COCORICO PATISSERIE: OCTOBER TASTING MENU | FOOD REVIEW
Whitchurch Road, Cardiff
029 2132 8177 / www.cocoricopatisserie.co.uk
Good food can fall into two categories. The first is delicious and fulfilling food, which is reasonably simple to accomplish. The second is food that is prepared and served so well that it becomes nothing short of an artform, and that’s exactly what Cocorico Patisserie’s October tasting menu achieved. Every month, the patisserie put on a special night where the chef cooks up a beautiful themed menu, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Located on Whitchurch Road, home to some of Cardiff’s top restaurants, Cocorico Patisserie is brightly lit, counters stocked to the brim with peepshows of fine multi-coloured macaroons and pastries. As delicious as they are, they were not the main attraction. Having been made comfortable at our table, our first course of six was served: the ominously named parsnip. However, the parsnip was prepared in myriad ways that I had never envisioned possible, managing to get all sorts of textures and flavours out of a simple (and hugely underrated) root vegetable. Before entering, I would never have imagined parsnip would be my favourite course on the menu, yet this proved true. This was tantalisingly followed by pigeon, hare, and sea bass: all prepared in innovative and beautiful ways, with pockets of flavour that magically jumped out and surprised you.
To finish, we were treated to two desserts: pumpkin pie and the mysterious bittersweet. The pumpkin pie was in keeping with the autumnal theme of the menu, and the popping candy jumped out and transported you to a childlike world of Halloween wonder. The bittersweet was simply delicious; a sweet ganache with pralines and mascarpone was hidden under a bitter disk like treat, making it a dish that truly lived up to its name. This is a menu that made you genuinely excited not only to taste, but also to see, what the masterful chef had prepared in the following course.
words LUKE OWAIN BOULT
photos ALEKS DUMMER