids aren’t left out either, there is a special little menu selection for them including a “feel good” juice from £4.95.
