Civil Service Club entrance. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
How To Go There
The Civil Service club has 12.000 members and a great location within walking distance of Trafalgar Square and near central London underground train stations. If you know anybody who is a member, and the chances are that you do, you can get an invitation.
We went to the club for a food and wine dinner organized by Central London Wine Society. We were in the main dining room at a T shaped table. The reasonably priced menu offered large portions, we already knew. The wine group meets there regularly. I know the venue well because I have also been there several times over a decade. I went there for events such as an annual Christmas dinner organized by a member who belongs to a writers' circle. He is also a member of a Toastmasters International group which meets in outer London.
You sign in at the reception which has a sanitizer dispenser, and an orchid. Before ticking my name on the guest list, I took a photo of it on my mobile phone. That way I could check on the names of fellow guests.
Before the meal started, we were each served a hot white roll covered with poppy seeds. The butter melted into it. Delicious. We went without ordering starters because we wanted to leave room for desserts.
I recommend the steak pie. Big portion of juicy steak. Three of us liked it.
My husband ordered it and I tried it. We always order different food and swap. The steak pie came with more vegetables, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, broccoli. He chose mashed potatoes, included in the price. My salmon came with a bed of spinach. I asked for chips, included in the price.
BBQ sauce and a white cuff stain
I usually take the precaution of wearing brown or black when I go out to dinner. This time my outfit had a black bodice - but white cuffs. Big mistake. My lovely white silk cuffs have a brown mark.
I tried washing, soap, cold water, hot water. No luck. Silk is too delicate for me to risk bleach.
I could cut out the stained part and sew up the hole. No. I could just sew around the stain. Maybe. I could sew on a sequin.
Grilled Salmon - Not again
I saw the word salmon and thought, what could go wrong. I missed the word grilled. That is what went wrong. Part of the joy of salmon is that it is a juicy fish. Hard and tasteless when grilled or over grilled. I won't have that again. I wrote it up on Tripadvisor to be able to locate my last visit in a hurry, next time, and check what to avoid ordering. If you are happy with a cold main course, have the cheese platter, which includes grapes. Eat the grapes second for dessert. Or indulge in a hot dessert.
Dessert - Apple Crumble - Yes, definitely
I like a hot dessert, not ice cream. I chose apple crumble. I also chose custard rather than ice cream to go with my apple crumble. The French call custard creme anglaise. Yes, it is not something you see a lot in France.
Yes, good apple crumble. Not the tops. But good enough. One of the joys of the UK. I can't say I have ever had apple crumble in the USA or Singapore or elsewhere.
Toilets - Your choice
The toilets are upstairs from the main restaurant. (On the same level as some of the private rooms.) A steep staircase. With a wooden tubular hand rail. If you are ultra careful about Covid you might consider when to wash your hands, or wear gloves, or take a disposable wipe, or not drink so much that you feel unsteady on steep stairs.
Two cubicles. The good thing about the toilet was the moisturizer.
If you don't want to use the stairs, on the ground floor by the bar are more toilets, a larger area.
Make sure to see the downstairs bar indoors, not just the outside seating, because of the pictures, created from what look like tiny postage stamps from close-up. From a distance you see three classic views, the circle symbol of the London undergrounds, a red classic telephone box.
Brilliant Bar Picture
Accommodation
Yes, there is accommodation, and very conveniently placed.
Useful Website
https://www.civilserviceclub.org.uk/Membership/Ordinary_Member_Form/accomodation_2021_screen.aspx
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