Restaurant Review: The Cosy Club

Restaurant: The Cosy Club

Location: Bath, UK

General First Impressions: Having run through torrential rain to get there, anything warm and dry would have impressed, but the Cosy Club was particularly cosy, with lovely sofas and big chairs with cushions for added comfort, quirky decorations and a sort of old converted loft space feel.

I was charmed immediately by the place, and enjoyed sitting outside on the balcony (sheltered, obviously) at the waiting table and at the table we eventually ate at - everywhere in the restaurant was nice.

Main: No starters or deserts this time, just a Tapas main course. At 3 for £8 this was a fairly reasonably priced main. I chose Roasted Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash with Goats Cheese, Pan Fried Haloumi, Corgettes and Peppers with Rose Harrisa Dressing and Falafels with Red Onion and Coriander Yoghurt Dip.

The Tapas were beautifully presented in individual bowls on a wooden carrier, though the waiters did get the bowls mixed up between me and a friend. It was easily sorted though, as each of the bowls just had to be swapped for the right one. Being veggie, I do get a bit concerned about cross contamination, but the bowls kept everything nicely separate.

The Tapas was served with fresh ciabatta bread. I really enjoyed the falafel and sweet potato dishes, though I was disappointed by the haloumi - it was a bit oily and I wasn't keen on the sauce.

Drinks: It's worth mentioning that the drink you can see in the photograph is a Cherry Bakewell Cocktail, which was totally disgusting in the best sort of way. It really did taste like a Cherry Bakewell. There were other cocktails on the menu, my favourite being the Juno Rapple, which was a deliciously fruity mixture and very refreshing after the run in the rain.

Price: The drinks were typically quite expensive compared to other cocktail bars, but you could get a jug of cocktail for £18 which held at least four drinks' worth. Food was reasonably priced and, I gather from the rest of the party, mostly well enjoyed.

Overall: For something a bit different with a really good atmosphere, Cosy Club is a great place to go. The food isn't going to blow your mind, but for £8 a main, it's not exactly going to blow a hole in your bank account either.

Website: http://www.cosyclub.co.uk/bath

Restaurant Review: Shis

Restaurant: Shis

Location: Porto, Portugal

General First Impressions: Located by the sea front in the beautiful city of Porto, Shis has a lot going for it in terms of location. When we arrived the sun was setting, casting a beautiful glow of colour across the sea, easily visible through the glass walls of the restaurant.

The inside of the restaurant was modern and clean and we were well looked after by staff from the moment we sat at the table, provided with fresh bread rolls, butter and other dips while we perused the menus and chose drinks.

Starter: For my starter, I chose a goats cheese nest with pepper coulis. I was really impressed with the presentation - the dramatic orange of the coulis, the drizzle of balsamic vinegar and the nest, which it turned out was a very accurate way of describing the container of the goats cheese.

I really enjoyed all the flavours of this dish - the sweetness of the pepper coulis against the strong taste of goats cheese, the salad and the balsamic vinegar also complimenting nicely. The nest thing was a bit hard to eat - it didn't cut up nicely - but that was more than offset by the presentation and the taste.

Main: There was a limited choice of vegetarian options, including a vegetarian sushi which I was a bit scared by, so I went for a staple classic of Mushroom and courgette risotto. Not many members of my family are risotto fans, but I quite like it.

Of course, it doesn't really matter how you present risotto - it's always going to look pretty much like a plate of sick, so I'll concentrate on the flavours. It was very rich, creamy without being too stodgy. The shaved parmesan at the top added a nice kick to it, and I enjoyed the little bits of courgette mixed in amongst the mushrooms.

Dessert: As I'd been unable to sample many of the traditional delights of Portuguese cuisine, I decided to have Pecado Do Convento for my dessert. Literal translation: Sin of the Convent.

This entailed a sharp tangerine ice cream, a spongey thing not unlike a swiss roll with an orange sauce, and that jelly thing on the end. The jelly thing is made of egg and sugar. A lot of sugar. No one was able to give me a more specific recipe or description than that.

The roll was lovely, perfectly sweet and a nice orangey tang to it. The jelly stuff was nice but the sort of sweet that makes your teeth ache. Fortunately, the tangerine ice cream had a bit of bite to it, so by alternating mouthfuls of the ice cream and jelly you could enjoy both flavours without being overwhelmed by either.

I did enjoy it, though the jelly was a bit much. I don't think I'd be in a rush to eat it again, but as an experience of a local traditional dessert, I was pleased to finish my meal with it.

Price: I didn't pay, so I can't really comment on the price. I think it's medium to expensive (though my view of that is coming as someone with 77p in their bank account, so perhaps it would be a little less expensive to others) but for the atmosphere, the location and the food, it's definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in Porto.

Overall: A great restaurant that I really appreciated being treated to. Good food, good location and I was fortunate enough to have good company too!