EATING OUT REVIEW: Cosy Club, Fossgate, York

COSY Club in Fossgate has been open for just a couple of months, and has quickly established itself as a popular haunt on the eating out scene.

The bar and restaurant in the former Macdonald's furniture shop seems to have slipped into York like an old slipper. A cosy one, at that.

Credit must go to the designers who have created an appealing space for people to meet, eat and drink. In essence, this former cinema and one-time bed shop is a cavernous warehouse, but it has been made, well, cosy (ok, enough of that!).

At the front, low sofas and fringed lightshades create an inviting space to hang out during the day or after work for drinks.

Diners sit at the rear and on the mezzanine reached by a grand, sweeping staircase. Walls are plastered in an array of vintage frames and prints, with the odd Union flag thrown in to strike a patriotic pose; very gentleman's club, this Cosy Club.

Happily the menu is for ladies and gentlemen, and the drinks menu has a particular pink flavour with a cocktail list worth working your way through. We were a trio and began proceedings with an Aperol Spritz (£6.95), Pina Colada (£7.50) and an English Garden (£7.50), a gin-based cocktail with apple juice and elderflower (thoroughly recommended).

For starters, we chose from the tapas menu which offered these small dishes at £4.25 each or three for £11.95. We selected pulled chicken and chorizo with crispy potatoes, garlic tiger prawns and goat's cheese and spinach croquettes with tomato tapenade. Each was tasty: the prawns, sweet and tangy (if a bit small in size and portion); the croquettes all crunch giving way to a salty mix of gooey-ness, and the pulled chicken with chorizo a taste sensation of sweet smokiness that belied its rather unappealing presentation.

We took some time to decide on our main courses. The menu is divided into sections covering all tastes, from burgers and salads to sarnies and hearty dishes such as mac and cheese, sausage and mash and pie of the day (although none was available on our visit).

Chicken bang bang salad and Buttermilk chicken at Cosy Club, York

I fancied something light and found just the thing in the chicken bang bang salad (£9.95), a tasty concoction of lightly spiced chicken in a hot peanut sauce with pak choi, carrot, spring onion and cashew nuts. If there was one fault, I would have liked more chicken as I spent quite a while playing "spot the meat".

There was no such problem for my companion Bex who raised her second Pina Colada to the buttermilk fried chicken (£9.95), which was lovely and moist beneath a crust of panko crumbs. The chips on the side were good: a decent size and all the more tasty for being dipped in the accompanying chipotle mayo.

Our Aperol Spritzer only had eyes for the burger, selecting one with chicken, bacon and avocado (£10.95), served in a brioche bun with house fries and slaw. She devoured this tasty combo when it eventually arrived – we had been served ours a good five or so minutes earlier. It was a busy Friday night and we had all waited longer than we might have expected for the main dishes. The staff did apologise, which is sometimes all you need to keep you on side.

The burger was a winner: a thick stack of food that was as tasty as it was satisfying.

Puddings are a traditional affair with many of the usual suspects standing up to attention (bread and butter pud, sticky toffee pudding and warm chocolate brownie all at £5.95). My friends each had the sticky toffee pudding and declared it "moist and light", although they would have liked the ice-cream served on the side because it was almost melted by the time it had reached the table.

Gin & lime cheesecake and Sticky toffee pudding at Cosy Club

I kept with my gin theme and was tempted by the Hendrick's Gin & Lime Cheesecake (£6.25). This was a very acceptable cheesecake: a lovely creamy and tangy topping upon a crumbly, biscuity base. I couldn't discern any gin in the cheesecake itself, instead this was apparent in the sticky syrup that was drizzled on the top. And very nice it was too.

I'll admit that I didn't have huge expectations on arrival at Cosy Club, which is a chain. But I had my prejudices challenged. We had a decent meal, delicious drinks and good service in what was a hot and bustling Friday night.

It's a noisy place, on account of the size of the building – but a fun place to meet friends, grab something tasty to eat and raise a glass (or two) to the weekend.

Fact file

Cosy Club

19-22 Fossgate, York, YO1 9TA

T: 01904 395056

W: cosyclub.co.uk

Food: Tasty 3/5

Service: Good 3/5

Ambience: Lively 3/5

Value: Fair 3/5