Kokako Goodies

You know my sob story about how I didn't make it to Kokako Cafe while in Auckland because of getting lost, etc. etc., sniff sniff? Well, it kinda worked out okay in the end anyway.

Kokako had a stand at Taste of Auckland, and when I wandered over to investigate I was offered a sample of their delicious hot chocolate (though it really wasn't hot chocolate weather even a little bit, it was delicious). Anyway, I started chatting to Mike, and said that his cafe had come highly recommended, but since my navigational skills weren't quite up to scratch so I had missed my breakfast. He suggested I should come tomorrow, but that wasn't possible as we were flying to Christchurch that evening - so he very kindly rustled me up a bag of goodies to help console me. ;-)

He generously provided me with coffee, hot chocolate, banana bread, magic slice, brownie and organic bliss balls. That will stop my whinging! 

I don't really drink coffee so though I did try some I can't really critique the Kokako Rangatira - my parents liked it, though, and they drink a fair bit of coffee so they should know! The hot chocolate I already knew was good - and since it only contains cocoa and golden cane sugar it's gluten free. Even better for those of you who actually have gardens (as opposed to a tiny planter box bearing a few half-dead herbs) the packaging can all go on the compost heap - even the plastic bag, as it's actually made from wood pulp.

The organic bliss balls had all the richness of flavour of your average rum ball, without the rum (which I don't like anyway) or the slightly ill feeling that often seems to strike halfway through. These are actually vegan and gluten free, and yet didn't taste like they were missing anything - no mean feat. 

The banana bread was pretty nice - and didn't last long! The loaf was quite small, which I actually quite liked as it meant a slice was more snack-size than a slice of a normal banana loaf would be - though doubtless your average kiwi male might grumble a little (or just eat the whole lot, I suppose!). 

The nut brownie was also gluten free, but didn't taste it - you can see how dense and moist it was and this was my pick of the bunch - nuts enough to give crunch but not so many that the chocolate isn't a good strong force all on its own. And again, the small size made me less piggy, which has got to be a good thing. ;-)

Last but not least was the magic slice - sort of midway between the bliss balls and the brownie, this had the intense chocolate hit, the nuts, the dense moist texture and the fruit all rolled into one. I can see that any of these morsels would be a welcome addition to morning coffee time, as they were all yummy - but both Mr Cake and I liked the magic slice most, and the brownie was a very close second.

So a big thank you to Mike for brightening my day and letting me have a Kokako experience even though I lost my battle against the Auckland traffic - they are selling some nifty looking gift boxes for Christmas, which I'm sure he'll be more than happy to provide the details of if you're interested - otherwise, if these slices are anything to go by you should definitely pay them a visit because their food must be yummy!





Kokako is located at 492 Parnell Road, the intersection of Ayr Road and Domain Drive, ph 09 366 4464, www.kokako.co.nz, email mike@kokako.co.nz