Calling all Chocoholics

My love affair with chocolate began when I was a baby. Sneaking chocolate out of the fridge in the middle of the night and taking a piece out of my little brother's lunchbox were daily activities! I dreamed of touring Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory just like Charlie Bucket.
Then the most terrific thing happened. I found the golden ticket! I discovered Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.. FOR ADULTS! It is a chocolate and cocktail focused lounge called, Co Co. Sala.

The interior is sleek, elegant and sexy. There are rich brown colored walls to emulate flowing chocolate while there is a projection of flames in front of the bar to emulate a fireplace. There are also random splashes of the color red intertwined throughout the space - pillows, lamps, couches, stools, etc. Red invokes many psychological associations such as passion and love as it stimulates faster heartbeats and increases adrenaline. Consequently, this place is a perfect place for a romantic date or a fun girl's night out.

The lighting of the restaurant is dim and each table has a candle. Chilled out house music plays in the background at the perfect volume - soft enough to engage in intimate conversations, yet loud enough to block off what the people at the next table are yapping about.   

The food is sensational. All the dishes have unique flavors and are portioned to be lighter bites. This place is geared towards their desserts so we decided to skip on the appetizers. I had the glazed organic black pearl salmon ($20) as my main which was delightful. The salmon was glazed with a pineapply-gingery-chilli sauce which gave my mouth a fantastic surprise with each bite. Some bites I could taste the sweetness of the pineapple while other bites the sharp and pungent taste of the ginger would unravel.

The salmon was accompanied with sweet and sour cauliflower mixed with almonds and pomegranate. I was so thrown off by the combination of the side as I usually have sweet and sour chicken or pork at a chinese restaurant. I've never had sweet and sour cauliflower florets before! They were shockingly terrific - the fried batter around it made the vegetables crispy while the inside remained soft. It was also coated with the perfect amount of sauce and thankfully was not drowning in it. The pomegranates were a fun surprise...I've never really eaten pomegranates in a main dish before. They added an interesting texture and taste and altogether it worked really nicely.

My friend ordered the lamb slider trio with fries ($20) which he thoroughly enjoyed. 

The three lamb patties were marinated in a curry and coconut sauce which was DELICIOUS! I liked how it was not a basic, traditional American burger. Instead, it was fused with Greek and Middle Eastern flavors. In addition, rather than serving ketchup and mustard condiments, a lime yogurt cream was used. The dish came with a side of parmesan and rosemary fries which were very well-seasoned. There was also a chipotle mayonnaise sauce that was really tasty.

The dessert menu was extensive! It took us ages to decide what to get because they all sounded splendid!  We finally decided to share the "Chocolate Onyx" ($12).  It was three parts of the dessert separated in different sections on one long, rectangular plate. It was a dark chocolate mousse with a thin crispy chocolate cracker on top with a layer of crème brûlée on top of that as well. In the center of the mousse was a salted caramel which together was the perfect mix of sweet and salty. Next to the mousse was a chocolate sorbet, and next to that was a cinnamon toffee bon bon. I put a little bit of each of the three parts on my spoon and ate it altogether. 

 There are no words to explain how AMAZING this dessert was... 

Co Co. Sala is somewhere every chocoholic needs to go. So head down to 929 F Street NW whenever you get the chance!