Graduation meals are a bit of a funny one. You want somewhere that looks and feels special in the photos, but it also has to suit Mum, Dad, younger siblings and whoever else ends up coming. There were plenty of tables available when we visited Cosy Club Oxford on a quiet Thursday lunchtime, and my dining companion had unexpectedly brought her two-year-old along too. The interiors of the Cosy club are eclectic and luxe which also helped to bring a, dare I say, cosy vibe to the lunch.  The restaurant thoughtfully spaced out the diners (not just us because we had a 2 year old), allowing everyone to speak rather than hearing each others’ conversation, which I appreciated.  I had been invited to try the graduation menu, which costs £35.95 for three courses and a celebratory drink. The grand interior certainly looked the part, and hearing Vulfpeck, one of my favourite bands, playing in the background helped too.

The menu includes a glass of Prosecco, but I chose the non-alcoholic elderflower spritz instead. It was delicately sweet and still allowed me to feel as though I was having a celebratory and elegant drink, rather than being given the boring replacement option while everyone else raised a glass. The Pink Lemonade was good too, tart rather than overly sweet, with a slight taste of pomegranate. We started with the Korean Fried Buttermilk Chicken and the Beef and Smoked Bacon Croquettes. The chicken was really tender and the gochujang sauce was gently warming without being particularly hot. As tends to happen when crispy chicken is covered in sauce, the batter had lost some of its crunch, and I would have liked a few more crispy shallots to bring that back. The slaw added some freshness and wasn’t just sitting at the side of the plate for decoration.

The croquettes were another hit. They had plenty of beef and smoked bacon inside, rather than being mostly potato, which made them feel generous. They were perhaps a little salty because of the bacon, but the pickled shallots helped with this. The basil pesto cream was pleasant, although I would have liked more basil, I think that is a personal preference. The staff were friendly and happy to change the included drinks for non-alcoholic options, and our cutlery was replaced between courses without us needing to ask. No one seemed concerned about the unexpected two-year-old either. I wouldn’t describe Cosy Club as especially family-friendly, but it was family-tolerating. We never felt that having a small child with us was an inconvenience, and on this occasion that was all we needed.

The main courses weren’t as successful. My friend’s British beef fillet was cooked exactly medium, as requested, but there were a few issues with the rest of the dish. We requested one of the advertised accompaniments and the waiter explained that a delivery hadn’t arrived, so the chef had prepared it differently. What arrived wasn’t really a sauce. It was more a collection of lightly dressed herbs and it smelled a lot like a garden. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I wasn’t sure what it was adding to the steak and we probably wouldn’t have ordered it if we knew that is what we were going to receive. The shallot and mustard butter advertised with the steak was missing altogether, which was a shame as the steak needed something richer with it.

The Indonesian Satay Chicken had some of the same problems. The satay sauce was thinner and milder than expected, while the sugar snap peas and pickled ginger became lost in it. They were there, but I couldn’t pick out much ginger or get much texture from the peas. The crispy onions listed on the menu were also missing and the dish needed the crunch they would have added. The rice looked reheated rather than freshly cooked, and both main courses could have arrived hotter. None of these things would necessarily have ruined the dish on its own, but there were enough small things missing or not quite right for the mains to feel noticeably weaker than the starters.#

The service slowed down as the meal went on, which was noticeable because the restaurant was quiet. Waiting between courses also feels longer when you have a two-year-old at the table. She had done very well, but she wasn’t going to sit through an endlessly long lunch, so in the end I asked if dessert could be brought out a little sooner. Luckily, the desserts arrived quickly and were worth waiting for. The Dark Chocolate Mousse was rich, smooth and firmer than other mousses I have tried. It wasn’t the light and airy type, but I liked the texture, and the honeycomb gave it a bit of crunch. The Brûléed Miso Caramel Custard Tart was the surprise for me. Miso can sound like a strange addition to a dessert, but it didn’t make the tart taste savoury. It added a slightly salty edge to the caramel and stopped it from becoming too sweet. Served with vanilla ice cream, it was a generous portion and my favourite dish of the meal.

There was plenty that Cosy Club got right. The restaurant itself is beautiful, we had enough space around our table and the staff were welcoming. The starters and desserts were the best parts of the meal, and I particularly appreciated having a non-alcoholic drink that still felt appropriate for a graduation. The main courses let it down a bit with food that needed to be hotter and bits missing. I would still return because it is a lovely setting for meeting friends or celebrating something, and I would happily order the croquettes and miso tart again. I would probably just choose a different main course next time.

Cosy Club
20 Cornmarket St, Oxford OX1 3EY

Bitten were invited as guests, all views are our own