Coco Bamboo Restaurant

Coco Bamboo, my second return and already my favourite Caribbean Brazilian restaurant I know of. A place with skilled chefs who know what they are doing and know how to use their ingredients to bring out flavours. All of their dishes are served in generous portions too at a reasonable price.

The decor I wasn't too keen on in the beginning before I realised each side of the wall was a colour from the Brazilian flag. But I'm afraid it just doesn't work as the low lighting reflecting off the green gives an 'off' unappetising colour. The place wasn't bad but just a bit plain and empty looking. I suppose it will have to be one of those places where you just have to judge it for its food and service instead.

For this meal we started with the seafood gumbo. Sadly when eating the seafood I could taste it wasn't really fresh with the fish being quite bitter and prawns mushy. The mussels were fine though. Luckily the broth was unaffected and well flavoured as you could really taste the different notes of spices in there and a good tomato sweetness to it. Hopefully it was just an off day.

The Casquinha was an interesting texture. Initially I thought it would be a lot firmer due to the misleading crispy breadcrumbs on top but instead it was like a soft dressed crab but cooked in a light tomato broth. It didn't particularly tickle my taste buds as it was a bit too fishy for my liking and watered down but I could taste the various of flavours in there. Mum liked it, I just prefer things with more of a bite to it. Next time I will stick to my jerk chicken wings, barbecue pork ribs and salt cod fritters that did taste fresh and gave that bite I wanted. They were all very moorish with the well spiced. svaoury sweet marinade they were covered in and the fritters having a good crunch and bouncy texture.

But luckily i saw the quality shine through again in the mains again. We were quite worried after having the seafood starter that lacked freshness and ordering the seafood platter as a main. However I was blown away as it was one of the best seafood platter I have had in a while. The scallops were beautifully grilled, fresh cooked medium for that perfect buttery tender texture. The prawns were also fresh, still in it's shell so it maintained it's sweet juicy flavours and had a nice bouncy texture. The Tilapia was also perfectly grilled for that nice crispy skin that maintained most and flakey inside, lightly seasoned with delicate flavours. Together with the citrusy mango salsa that lifted the freshness of the seafood it was a dish I would highly recommend for seafood lovers. No additional sauces or seasoned were needed to improve this dish.

We balanced this more delicate dish with the mixed barbecue. For all meat lovers I seriously recommend this dish as it was finger-lickin good. The ribs was in the same sweet, sticky, spiced marinade I love, meat hugging the bone for a good textural bite and succulent like expected. Chicken thigh was one of the tastiest ones I've had, nice charred skin and meat really absorbing the flavours . Even the sausages were really plumb, well seasoned and bursting with flavour. This was just as good as I had it the other time so consistency is present here. The portion was also very generous and could easily feed two.

I also recommend everyone to forget chips and order fried cassava instead as it is the most moorish starchy, crispy fluffy texture I've come across for a root vegetable. Dipped in the sauces of the meat dishes they became addictive. It came with the seafood platter but if you decide to order another main make sure you order these as an additional side,

As full as we were we still had to finish the already amazing meal with desserts. The chocolate cake was as good as I remember it to be, light, airy and moist that just crumbled away to the ice cream and the chocolate sauce that brought it all together. The rum was sweeter, richer and a more indulge dessert that fills you up. I very much enjoyed it with the nice burst of sweetness from the raisins and preferred it ever so slightly especially with the rum and raisin ice cream that gave it a nice kick of flavour from the alcohol.

Service was very friendly and smiley, over the phone and in person. They were more than accommodating on both visits. I even personally went down to thank the chefs as they do an awesome job at delivering flavours with homely sauces and all cooked perfectly to give that perfect texture.

The only suggestion I give is to give the place a bit of a redo just to liven up the place and maybe add more decor to the walls to stop it looking so bare and empty upstairs. Coco Bamboo is a great place to get the full experience and flavours of Carribean cuisine. Don't forget to get yourself a caipirinha too and to use your Tastecard if you have one for 50% off the set menu. One of the better restaurants on there. I will be back soon.

