Location: 285 Swanston St, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9654 9674
Phone: (03) 9654 9674
Cuisine: Desserts
Overall Impression: 8/10
Fair trade and organic, I thought Cacao Green might be too good to be true. Known as Red Mango in other parts of the world (300 stores all up), I was glad that Cacao Green had finally opened its doors in Melbourne. This is the brand's first Australian store. I was keen to sample the menu on offer.
Brightly lit on bustling Swanston Street, J and I headed there for the first time on a Saturday afternoon.
We were pleased to see that there was an array of choices on the menu. The menu included Organic Frozen Yogurts, Parfaits, Smoothies, Yogurt Drinks/Frappe, Organic Brazillian Chocolate drinks, tea and coffee. For those with a sweet tooth, it was a welcome sight.
And who could forget the choice of toppings available for just that extra bit of excitement on your yogurt!
The thing that I noticed immediately was how prompt and friendly the waitstaff and the environment was - which is always good when you're in a hurry. And in a sense we were because J and I were going to a costume themed ball that night and J still had not found what he was going to wear! *sigh* Men...But I digress. Now back to the toppings:
Toppings: seasonal fresh fruits, compotes, granola and a variety of nuts (I tried honey macadamia and it was delectable!) and cheesecake bites.
Our yogurts soon arrived. The following are the latest seasonal flavours. The flavours change throughout the year so be quick if you want to sample these.
Frozen yogurt: Matcha (green tea)
The yogurt was beautifully creamy and there was an ample amount of sweetness that did not overpower the twang that comes with a good frozen yogurt. The green tea flavour was surprisingly light. The thing to note is that green tea frozen yogurt is very different from green tea ice cream so don't expect something dense that is smacked with green tea flavour. This is a lighter much more refreshing version. I personally, really liked it but J thought it was a little strange for his liking. We both however, agreed that it tasted very creamy and natural.
Frozen yogurt: Chocolate
This was a lot more mainstream. Extremely pleasant and delightful. It tasted like a premium chocolate soft serve with a beautifully smooth and creamy yogurt texture.
Frozen yogurt: Italian Original
This was a winner.
It was their pièce de résistance.
It is no wonder that this is Cacao Green's signature flavour. I was delighted with every moreish mouthful that melted in my mouth. The sweetness and the tangyness of the yogurt was perfectly balanced. Thankfully, unlike the other two aforementined flavours, this is a constant. Highly recommended!
J and I were both extremely surprised to find out that the frozen yogurt contained a mere 0.5% fat. And rest assured, it does NOT taste low in fat. In fact, it was unbelievably creamy and tasted incredibly natural. Like I said, it is a winner!
Gourmet Waffles: Blueberry Almond and Walnut Waffle
Believe it or not, the waffle tasted better than it looked.
The crispy waffle crust and the soft fluffy insides slowly soaking the sweet blueberry compote - delicious. The best waffles are light, airy, sweet and crisp. The gourmet waffles at Cacao Green ticked all those boxes. The roasted crispy almond flakes provided a good textural element to the plate and it was GOOD.
We finished our gastronomical adventure at Cacao Green with a 60% Cacao Hot chocolate.
It was obvious that the hot chocolate was made from good quality chocolate. I soon discovered that it was made from Brazillian organic chocolate- AMMA
It was beautifully balanced - bitter and sweet with hints of walnut and fruit flavours. In contrast to the hot chocolate ordinarily found around Melbourne (e.g. Koko Black), this was much lighter. That is not to say that the chocolate was not intense. It was, in every sense chocolatey and rich but it was not dense. And I believe that this is a matter of taste and preference. On this occassion, given I had just had yogurts and a waffle, this was perfect.
The delicious 60% dark hot chocolate residue
Looks like they weren't lying about using real chocolate. None of that powdered crap, thank you very much.
And I cannot wait to go back. Especially for the Italian Original Frozen Yogurt!
Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Cacao Green and Nuffnang Australia.
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