Koko Black

I'm a bit late to jump on the chocolate bandwagon that has chugged its way steadily into the hearts of all chocolate fanatics.
But luckily, the station is Perth (surprising!) and the wagon is here to stay.


To anyone who cares, I am speaking of the wagon that is Koko Black, the vehicle that transports copious amounts of chocolate to their rightful destinations of the human mouth.
Some journeys on this makes me a bit chocolate-sick, complete with nausea.
Yet I never learn.

And I ask my chocolate-drunk self, "Why should I ever have to?"

Soy Hot Chocolate - $6

When I discovered that I was lactose intolerant on a part-time basis, visits to a chocolate salon had lost its meaning to me. I'd hear others sing praises for their luxurious hot, milky beverages while I sit there feeling quite alone, with my little glass of water.


But in comes the Soy Hot Chocolate, which offers so much more than just its enticingly good looks. Freshly brewed with a blend of premium soy and rich dark chocolate, a frothy top layer adorned with skillful coffee art houses a rich and creamy soul warming beverage.


Rich but not too rich (if that can ever be a bad thing), the hot chocolate isn't as heavy as you'd think and even borders on watery after a while. Yet the chocolateyness is nevertheless strong, and with our cup being unfinished even between 2, you'll find that eating takes top priority here while drinks will probably be neglected.

Belgian Spoil - $13.50

Your aim of trying everything on the menu is a little step closer to being achievable with the Belgian Spoil option. Offering a sample of their treats which change seasonally, it is also so much more value for money rather than purchasing the items separately.

This is a lovely little (which somehow becomes too much towards the end!) chocolate platter comprising a variety of tastes that is very deceiving to the eyes with its small dishes. You can conquer this alone if you're brave enough and have extreme sweet teeth.

Harder tastes on the Belgian Spoil

Something rather akin to the everyday chocolate brownie, the walnut brownie leaves little to the imagination. I love the nuttiness to it, however interesting creations next to it steal more limelight from this brownie.

Chocolate florentines in the centre were entirely scoffed down by yours truly, thanks to my general fondness for the sticky-nutty combination. Chocolate discs loaded with almonds, pistachios and cranberries are anything but brittle, so are brilliant at sticking to your teeth due to their chewy texture.

Handcrafted chocolate pralines differ on each Belgian Spoil I've encountered. The dulce de leche is an indulgent bite of candied sweet milk caramel while the Amarena Cherry dons a bittersweet cherry pulp centre topped with white ganache. Elements in both chocolates make up indulgently creamy, buttery and smooth mouthfuls (for the unlikely situation of eating the chocolate whole!)

Soft tastes on the Belgian Spoil

Loyal components that stay on the Belgian Spoil are mousse and the vital factor contributing to overall happiness: ice cream. Although small, these cups are filled beyond the brim and the small amount is more than you'll need. Because good things, come in small packages :)

Rich chocolate mousse is topped with crushed caramelised hazelnut crumbs, which provides a nice textural contrast to the thick and velvety spoonfuls of mousse. Equally as chocolaty, the scoop of ice cream has a strong chocolate flavour throughout, coupled with the chocolate slab buried on of the chocolate hill.

Hot Chocolate - $6

The only bad thing accompanying this hot chocolate, is the size of the cup it is served in. For $6 it may be a bit little, but perhaps it is the perfect serving for it might be hard to finish anything bigger. Having a limited amount definitely makes the taste buds grow fonder!

As their signature hot beverage, the hot chocolate is freshly brewed to a traditional Belgian recipe, rich, smooth and warming. Other blends available are flavour infusions of chilli, hazelnut and chocolate mocha offerings, which I've parked my appetite on.

There's no chance of escape from a chocolate whirpool...so allow yourself to be sucked in and enjoy the aromatic chocolate sensation.

Chocolate Moelleux - $14.50

If you love your desserts more than life itself, you'll find that the dish justifies the price charged. The elegant styling on this plate consists of a chocolate cake baked fresh to order, complete with a molten centre slowly oozing a chocolate river. This smooth melting sensation of decadently rich chocolate is enhanced by serving the dessert warm and fresh from the kitchen. 

I'd be smiling too!

Topped with an intertwining flower of thin shortbread-like crust, the crisp snaps of biscuit are a nice complement to the other soft, moist and spongy textures on the plate. A crescent of pistachio crumbs also provide that harder, crunchy contrast along with a splash of vibrant colour on the canvas.


