Located on Whitchurch Road in Cardiff is French patisserie Cocorico. Already a popular spot for locals, it’s perhaps not as widely known in Wales over bistros in the centre of Cardiff. Below is a look inside this humble business, along with a cool prize draw to celebrate Afternoon Tea Week!
Whitchurch Road is very much an upcoming and coming foodie hub in Cardiff. Bristol import Society Standard sits next to Got Beef nearby, and Cocorico recently expanded into this larger premises after opening in 2010. Jaye from Cardiff in a Teacup has grew to love Cocorico and highly recommended their Afternoon Tea.
The Afternoon Tea is £15 per person and you’re able to choose from a variety of tea flavours to enjoy your food with (locally supplied by Waterloo Tea). I’m no expert when it comes to tea, but the staff were very friendly and keen to share their passion. I opted for their Assam tea as it’s similar to English Breakfast with a bit more fragrance.
Replacing the familiar finger sandwiches were three savoury bites, including a very tasty curry flavoured chicken wrap and toasted bread with fresh tomato, cheese and salami (vegetarian options are also available).
The dainty cakes are a great way of sampling the larger versions on display to eat-in or takeaway, like the lemon meringue tart (fittingly named “paradise“) and coffee flavoured Opera slice.
I was particularly wowed by the berry tartlet with a vibrant blue glittery dome – it really shows off the delicate craftsmanship and creativity of the chefs. As it’s French take on an English tradition, the scone is substituted with a waffle topped with cream. Light in texture, it was a nice change that left me feeling rather satisfied instead of overindulged.
Another element I quickly warmed to was Cocorico’s bold and playful experimentation with flavour. Our Afternoon Tea came with a cola flavoured macaroon and Jägerbomb flavoured one! Both were surprisingly delicious and just a taste of a wider range of colourful macaroons available to box up, gift wrap and takeaway.
The Patisserie is a long held dream of owner Laurien who grew up in Provence and worked towards his goal of being a Patissier since he was five! His CV includes Bully’s Restaurant, St David’s Hotel and The Celtic Manor Resort (view my Celtic Afternoon Tea review and others by clicking here).
His passion is obvious and after just three visits I’m already a fan!
Afternoon Tea Week – Prize Draw!
To celebrate #AfternoonTeaWeek, I’ve teamed up with Buyagift to giveaway a voucher for Traditional Afternoon Tea for Two.
To enter, all you have to do is simply follow me on Twitter and retweet this tweet here.
Entries close on the 14th August 2016. Full T&C’s available by clicking here. Good luck!
Update: This prize draw is now closed and the winner will be announced on my twitter.
Don’t forget to check out my other Afternoon Tea reviews by clicking here. I was a paying customer at Cocorico and all opinions are my own.