Coppa Club Putney – Worth Making the Journey – Coppa Club Putney opened at the beginning of November on the riverside by Putney Bridge. It’s the company’s second London location (there’s one near Tower Bridge) and there’s another locally in Cobham. In six years since opening at Sonning, this café/club/ restaurant now has nine locations, many of them overlooking water, two of which with accommodation. It’s obviously doing something very well, so we hopped on a train to Putney to find out more…
Situated in a prime riverfront spot with views of Putney Bridge, the place looks, and feels, really welcoming. There are some ‘pods’ in the outside terrace where guests can enjoy private dining while still feeling part of the action. Once inside, you feel as if you’ve entered a trendy private members’ club: and that’s the ethos behind Coppa Club – a private members’ club feel, without membership fees. The bar and library area is a fab place to meet friends for coffee, hold an informal business meeting, or just chill out with the paper or a book.
So, what’s the menu like? It’s a modern take on British and Mediterranean classics, sensibly priced. What’s more, the food’s damn good and the portions generous. The part of the restaurant where we were seated had a brasserie feel and was comfortably busy. We enjoyed a Pink Negroni (£9.50) and a Camden Hells beer (£5.75) while studying the menu. Our starters of Crispy Fried Squid (£8.50) and Burrata (£8) arrived very swiftly and were joined by warm tear and share seeded bread with olive oil (£3.50). My husband’s squid was served with a spicy ponzu dip and sriracha mayo. The squid was piping hot and crispy and the ponzu dip, in particular, was packed with fresh herbs and perfectly balanced with a gentle heat from the chillies. The creamy burrata was served with roast baby beets, on a bed of mashed beets, with candied walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil. It was excellent, but I think it would have benefitted from a few wild rocket leaves too.
My husband chose a 10oz dry-aged sirloin (£27) and I opted for Devon crab linguini (£10/16) for our next course. Our friendly and efficient server Clara suggested the truffle fries to accompany his steak and I asked for a house salad. The steak was declared cooked to perfection and was accompanied by grilled Portabello mushrooms. My linguini was an enormous portion (I would suggest ordering the starter size unless you have a big appetite!). I was slightly disappointed that the dish didn’t have crab running through it; it was more of a crab bisque sauce with some fresh crab on top of the pasta – but it was still very good. The house salad (£5) was tasty, but rather difficult to eat, being a very large chunk of lettuce rather than dressed leaves. We enjoyed a glass of wine with our mains (Sauvignon Blanc at £6.20 a glass for me and Merlot at £6.95 for my husband). The wine list is well-composed, clearly laid out and again, well priced.
Having seen Sticky Toffee Pud on the dessert menu (£7.50) my husband looked no further. My gaze settled on the Flourless Chocolate Cake (£8.50) and I asked for a very small portion. It was served with caramelised white chocolate and coconut yoghurt, topped with orange zest. Reader, it was very rich, ultra chocolaty and heavenly! I struggled to eat more than a small piece, but Clara kindly boxed up the remainder to be enjoyed the following day by the two of us with a cup of tea.
Coppa Club is great: the formula really works, and I thoroughly recommend it if you are meeting friends or planning a family meal out over the festive season. What’s more, it’s open on Christmas Day in Cobham, Sonning and Streatley with a great value Christmas lunch at £75 a head and some great-sounding festive specials are available at all the sites from 23 November – see menu here
The Seasoned Gastronome