The Dirty Duck

On entering ‘The Copper Rooms’ for the very first time, I found that the air was filled with cries of, “It looks like an underground car park!” And, whilst the new Warwick University Student Union club does somewhat resemble somewhere to park your car – thanks to the numerous pillars and fairly bare decor – as opposed to a trendy night spot, once you have got over the aesthetic disappointments, there is no doubt that it is a vast improvement on the TES building and its predecessors. Despite being described by a first year Engineering student as “A big Tempo”, the ‘Rouge’ section – whilst frequently filled-to-capacity – is certainly a very nice touch and has a laidback atmosphere and should be the inspiration for Student Unions all over the country; It is always an excellent plan to have an area in which to ‘chill’. I have been told on numerous occasions, however, that the two-way staircase between Rouge and the upstairs of the club is quite a hazard and it has been suggested that a one way system should be put into place to avoid any accidents. The variety of music played over the two floors is a definite benefit; Despite the very modern open plan set out, it is a very freeing experience to be able to move from one genre to another seamlessly if a particular type of music doesn’t entirely appeal. This was the case at the Electric City/Crash event – despite not having a huge turn out, it was – according to a second year Psychics student, “A great night. It’s fabulous being able to go between to the two areas. The upstairs is particularly good – you can stand really close to the DJ’s stage to get the full experience of the Rooms”. With only a few improvements, The Copper Rooms would be a truly fantastic place to be. Indeed, everybody I have spoken to described it as “A great night” – which is certainly something the Student Union should be very proud of indeed.

At the very beginning of Term Three, it was quite easy to say that The Dirty Duck’s reign as the new campus pub was not yet in full swing. That is not the case any more. Since the – very smart – decorating was completed and, after a few false starts, food began to be served, the Duck (as it was inevitably going to be affectionately known as) has become an extremely popular haunt among the vast majority of Warwick students. The balcony is an exceptionally appreciated feature – with a third year Maths student telling me that, “Once the building site is removed, it will be close to perfection; It’s such an excellent place to be, especially now, in the beautiful weather”. Despite occasional glitches with the food (a friend had to visit the pub three times before she managed to get to eat the Flapjack Brownie Stack; Another complained that the highly ‘pubby’ dish of Fish and Chips was simply never available), when it is available it is exceptional. A first year History student told me that the Chocolate Fudge Cake was, simply, “Amazing”. Not a bad recommendation. Certainly, the food is excellent value for money for the archetypal poor student but outsiders of the University would no doubt be impressed with the wide range of choice and quality of ingredients. As a vegetarian, I was dismayed to see the initial menu lacking hugely in non-meat options but, since the actual availability of food, this has changed – vegetarian options fill the menu, and I can personally recommend the bean burger with tomato salsa! It would be of benefit to the Duck to offer something other than the carvery during the daytime, however (although I am assured it is delicious). If this was a possibility, the Dirty Duck would be even better than it is in its current state, a definite improvement on its ‘Graduate@Cholo’ predecessor – and it is certainly somewhere for the more discerning Warwick student to spend their time.