Andrew Kay flirts with the French fancies at Cocoa
I should Cocoa
T here is a little corner of my being that will be forever French. This is in part due to my great great grandmother eloping with a French fisherman. But for the main part it is down to my tutor, Parisienne photographer Lesly Hamilton. Lesly imparted a Gallic essence that I cling to. She introduced me to French food, French films, French transvestites and French fancies, or should I say fine patisserie.
I became a habitue of Maison Bertaux in London and in Paris I haunted the streets in search of palmier. All the while at that time the great tradition of English cakes was dying away, sadly. Brighton has some good cake makers but until Cocoa there was no really great patisserie. Now Julien, patissier proprietor of Cocoa has changed all that with his cosy café on Queens Road.
From the outside it is a palace of sweet delights, but venture further in and you will find a fine selection of savoury treats ideal for lunch or an early supper. I was joined by Ms B for a mid-week lunch and I have to say, she made a fine companion with an appetite to match, if not beat mine.
We started with soup. She chose soup of the day, carrot and coriander, and loved it. ‘It actually tastes of carrot,’ she declared, which can’t be a bad thing for carrot soup. I went all trad and had the onion soup. It’s one of those things I crave from time to time and this one did not disappoint. The soup was sweet and savoury, piping hot but not quite so hot as the topping of bread and volcanic comte cheese. As a consequence it took some time to eat, waiting for the right temperature to be reached for fear of welding my tongue to the roof of my mouth.
Ms B moved on to a tarte tatin of mediterranean vegetables with a leaf salad. I looked on with envy, it was a sizzling delight of sweet roast vegetables on a disc of incredible flaking pastry. She made pretty light work of it.
I chose the terrine made to a recipe from Julien’s family back in Lyon. It was an earthy slice of rich, tasty soft meats dotted with hazelnuts and olives. On the side some raspberry sauce and a dark onion marmalade. With leaves, toasted sourdough and a pile of cornichons I was as happy as the legendary Larry.
Two courses down at lunchtime and we should have stopped, really, we were both full. So the plate of five macaroons that we shared, yes I can show restraint, was pure greed, but what a treat. Lychee and raspberry, rose, sea-salt caramel, black forest gateau and dark chocolate and rum cut into dainty halves and shared. Wow, few words will cover the ground with these dainty treats; for looks wow, for taste wow, for sheer delight – WOW!
The great news is that there will soon be a second Cocoa in central Brighton, more of which very soon. For now you can head for Queens Road or find one of the many cafés around the city that Julien and the team make cakes and pastries for. Currently they sell around 2,000 macaroons at the weekend and have 13 flavours, but that is about to double in variety and no doubt in sales when the new café opens.
Cocoa Patisserie, 48 Queen’s Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XB,
01273 777412, www.cocoabrighton.co.uk
