3. The Cosy Club (Taunton, Somerset)
This was a solo mission for me (Lizzie) when I was back home in Taunton over the Easter holidays catching up with good friends over a leisurely lunch. I know that this review is not strictly speaking in keeping with the aim of our blog seeing as The Cosy Club is not a fish restaurant or fish & chip shop, but these fish & chips were so good and extremely pretty that I couldn't not write about it.
Firstly, I'll tell you a bit about the restaurant. Owned by the guys behind the Lounges (www.thelounges.co.uk), The Cosy Club is a growing bar and restaurant chain with venues in the market towns of Taunton, Bath, Exeter, Stamford, Salisbury, Cardiff and Bristol. The restaurant champions British produce in a casual dining set up with art deco surroundings. The menu is varied with a selection of burgers, paninis, sandwiches, tapas dishes, sharing platters and other gourmet pub food classics.
When I used to work at The Cosy Club after graduating back in 2011, I remember there being a fish finger sandwich (which there still is) but no regular portion of fish & chips. Even if it had been on the menu, those were the days when I still didn't have the taste buds for fish, so I definitely wouldn't have ordered it. Oh how times have changed! Now, the first think I go looking for on a menu is the fish & chips. If I see it my stomach does a little dance of joy! So, seeing the words 'Beer battered Cornish pollock with skin-on chips, minted mushy garden peas and tartare sauce' on the ever-changing seasonal 'Mains' menu really did make me smile :D
However, about 10 minutes after I'd made my order I was then informed that the fish & chips couldn't be made as they had run out of mushy peas!!! EXCUSE ME?! What did you day??? I panicked slightly as, in my mind, a meal of fish & chips WITHOUT mushy peas is like a roast dinner without gravy - dry and unwanted. Thankfully as I was unwillingly scouring the menu again looking for a replacement meal, the waitress returned to say that the kitchen had 'decided' that they would be able to whip up some more mushy peas for me but it would take a bit longer. I was prepared for her to tell me it would be a 20-30 minute wait, in which case I would change my order, but when she uttered the words 'a 10 minute wait', I wondered why the kitchen had not just taken the initiative and made some more in the first place? I wouldn't have noticed the time difference. But hey ho. I got my mushy peas in the end. Smiles all round.
I'm used to cod or haddock as my fish, but the pollock was equally delicious - lovely flakey chunks with a crisp and tasty batter. I was also happy in the knowledge that the fish was sustainably sourced from nearby Cornwall as well, keeping the Westcountry folk in business.
These were tasty but could have done with a bit more 'sog' to them, like you get in proper fish & chip shops. I added extra vinegar to help them along the way!
It came with a tasty portion of mushy peas (eventually), tartare sauce and a chunk of lemon - all the extras one needs! Unfortunately, I couldn't taste the mint in the mushy peas but maybe this was what the original problem had been, they had run out of mint not peas?! Not too worry, they went well with the chips. Often I find that tartare sauce tastes far too much of mayonnaise but this portion, I'm pleased to say, was extremely well balanced in flavours.
The service was attentive and it was nice of the waitress to inform me of the slight mushy pea mishap that I mentioned at the start. She was smiley and apologetic but as soon as I started takin a few pictures of my meal, she was then replaced by what seemed to be the manager of the joint - apparently he thought I might have been a mystery diner (I wish!), but no, I'm just a humble fish & chip enthusiast with an amateur blog.But still he continued to serve us...
...and O the dish he served it to me on! It was magnificent! A blue patterned china platter that fit nicely in the middle of any dining table. I made sure I took plenty of pictures of that - gorgeous it was and made the meal appear even more appetising. THE PRICES The beer battered Cornish pollock with chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce was £10.95, which I thought was very reasonable for a Westcountry restaurant. For that sort of meal and presentation in London, you would be paying at least a few pounds extra, possibly £13-£14. Eeeek. It definitely pays to go home once in a while.
8/10 - It was a large and tasty portion that came with all the trimmings a fish & chips meal should do, plus it looked darn good too on that gorgeous blue china platter. If only the mushy peas had had that touch of mint that they promised on he menu.
*THE LOCATION & OPENING TIMES*
The Cosy Club,
Corporation Street,
Taunton,
Somerset
TA1 4AJ
OPEN DAILY 9am - 11pm (12.30am Thurs - Sat)
[Food served all day from 9am until 10pm]
www.cosyclub.co.uk
@CosyClubTaunton