The brand new Cocoa Tree menu – a review.

When I was in high school, the synonym for the word “hang-out” was this particular coffee shop in MG Road. Now, a decade later, it still remains to be one of the most crowded joints you can relax with your friends and family for a feel-good time. Cocoa Tree has come a long way from being a youngster’s haunt to a family dining place, and in style.

Being a regular patron of the Cocoa Tree adjacent Avenue Regent Hotel, I had nailed their menu over the years. The star performer was the Chocolate Excess Sizzler, a one of its kind in Kerala, until recently. The Chicken Lasagna was the perfect lunch and the Caramel Frappe was your highway to heaven. So when I heard of their new branch in Panampilli Nagar, adjacent The Center Hotel, with a brand new menu, they had my attention.

Standing a separate entity from The Center Hotel, this Cocoa Tree has built up slightly classier interiors than its MG Road counterpart. A glance through the display cases had my appetite’s ignition started. Custard Brownie, Blackcherry Dark Chocolate, Espresso Double Chocolate, Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Red Velvet among others looked fabulous to the eye.

Temptresses on display!

When we started devouring the menu, it was an exciting ride to say the least. There were dishes that can be categorized under Soups, Starters, Sandwiches, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Pastas, Grills, Mains, Salads, Egg Factory, Waffles Etc., and more.

The Starters section included novel items like Liver & Jam, Mushroom Bruschettas, Beef Polpette and Kylie’s Spring Roll. Being average Cochinites, we went ahead with the Spicy BBQ Wings and struck gold. The wings were bursting with BBQ flavors, sticky with the sweet and spicy sauce and accompanied by a blue cheese dip that was a pleasant surprise from a coffee shop in Kerala.

Spicy BBQ Wings with Blue Cheese dip

The Soup section had Mushroom, French onion and Seafood to offer. The star in the Salad section appeared to be Kylie’s Noodle Salad- described as rice noodles, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, toasted cashew nuts, onions, cilantro, mushrooms and sliced beef/ chicken with sesame soy dressing. Salads were not really our thing- a bunch consisting of hard-core non-veggies. We went ahead to browse the not-so-green pastures.

The Breakfast section in the menu made the egg lovers smile. Something that caught my eye was the Huevos Rancheros- sunny side egg with spicy Arrabiatta, jalapenos, spring onions, chilly, cilantro and roasted peppers served in the pan with flour tortillas. If you are to believe the description in the menu, this item is supposedly the Mexican Hangover Cure!  #handytip

Options in Sandwiches & Burgers were numerous. Roasted eggplant and zucchini sandwiches were healthier ideas compared to the mushroom and oriental fish burgers. For the extremists, there was the Pulled Pork option that was basically pork slow cooked in the oven for about 7 to 8 hours, and bound to fall off the bone.

The Grills consisted primarily of the Mixed Grill and The Tenderloin Steak. Mixed Grill was a combination of minute steaks, chicken wings, chicken steaks, sausages and bacon served with fried egg, grilled mushrooms, potato wedges and peas. The tenderloin steak was available in red wine reduction sauce, green peppercorn sauce, blue cheese sauce or brandy mushroom & cream sauce. Further, one could choose from oven roasted baby potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, french fries or grilled vegetables as the side to the steak. While the Mixed Grill was on the borderline of good and average, with slightly overcooked chicken steak and too few mushrooms, the Tenderloin Steak in red wine reduction sauce, was close to perfection. The mashed potatoes were adequately creamy, the steak was well done and the sauce had the pleasant but distinct zing of red wine. The let down was when the waiter forgot to give us the steak knife all through the dinner and sheepishly apologized when I asked about it towards the end of the meal.

The Mixed Grill

Tenderloin Steak in red wine reduction sauce.

The walk through the Mains was ecstatic for the foodie me. I saw Malaysian Chicken Curry, Pan Seared Grilled Fish, BBQ Pork spare ribs, Herb Roasted Chicken and Spinach and mushroom crepe among other products of yumminess. I realized the advantage of coming as a group. We locked our eyes on Fish & Chips (Batter-fried fish fillets with mashed peas, aged balsamic, tartar sauce and fries), Seafood Risotto (Italian rice with parmesan cheese, seafood broth, fish, squid and prawns), Quesadilla Platter (Tortillas filled with cheese, chicken or beef steak fajitas, served with guacamole, Mexican rice, sour cream, salsa and a zingy cheese dip) and Chicken Parmigiana (Parmesan crusted chicken breast, mozzarella, creamy spaghetti pomodo, wilted spinach and potato wedges).

