Criollo Cocoa Café: Cozy Nook in Orchard with Desserts to Crave For

Criollo Cocoa Café is nestled in a far corner on level 2 of Orchard Gateway, which might be hard to find for some. But aside to that, the spacious outlet boasts floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light to pour in during the day – a food photographers’ dream come true. Also, its relaxed atmosphere makes for a great hideaway from the town buzz, catch-up with friends over desserts or maybe even to indulge in some selfie time with the bustling street of Orchard in the background!

OpenRice was invited to host a tasting session in lieu of their new menu launched in June and we gathered up our members to join us. Click here to view our members reviews and comments. What a session it was! Our OpenRice members enjoyed a selection of 4 mains and 1 dessert with an additional 3 desserts – that’s a total of 8 dishes shared heartily! Here’s a quick look at the winning plates which made us want more. • Most Popular Mains: Portobello Burger and Seafood Laksa Pasta • Most Popular Desserts: Chocolate Waffles and Coconut Gelato

All ratings are based on 10 attendees and average ratings out of 5.

The food tasting started off with Big Breakfast (Promo: $12 till end June) that comprised the “relatively standard” mix of 2 eggs, chicken sausages, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, hash brown and toast. What made it a little bit special was the side of Fresh Fruits in yoghurt! The Portobello Burger ($12.90) with grilled Portobello mushroom was so juicy on its own and was completed with onions, capsicum, cheese, lettuce, a slice of tomato on toasted brioche bun with a side of fries.

. The Seafood Laksa Pasta ($16.90) came next with a generous serving of prawns, squid rings and mussels in a special Laksa Sauce. Although many of our OpenRicers were trying it for the first time, this unique fusion dish managed to get plenty of heads nodding in approval.

The Mixed Grilled Platter ($18.90) comprised grilled chicken and beef on skewers, black pepper chicken sausages, with a serving of fries and coleslaw. This dish received some feedback from the attendees and we hope to see updates.

Next up – desserts! Worth every cent, the Chocolate Waffles ($9.90) came topped with vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream, marshmallow, dark chocolate sauce and a side of maple syrup! Also having our members craving for more was the Gelato ($3 per scoop), which is made at Criollo Cocoa Café. We got to try the Lychee and Coconut flavours and while both were nice, the latter stood out more taste-wise.

Earl Grey Teacake ($5.90, above) and Malt Cake ($6.90) were shared amongst members and the teacake seemed to have more flavour packed in each slice compared to the generous serving of Malt Cake. That wrapped up another successful 3-hour tasting session at Criollo Cocoa Café, thanks to OpenRice members and owner of the Café, Mr Lam. Be sure to head over this month to get 20% off by showing OpenSnap or OpenRice and enjoy the highlighted dishes!

Check out all our Food Tasting photos here! About Criollo Cocoa Café Criollo Cocoa Café is a partnership between Mr Lam and investors and has been in operations since 2014 at Orchard Gateway. Mr Lam is a smiling face and somehow shy person who looks into the day-to-day operations of Criollo Cocoa Café. They make their own Gelato and dessert plus cakes are supplied by Pies & Coffee. This café practises self- service for utensils, small plates, sauces and serviettes. Click here to view all Criollo Cocoa Café’s offers! Don’t miss out any Food Tasting events by OpenRice. Subscribe to our Events Calendar today!

Written by Reka Sadagopal and Peh Yi Wen