Cocobamboo the old site for Zorya is a new Brazilian restaurant that also has a surprisingly good lounge style cocktail vibe.

My group of seven were drawn in by the 2-4-1 cocktail offer that was running all night. It was a Tuesday, but who can resist 2-4-1's. The place was deserted and the server who was very attentive gave us a choice of sitting in any of the several areas that make up Cocobamboo. We chose a sofa area towards the back and were quickly handed cocktail menu's. The list wasn't extensive but there were some good contemporary and classic choices. We had two rounds, my Capoeria cocktail was on the strong side of being balanced but still tasty. My Raspberry Mojito was spot on.

We didn't eat so I cannot comment on the food, but the cocktail waitress said they were launching a new drinks menu soon. Judging by the impressive back bar of spirits, the new list could be something special.

Cocktails are reasonable at £6.50 a pop, £8 when it's 2-4-1, and I have faith that the weekend late licence could create a rather special atmosphere. There is a covered roof terrace that will be a superb spot for summer late night revelling. Bring on those hot summer nights.

Great food and superb batidas

This place specialises in brazillian carribbean food. And what it's successful at is blending the best of both worlds seamlessly without any clear separation. And it's a big success.

Decor is muted with a nice dark wooden panel theme going on. Whilst the place is simple, the food is nothing of the sort. Lots of exciting flavours. good portions and a relaxed setting for eating good homely food.

My favourite dishes were the meats that were grilled very and the tubular sides like the sweet potato, cassava and plantain.

The staff were very good, polite, helpful with recommendations and despite forgetting adding out drinks order to the bill, were good. For some reason they strangely split the food and drinks bill as if they were separate entities. Good for record-keeping, but ultimately confusing for both customer and business.

We were there on a quiet weekday. I can imagine from the cocktails on offer, the latter part of the week, will be a lot busier. However the restaurant is up in it's own dedicated area, so hopefully shouldn't be too noisy.

This place is sort of hidden away and to be frank at first it doesn't look like a restaurant at all. I walked past a couple of times and I thought it was a beauty saloon or perhaps a bar with a tropical theme. But I'm glad I payed more attention on Sunday and realised it was a restaurant (how did I miss the sign by the front door with a grilled meat dish photo??). And I'm glad I was hungry and decided to go in!

I had never been to a Caribean Brazillian restaurant before. There are quite a lot of options in the menu, but as usual on my first venture in a new restaurant I go for the safe bet. In this case I ordered the ribeye steak. And oh dear, it was the most amazing one I've had in a long while (and I eat steak a lot). Very juicy, tender, full of flavour (more so with the herb butter) and cooked just right. I thoroughly enjoyed that meal.

Also, I ordered a virgin mojito and I am happy to say I've finally found the one place in London where they do it right! I'm sure would probably even like the non-virgin version, even though I'm not a fan of rum.

I will be back for sure, to try more of their goodness. I haven't been to a lot of the restaurants in the area just yet, but so far Coco Bamboo is taking the #1 spot and it will be hard to knock it down.

Cocobooboo? Cocobambam? Cococabana? Hot cocoa?

I'm not sure if I'll ever remember the actual name of this new little cocktail spot in Camden, but there are a few things I'll never forget about this evening:

-A two syllable Da-yum upon entering. Thanks kitchen staff...
-SPICEWORLD
-A cocktail-off with mutant green and toxic blue drinks
-DJ Tanner (best DJ name ever)
-Dessert that involved bananas and cinnamon ice cream
-DJ Salinger (2nd best DJ name ever)
-A fantastic (and cheap) house red wine
-SPICEWORLD. Yes, again.
-The Sco
-15 people enjoying a chilled out Camden bar on a Thursday evening
-Crossroads, the movie

And there you have it folks, proof that Cocoboobie causes greatness.

