Stepping into a summer oasis at Koko Black

Stepping inside a dessert cafe as an adult is what I can only imagine is akin to a child entering Willy Wonka's factory. There's large parts of me that long to throw caution to the wind, to indulge in my every desire and to basically get turnt up on sugar. Most of the time I'm able to restrain myself, though it can be difficult! 

Recently I received an invitation to visit Koko Black and try their new Summer Oasis menu at a salon (store) of my choice. Having already been to the Claremont salon back when it first opened, I chose the Perth one on a Friday night so I could swing past the Hawker Markets and do a spot of late night shopping too. 

Last time I went to Koko Black I found the desserts a bit hit and miss, so I was looking forward to what this visit would bring - and if it would tick all the boxes for me. So much time has passed since then, and it was very early days after opening. 

The Perth Koko Black salon is huge and quite aesthetically opulent, with hints of white, beige and cold offset by greys and wood. It's very modern but still quite warm; a pleasure to sit back and relax in. We choose a seat and instantly a waitress comes over with glasses and cold water - already we're off to a great start.

My boy and I peruse the menu, looking over the dessert options greedily before we finally make a decision. It's quite an extensive offer, but we're looking for some stellar dishes that represent summer - and will work as the perfect treat to cool down during this hot weather.

Before long, our orders come out to the table in a flurry of fanfare. I have to move quickly to snap some pics before everything melts!

We decide to order a dessert each, plus share a drink between the two of us. Our classic Belgian iced chocolate ($8.50) is basically a dessert in itself with cold milk, bitter yet slightly sweet chocolate, ice-cream and what I think was a chocolate mousse too. So happy we shared this one!

Disclaimer: I may have made the boy take a "lady and the tramp" style selfie because I was so amused by us sharing this drink. Ahhh the things he does for me - sometimes I don't know how he's so patient and accommodating to my every crazy whim.

My boy's dessert of choice is the beautiful mango and vanilla ice cream spectacular ($9.50). It comes out as two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream on top of a caramelised coconut crumble and topped with a crunchy tuile.

The mango coulis comes in a separate pouring jar, available to add at your leisure. Doesn't it just look so vibrant and summery!

The flavour is beautiful, creamy and zingy with just the right balance of sweetness. There's a satisfying crunch from the crumble and the tuile which offers that always desirable textural element.

My choice of dessert is the raspberry chocolate dome ($10.50) which is made of a milk chocolate and raspberry puree mousse with Madagascan vanilla custard and a liquid raspberry centre. Boy oh boy!

First off, for the price, I was not expecting something so beautiful and sophisticated. The dome cracks open, the insides slowly oozing out.

There's so much to really love about this, with it's vibrancy and it's sweet and bitter flavour combination. The freeze dried raspberries are a nice touch, as is the sugary white chocolate decoration. I think I will definitely be back to order this dessert again!

After indulging in all that sugary goodness, I was too full to consider purchasing any treats to take home (which if you read my blog is a common occurrence - I'm a big fan of getting goodies to eat later) but I did have a quick browse and drool over some of the truffles on offer. They might not be cheap, but you can see the quality that goes into making these coverture offerings, and I can only imagine how lovely they must be.

Now you'd think after all that I'd have had my fix of desserts for awhile. But the next day I spent the day splashing about at the beach with my best friends and we were all craving some ice cream! After tossing up between a trip out to Leederville to Gusto Gelato, we ended up choosing the closer option of Koko Black in Claremont.

Even though a big part of me wanted that dome again, I decided to try something else on the menu, the vanilla bean ice cream spectacular ($8.50). Similar to my boy's mango version, mine had warm caramel sauce and a cashew nut brittle. It was very decadent! Sugary, sticky and creamy. I found the brittle got stuck in my teeth and the caramel sauce would have benefited from just a little sprinkling of salt (who doesn't lovvvveeeee salted caramel), but it was still a tasty treat.

So you can probably tell after reading this that I am now a fan of Koko Black - so much so that after our complimentary desserts I returned the next day to pay for more! Their new summer oasis is sure to impress sweet toothed individuals throughout our great city and beyond.