Dessert First: Coco Safar

by Kate | Mar 6, 2018 | 4 comments

‘A journey beyond ordinary’ is is not exactly what you’d expect when you glide down the escalators of the Artem Centre (previously known as The Adelphi Centre) in Sea Point but it’s exactly what you get when you find yourself immersed in dessert wonderland! In fact, it felt like I was in Paris, or New York – not Sea Point! The fact that we now have a pastry and dessert spot in Cape Town that is world-class, makes my heart and taste buds so happy (my waistline, not so much! ) especially because Coco Safar is not just about dessert, there is so much to explore…

The pastry counter is JAW-DROPPING! I have not yet seen pastry skills of this calibre in South Africa. And guys, I eat a LOT of dessert. From the Salted Caramel Dome (my absolute favourite) which is filled with caramel mousse, candied pecans and buttery shortbread, to White Chocolate Passion Green Tea, every single dessert is meticulously piped and presented (not just a pile of crumbs on a plate with a quenelle of ice cream – hands up who is tired of this restaurant dessert trend?!). These desserts have TECHNIQUE. The prices are reasonable too when you consider all of the above – and the fact that, when you sit down, the dessert is served fully plated with ice cream, sauce and the works. It’s Paris quality without the Paris price tag.

This chocolate creation had me closing my eyes in bliss. Chocolate mousse, orange blossom ganache and crunchy biscuit all lived up to it’s name of ‘Chocolate Decadent’ although not too much so. As all good desserts should be, this one was thoughtfully created, not too sweet and beautifully presented.

There’s a chocolate studio that creates pretty little chocolate jewels. The bon bons come in white chocolate with  lemon meringue, green rooibos and raspberry pistachio flavours, milk chocolate filled with banana salted caramel, or coffee cardamom and for the dark chocolate fans (hello!), there’s mint crisp, passionfruit ginger or gianduja hazelnut. The chocolatier’s workspace is thoughtfully encased in glass so you can watch her work her chocolatey magic while sipping your cappuccino. At the moment, they use an imported chocolate brand but hopefully they’ll switch to one of our amazing locally made bean-to-bar chocolates soon! And speaking of coffee…

Their capsule emporium has a large range of some of the best coffee in the world, popped into a coffee pod. And it’s not just any coffee pod either – it’s The World’s First home compostable coffee capsule. I don’t know about you, but for me that solves one of my biggest pet peeves about coffee pods. Another world first is their Spirit Idrocompresso espresso machine with lever technology which was exclusively made in Holland by Kees van der Westen for Coco Safar. If you are a coffee snob, or have one in your life, this will be love at first sight.

If you’re more of a tea lover, they have a botanical microbrewery. Red Rooibos, Green Rooibos, Coffee-Citrus and Rooibos- infused Tonic are all poured like a draft, on tap and my FAVOURITE part is that you can order it as a float  with a scoop of gourmet gelato in flavours like balsamic vinegar, black pepper or earl grey.

So next time you’re looking at plane tickets to Paris to do a pastry tour and our Randela doesn’t get you that far, consider a trip to Coco Safar instead!  Got a pastry/dessert spot you think I should know about? Drop the deets in a comment below and I’ll give it a visit – it’s a tough job! 😉

COCO SAFAR

Address: 277 Main Road Sea Point, Cape Town
Contact: 021 433 0490
Website: www.cocosafar.com