Cocoa Patisserie Cafe, Brighton, UK

Cocoa Patisserie Cafe produces some of the most visually beautiful pastries and tarts in Brighton and Hove. I first came across the pastries in the Brighton and Hove food festival a year or two ago.  I remember the pastry I bought quite vividly as it stuck in my mind as being very yummy and unusual in that the caramel was salted (a taste I had not come across before.)  The Salted carmel shortbread tart can be seen in the image below, it is the second from the right.


                  My grandmother was in town the other day and I was stuck with somewhere to go for lunch, so I decided that we would try the Cocoa cafe, being that it is in a quite central locale.  You could quite literally step off the train and go there for lunch.  Lunch ended up being quite an enjoyable experience.

The cafe is very nicely decorated with the companies cocoa theme colours and features nice wooden furniture that was surprisingly comfortable to be seated at.  This was a nice change.  Each table was decorated with a fresh cut yellow rose and our tea came served in lovely china teapots with matching tea cups.

For my lunch I ordered a Char-grilled chicken Caesar salad, mostly because I'm supposable on a health kick. :)  However salad is always a good test of any kitchens food hygiene as it features fresh vegetables that go off very quickly if kept in poor conditions.  Much to my delight the salad was crisp and fresh, this is always a bonus.  It was also beautifully presented, I could really tell that the chef was a first artist when it came to food.  It's no wonder he's won awards.  The chicken was grilled just right and the parmensan cheese came in a caramelised section (An absolutely yummy way of eating cheese).  My one concern was the the salad leaves were drenched in olive oil which tasted good but made for an oily meal.  However it was a very nice meal all round and as you can tell from the photos of the pastries it was very hard to resist having a yummy yummy desert.

The desert are what make cocoa worth the visit.  They are as tasty as they look.  I would highly recommend trying them if you are in Brighton :)

Cafe Koba, Brighton UK

I have decided it's time to start sharing with people all the lovely experiences Brighton has to offer.  To begin, I thought I would start with Cafe Koba; a lovely place just of western road, city central.

Atmosphere

Cafe Koba had a earthy yet modern feel to it.  From till to kitchen the cafe is decorated in earth tones, wood work and tiles.  The building itself, like the majority of Brighton, is of 1800's design and as such certain feature have been kept.  I sat opposite a wall with original brick fire place.  The front of the fire place had been remove so the coal stains could clearly be seen up what was once the chimney.  Cafe Kobe is built across two separate buildings that have been merged in one establishment.  This gives the cafe a quirky nature and, if the map in the customer toilets is anything to judge by, means an interesting experience for concerned; whether trying to find your way back to cafe, bar or bistro.

Dining Experience

Good use has been made of faux-worn wooden furniture.  The tables, a little on the small side, are well organised to make the best use of the floor space while allowing easy passage for patrons and staff.  Seating was minimal, and could use seat cushions to make the chair backs more comfortable.  When we were seated, we were immediately served water.  All in all, it was a comfortable experience, ignoring the chairs.

Food and drinks

The menu was simple, yet contained a range of options to appease any appetite.  There were a range of options suitable for any diet - Vegan, vegetarian and allergen alike.  I was slightly surprise that this information wasn't on the menu as most places in Brighton mark the menus for food items that are Gluten free, Vegan or Vegetarian.  I found myself making educated guesses as to what was safe; fortunately the menu did include a list of ingredients for each option!  The food was delicious and excellently presented.  My vegetable soup came with a dollop of pesto in the centre and was presented on a lovely board with toasted sour-dough on the side (Which I couldn't resist nibbling on for the taste).  Serving portions were also decent for the price.  My pear and Walnut salad was so generously made, I struggled to finish it!

Accessibility

This is not the most accessible building, so it is fortune that the store front is ground level.  The rest of the building is riddled with stairs.  I was unable to see a lift at any point; although it is possible there is one in the other building.  I also did not a disabled toilet, although, as with the lift, there could be one in the other building.  Over-all, this is not the most wheel-chair friendly place.

Customer Service

The staff were all very friendly and polite.  It seemed like every time I looked around there was someone asking if we needed anything.  Everyone was neat and well presented; certainly an achievement when working with food.

Location

The cafe entrance comes right of Western road. This means it is very central and easy to find from Brighton Station.

Cafe Koba

135 Western Road

Brighton

United Kingdom

BN1 2LA

http://www.kobauk.com/

Another review can be found at The Graphic Foodie. http://thegraphicfoodie.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=koba