Tucked away around the side of the St David’s shopping centre in the middle of Cardiff is a set of double doors that lead up to the aptly named, The Cosy Club. Though it only opened in November 2012 it’s already garnered a reputation for being one of Cardiff’s best new wave restaurants and with great space and a cool view over The Hays it’s easy to see why.
Though the Cosy Club is often busy, you don’t always need to book in advance to get a good seat, however, you’ll probably be better off calling in advance to make sure you get a table. It’ll also give you a chance to request a window seat, which is high advised.
The waiters and waitresses are pretty attentive without being in your face, but with such a big busy restaurant you should probably expect to wait a little for the food to arrive. Getting something to nibble on from the starters menu is a good shout if you’re famished and don’t wait to wait for a main meal to arrive. A warm ciabatta with balsamic vinegar and olive oil is just £1.50, so it’s our shout for must order on arrival.
Other starters to look out for include the salt roasted beetroot, Capricorn goats cheese and lentil salad for £5.50 (£8.50 as a main course), or the pea, broad bean and mint soup with 3-cheese and black pepper straws (£4.50). However, the prawn cocktail isn’t particularly inspirational looking and tasting about as traditional (70s) as it comes.
One thing you can definitley say about The Cosy Club is that it serves by far the best onion rings for miles around. Genuinely, they’re worth going out of your way for, which is what you might have to do if you order the steak and it’s more medium-well than the medium-rare that you’d requested.
That aside, there’s also some unconventional tapas dishes to try and while we’d have to say that the prawn cocktail and the broad bean, pea and mint pâté are probably best avoided, the honey-glazed shredded 5-spice pork, toad in the hole with red onion gravy and hummus, smoked paprika and extra virgin olive oil (served with ciabatta) more than make up for them. The burgers are also winners that could only really be improved by adding Cosy Club onion rings into the equation (sadly, they’re only available with the steak).
The Cody Club Cardiff is part of a chain, but there’s only six of them at the moment, including Taunton, Exeter, Salisbury, Bath and Stamford, so they’ve still got an independent feel. However, it does mean that at least a little standardisation is inherited, which creates a good mix between local restaurant charm and chain-like professionalism. A lot will depend on what you order and how it’s prepared on the night, which is a little on the Russian roulette side, but either way you’ll sit in comfort, get well served and have a lovely view.
The Cosy Club Cardiff review: 3.9/5