Served with a side bowl of raspberry espuma, this whipped foam is light, airy and a good puree of air, flavour and tang to cut through the sweetness and provide a more balanced taste.

Chocolate, Hazelnut, Sesame Twist - $5.50

Pastries are also a specialty in this chocolate salon, along with being an ice-creamery and their famed sweet desserts and beverages. The Chocolate, Hazelnut & Sesame Twists are intertwining twists of puff pastry layered with flavour swirls of chocolate hazelnut ganache with sesame seeds baked into the flaky pastry.


I didn't taste this, but managed to reach over and snatch the plate for a photo shoot before it was touched by anybody else. When you're a food blogger, you also have to be a ninja.

Iced Chocolate - $7.90

Also fitting with the theme of beverages among the lavishly priced range, the iced chocolate comes with raves and praises from everyone who tastes this liquid chocolate mud cake.


Served in a stubby balloon glass with fattening scoops of Koko Black's chocolate ice cream and thick chocolate syrup, this $7.90 drink is a whole dessert on its own.

Chocolate Walnut Brownie - $13.50

Served independent of the Belgian Spoil, the chocolate walnut brownie sets you back $5.50, while $13.50 delivers a warm brownie slab with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate sauce.

This is definitely a heavy, rich brownie made with 80% dark chocolate and crushed walnut pieces and even more like a delicious mudslide when drowned with thick, gluggy chocolate sauce.

It is probably a wiser idea to substitute the richer chocolate ice cream for a lighter version like their vanilla bean ice cream to go easier on your stomach's ability to take in the sugar overload.


Apparently you also have the option to swap the other sweets to something more appealing to your palate, provided they are of the same price. If only I knew this earlier!

Coffee design #1

I've always admired coffee art and all the behind the scenes effort that go into producing elegant designs on top of something that essentially goes into the stomach after a brief moment of admiration.


Koko Black baristas, you've got skill.

Coffee Design #2

I've tried my hand at coffee making, and it's not easy. I'm quite scared of dishing out a cup of coffee to customers for I've had no professional training whatsoever, and a business is quite easily shunned nowadays for producing a low quality coffee cup.


So to get to this level in the art of coffee making, there's a whole lot of investment into time and skill.

Coffee Design #3

More often than not, I'm greeted with everchanging designs that elegantly decorate the layer of froth on top. It's a blanket of embroidery in your cup, which makes your drink aesthetically pleasing already, even if it's lacking on the element of taste.

They've already won on the visual aspect!

Life gives you simple pleasures all the time,

we just fail to recognise and appreciate what's in front of us most of those times.

...

Koko Black is devoted to quality and providing a sweet experience to its customers, rather than pumping out mass volumes of food via a systematic approach that's popular with franchises. I feel like little Charlie in the chocolate factory when coming to this specialist chocolate cafe, which has earned itself quite the name. Perth is finally waking up to new restaurant concepts after hitting snooze for a little too long!

Providing a seasonal menu that has minor changes here and there, helps to really keep hardcore chocolate fans coming back, lusting for more. Desserts and patisseries are satisfying without the hefty price tag, and always leaves me waddling back to the car. I've yet to be converted to a devoted Koko Black follower though, since my visits are infrequent and have left this post so late.

My passion does not lie with chocolate, so chocolate comas aren't really my type of thing. The glasses of water they automatically serve upon your arrival is going to be your one true best friend. Though isn't it handy that you can get your whole day's worth of calorie intake in one chocolate sitting?

Staff I find a bit inconsistent with their service, all the attentiveness is there initially but once indecisiveness when ordering kicks in and you ask for a moment, they disappear for a little too long. But the store fit out is effortlessly charming and smart, with its quaint but chic wooden themes, and artistic designs on its white walls transforms it to a fairytale setting.

The whole salon, like its pristine Claremont surrounds, has a romantic feel about it all. Though all that disappears when your sugar high makes you eat a little too much, laugh a little too loud and care about calories a little too little.

Plus, wouldn't you rather treat yourself and indulge in something without the big price tag?

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(08) 9284 2049

Monday: 9am to 6pm

Tuesday - Thursday: 9am to 10pm

Friday - Saturday: 9am to 11pm

Sunday: 10.30am to 6pm

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