It was a classy fish & chips dish. Crunchy and fresh, the dish was presented in style, and the mashed peas tasted great.

Impressive Fish & Chips

Seafood Risotto was not welcomed with as much enthusiasm. The seafood flavor was just right, but when we got a bit of butter paper from a spoonful of the risotto, there was only so much we could do to love the dish. When we asked the waiter of the butter paper’s queer presence in the risotto, he replaced the plate with another fresh one. Being bloated-ego customers with zero affinity to butter paper, we could definitely have done with some more genuine apology.

Seafood Risotto

Quesadilla Platter was amply filling, thanks to the size of the tortillas. Though I couldn’t find the guacamole nor the zingy cheese dip on the plate as per the menu description, the chicken fajitas were delicious and well worth downing anyway.

The Quesadilla Platter

When it came to Chicken Parmigiana, I was more than satisfied. The chicken breast was perfectly cooked and was covered in a flavorful Parmesan crust that had me smiling. Ofcourse, the smile only widened upon tasting the melted mozzarella liberally spread over the crust. The accompanying spaghetti was creamy, but tad bland. And somehow instead of the potato wedges in the menu, I was given French fries on the plate. Hmmmm.

Chicken Parmigiana..with fries?

We had more zones to conquer. The Waffles Etc. section boasted of Banofee Waffle as the highlight, with other items named Heavenly waffle, Banana Pancakes and Nutella Crepe close behind. We gave in to the lure of Banofee and Heavenly Waffles.

The former was mouthwatering stuff with banana, milk toffee, whipped cream, crumbled pie crust and vanilla ice cream on top. It tasted amazing even to a banana-hater like me.

The Banofee Waffle

Heavenly waffle was supposed to have chocolate crumble, vanilla custard, almond granola, raisins and ice cream. The waffle itself was fresh and soft like the Banofee, but could do better with some more crumble and custard.

The drinks and shakes section were a world in itself. There was the Cookie Monster (chocolate chip cookies & oreos), Flutternutter (banana, peanut butter & butterscotch), Famous Cake Shakes (feat. Black forest, red velvet, cheesecake, fig & honey or your favorite) and more if your fantasies are hard to fulfill. I went for The Green Hornet, a mix of Avocado & Chocolate. Yes, I was curious. And I was wonderfully rewarded with a thick and rich avocado shake blended with chocolate, effectively a heart & tummy filler.

The Green Hornet

There were Smoothies, Hot Chocolates, Cold Coffees, Iced Teas, Hot Coffees, Hot Teas, Coolers and Juice Bar- if you weren’t already confused over what to drink.

As you would have rightly guessed, we were all too stuffed to move by now. My final task was to give my compliments to the Chef and to see if the customary picture was possible.

Chef Jijo was a surprise. He was young and was very enthusiastic to explain the various dishes in the menu. The best sellers in the café, he said, were the waffles that have apparently been an instant hit with the crowd. One dish they were particularly proud of was the BBQ Buffalo Wings and the original blue cheese dip served with it. He personally apologized for the seafood risotto incident and assured me that it was a first and last event in the café. Respecting the apology and the sincerity in it, we decided to believe his statistic. I was eager to find out if the ever-green specialties of Cocoa Tree, Avenue Regent were available here- The Chocolate Excess Sizzler and the Chocolate Excess Avalanche. The answer was a proud “Ofcourse”, along with the tales of their brand new Italian Tiramisu (non-alcoholic) and Baked Yogurt.

With the man behind the scene, Chef Jijo.

Cocoa Tree, the place with the yellow sticky-note wall, had indeed evolved. From being the ideal spot for a first-date to breakup and everything else in between, Cocoa Tree still remains to be an essential part in the lives of Cochin youth and good-food lovers. And they definitely look set to remain so for many more years to come.

Cocoa Tree. Evolved.

A glance through the prices (excluding tax, in Rupees):

Banofee Waffle- 220

Kylie’s Noodle Salad- 220

Quesadilla Platter- 340

Chicken Parmigiana- 370

Mixed Grill- 400

Tenderloin Steak- 420

Seafood Risotto- 380

Fish & Chips- 350

Spicy BBQ Wings- 220

Cappuccino- 80

Green Hornet- 130

Cocoa Tree, Panampilli Nagar working hours: 11am – 11pm.

Ph: 0484 4141241.