Yesterday was the big day. The much, MUCH anticipated Cocoa Room Dubai opened its doors to what i expect was a very excited public. I got to try this place on Thursday, along with a room full of other bloggers and media people.  I must say, I had a great time. Partly due to the food and partly due to the company.

First of all, I cannot stress enough on how absolutely in love I was with the crockery. If i could have, I would have bought every plate, cup and glass on the table. It was all so very girly and rustic-chic and i LOVED it! I didn’t move past eyeing the crockery at any point in the meal, but the food on the plates did steal my attention.

We started off with fresh juices, which, much to my pleasure really were fresh, and a much needed refreshment on this particularly warm Dubai morning.

There was a special Tasting Menu prepared for us bloggers. According to our server, this already overwhelming menu was only half of what a regular customer can expect. Unfortunately there were no prices on the menu so I will not be able to comment on value for money till I go back again.

Among the four of us, we got:

• Roast Beef Eggs Benedict: Although I got to try only two of the many Eggs Benedict options, I think it is safe to say that these guys have knocked the Elevated-Eggs-Benedict-Game out of the park. Beautifully presented and executed, the flavors were on point and I can’t wait to go back and try more. I also lovedd the Meclun salad on the side; the citrus dressing was on point!

• Burrito: This was my least favorite order as I felt it lacking in punch of flavors, but this could quite possibly be due to my indifference towards Mexican food in general. My +1/ blogger-friend who ordered it quite enjoyed it actually.

• Mexican Ranchero Benedict: Again, I’m personally not big on Mexican food but this one managed to impress me. It incorporated Mexican flavors and ingredients with the concept of Eggs Benedict is beautiful harmony. We did feel though, that the absence of a salad or side on this plate made it look a little empty.

•  Ninjawich: This. This is what has been keeping me up at night. It’s like, you can’t decide if you want eggs and bacon for breakfast, or a grilled cheese sandwich, or cinnamon French Toast. That’s where these guys (and perhaps FoodBeast), come in, and say “No biggie, let’s have it all!”. I’m not a fan of bacon, ever, but in this sandwich, it worked and boy oh boy did it work!

We also had a couple of Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates with Toasted Marshmallows. I absolutely LOVED the marshmallows, especially the char on them and of course their abundance. However, the hot chocolate itself was just a reminder to me that I am never a fan of hot chocolate or even warm milk.

Quite satisfied with our savory orders, we moved on to the dessert round. We had:

• Blueberry Wholewheat Pancakes: Served with a quenelle of vanilla clotted cream and some blueberry compote, I drenched these dainty waffle quarters in salted caramel and maple syrup and let my sweet tooth purr away. *Note To Self*:  Must up my dental insurance premium.

• PB&J French Toast: A thick log of crustless bread, filled with a neat tube of what was a mixture of Peanut Butter and Jam, the presentation of this dessert instantly reminded me of the Kaya Butter Toast that I couldn’t get enough of on my last trip to Malaysia.  I’m a big fan of everything this dessert had to offer, but we felt that the presence/ flavor of the jam was a little hard to detect.

• Bannoffee Pancake: This was one messy pile of really delicious and comforting pancakes inspired by the Bannofee Pie that almost everyone knows and loves. Although this was perhaps the most loved dessert on our table in terms of flavors; it stood incongruously among the other desserts in terms of presentation. It looked more like it belonged in a diner and although my eyes were a little unnerved (a good picture is so, SO important to a blogger), my mouth could not care less.

• Red Velvet Pancakes: Perhaps the most sought-after dessert at Cocoa Room, these pancakes could be found on every table. Not surprising at all, when you combine one of the world’s favorite breakfast item’s with one of the world’s favorite cake flavors! The cream cheese frosting was on point and the chocolate syrup they came with was actual, melted, milk chocolate. Thank you, Cocoa Room. Thank you for having the decency (that many lack), to NOT serve bottled Hershey’s so-called chocolate syrup. One suggestion I have is to increase the diameter of the pancakes and reduce them from four to three, to make for better balancing and easier eating.

We washed it all down with some teas. The English Breakfast Tea with milk was unfortunately very weak and should have been brewed much longer. The Silvermoon was excellent though. A harmonious blend of strawberry, vanilla and green tea, this was a great end to the meal.

One thing I’d like to point out is that we were invited to a soft opening of sorts, and our server and the chef were very receptive and well-natured towards all of our feedback and suggestions for improvement. The entire point of a soft opening is to identify any bumpy areas, (preferably in the presence of seasoned diners),  and smooth them out before opening the doors to the masses who more often than not are not very understanding and tend to be overly critical and unforgiving. I personally am more than happy to let a few hiccups go provided that my feedback is well-received. I will definitely be going back with my husband because I see a lot of potential in this place and look forward to trying out the rest of the menu!