And that mood-enhancing ambience is pretty much guaranteed at Stamford’s Cosy Club, the quirky little place on the town’s Horse Shoe Lane, even when it is still early afternoon albeit on a Saturday!
It wasn’t raucous by any stretch, just a nice, friendly hubbub, every table full, people chatting – couples, families, all ages – and enjoying themselves.
A nice reminder of what pubs and restaurants always used to be like, lively but not too much to stop dad and daughter chats.
And real friendly.
I had been invited along to check out the new autumn / winter menu.
They have a successful concept so they don’t rip it up and start again, it’s about dishes that warm, nourish, and connect with customers, whether that’s through seasonal British produce, global inspiration, or the warmth of a family recipe brought to life…think bold flavours and warming comfort dishes for feeding the soul.
And bold flavours certainly spring to mind with out choice of starters.
Packing a great meaty taste and a mouth-watering crunch were my pulled beef and smoked bacon croquettes (£8.25)
Jasmine tucked into the garlic and paprika prawns (£8.75) and wasn’t in the mood for sharing. Three lovely soft king prawns, oozing garlic, lemon and chilli, and tossed in smoked paprika butter on toasted sourdough. Delightful.
Among the highlights of the new season are a couple of incredible Malvani curries, inspired by Cosy Club chef Mayank’s family recipe, passed down through the generations back home in Malvan – a coastal town in Maharashtra’s Konkan region in India.
I went with the deeply flavoured mushroom, cherry tomatoes and spinach option (£16.95).
These new dishes are described as “deeply aromatic and bursting with flavour in typical Malvani style – with a sauce of spice, tamarind and coconut which is rustic and full of texture” which isn’t far wide of the mark. Not a lot of spinach but I was won over by the mushrooms and tomatoes and the “curry” was nothing like the traditional Indian and similar to one I enjoyed in a Goan restaurant in Peterborough recently.
Never-the-less delicious.
The rice was soft and fluffy, ideal for soaking up the moreish sauce, and as for the Iraqi laffa flatbread (£3), topped with a little butter and sea salt, what an addition that was.
Another highlight is the pan-fried sea bream with coconut and kaffir lime sauce (£19.50).
Jasmine’s choice, the combination of the delicate sea bream served with a fresh lemongrass and kaffir lime sauce gently spiced with chilli and coconut, reminded her of one of her favourite dishes – Thai green curry – in terms of flavour and it delivered a bit of heat too. The fish was soft and tasty, with a little texture from the Asian greens and crispy lotus root.
We rounded things off perfectly with two great and welcome newcomers to the dessert stage.
For me, an indulgent Belgian chocolate delice (£8.75) of a chocolate truffle-topped brownie base with valrhona cocoa and dark chocolate shavings – quite the sugar rush this; and across the table an incredible rhubarb and Bramley apple crumble finished with crunchy crumbly topping and served with vanilla pod ice cream that was just succumbing to the heat (£8.75).
Not my first visit, and certainly won’t be the last to the cosy little hideout that has a wonderful combination of food and mood. We loved it.
