The Cuckoo Club, Swallow Street, London – Review

The Cuckoo Club had always been a place I had been meaning to try out for ages and as we were invited there for dinner I couldn`t wait to see what this place had in store for us. We didn`t find it very easily on Swallow Street, as the understated signage wasn`t very obvious but I guess if you`re a regular member you know what you`re doing and the right door to go knocking on! We rocked up at 8pm expecting to enjoy pre-dinner cocktails but instead we received a frosty welcome from a girl who told us we had ended up in the wrong place. After explaining the situation she told us to comeback at 8.30pm when they would be open. As we stood out in the cold waiting for the big hand on our watches to strike 8.30pm we saw groups entering the Club in hope of finding the legendary Veeraswamy Indian restaurant but it was right next door – if only the signage was clearer they wouldn`t experience this seemingly annoying problem. The Veeraswamy looked cozy and welcoming up on the first floor but I was still holding out hopes for what our evening would have in store.

The Cuckoo Club Restaurant

We entered the Club at 8.30pm on the dot and the girl who turned us away the first time apologised profusely for the mix up and seated us to our table right next to the bar. The décor was sensual yet inviting with a fuchsia pink and black colour scheme and I really liked the soft laid-back mood created throughout. It seemed almost too cool with trickles of leggy model types and well-preened socialites arriving in groups who were obviously regular members, the dress code being incredibly dressed up or quite understated cool, smart casual. Having spent most of the afternoon at LFW it seemed I was back there again amongst the quirky and beautiful people!

The Bar

We scoured the menu for what seemed like an age and it all looked delicious, and before we actually chose we were told of a few dishes that weren`t available but the substitutes were more to my taste and no doubt certainly appealed! Firstly we ordered two cocktails and on our recommendation you can`t go far wrong with the Cuckoo Delight and Foxy Lady concoctions. Both were fruity numbers yet extremely delicious and the Cuckoo Delight cocktail was served in a huge glass and lasted me throughout the entire meal! To begin with I chose the substitute crab starter and it was SO incredibly gorgeous, the best bit about it was definitely the huge pieces of crag, I really didn`t want it to end! The other starter we sampled was the tomato and mozzarella salad, which burst our taste buds with rich and fresh flavours – we were extremely happy with our choices. For main course we each chose the char-grilled aged beef fillet, braised cheek served with young carrots and onions with brown butter and red wine jus along with a side dish of French fries, which were just what the doctor ordered. The entire dish was cooked to absolute perfection and to our individual likings too, the words `this is the best steak I`ve ever tasted` were mentioned somewhere in between mouthfuls and after that I wanted to saviour the flavours. There was little room for dessert but saying that we did manage to squeeze in some spoonfuls of naughty rich chocolate goo, and this was just enough to complete our gastronomic experience at The Cuckoo Club.