When I won a twitter competition for a two course dinner for two at Coco Bamboo here's our fantastic experience dining with them:
The super friendly waitress gave us menus and advised that despite the prize only stating food was included our first drinks would be complimentary too - including the cocktails! Score. Their cocktail menu is extensive so it took a while but I finally settled on a passionfruit mojito while my dining companion went for a traditional Brazilian rum punch.

Keen to try out something a bit different I went for the Ackee and Saltfish - Jamaica's national dish. Salt cod is sautéed with the ackee fruit, onions, peppers and spices to make a delightful dish with delicate flavours. I found the fish to be very small flaked pieces rather than big discernible chunks but the flavour of the fish still makes it through. This can also be served as a main with rice which I think would be even more delicious and a great light option for those watching what they're eating.

For main I stuck with the fish theme and decided to pay an extra supplement to have the seafood platter. In their own words "a feast of scallops, fresh prawns, tilapia and sea bream fillets served with fried cassava and mango salsa". And what a feast it was! Everything was extremely fresh with the scallops being cooked to absolute perfection. I wasn't a fan on the salsa finding it a bit on the sweet side but that's my personal taste.

You'd think after this spread we'd have no more room but we both decided we wanted the pudding. I wanted the lighter option of passion fruit mousse but sadly they didn't have any available so we both had thick slabs of CocoBamboo chocolate cake.

It was a bit heavy for me but really, really good. Positively stuffed we requested the bill only to be absolutely astounded to discover they had taken off both the cost of the desserts AND the supplements for our chosen mains; the only think we had to pay for were the second round of drinks we had which were included in their happy hour deal (two for £9 if I remember correctly) so we ended up paying about £12 including tip for a three course meal with two drinks each! Incredibly generous of them.

The service was attentive, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was really nice and the cocktails were absolutely fabulous - what more do you need? If you live or work in the area and fancy trying something a bit different I really recommend that you visit.

Despite having once been a bartender*, I am not that into cocktails. I don't dislike them**, but I usually just stick to beer or whiskey***.

I thus tend to be less impressed than my peers by fancy cocktail bars.

Well, I've changed. The Caipirinha with chilli is the tastiest cocktail I've had in London. Delicious Cachaca**** and lime and sugar and spicy, spicy chilli make this a totally unique and tasty drink. Ask anyone at my table, as I think everyone took a sip*****.

I will definitely be stopping by CocoBanana****** for another one when I am in the hood.

Footnotes:
*Or as my old boss insisted, a 'mixologist'. I will punch myself in the nose before I ever refer to myself as a mixologist

** If you buy me one, I will certainly drink it

*** That said, I do like Negronis in the summertime

****Have you ever heard anyone actually pronounce this? I think it's said ka-sha-sa

*****Maybe I should be asking who gave me the swine flu

****** I will continue to call it this despite having learned its actual name, because I like to say Cocobanana. Sorry, Jarkyn.

Big props to the staff at Cocobamboo. I must have enfuriated them and they were cool as cucumbers.

Picture the worst kind of customer - a very innebriated rugby player who has been celebrating a very tense, epic and fraught 15-14 semi final win with his rugby bros all day, well into double figures in pints and about the same in shots. You know this guy... he's a pain in the arse. Picture this customer arriving at Cocobamboo about 1am to meet his friends, huge rugby kit bag in tow. Picture him ordering a cocktail that isn't even on the menu whilst he happily tucks into the bowl of fruit on the bar. He clears 2 bananas in seconds, the pomegranite is a sterner test. Picture the bartenders face.....? Well he was laughing. Enjoying it! He was loving the rude banter. Incredible.

I'll definitely come back here again... If I'm allowed in.

Photos on my camera tell me that the place looks nice too.

If you find yourself out and about in Camden and in the mood for a ridiculous neon cocktail, Cocobamboo is the place for you. A new-ish tropical-themed bar with a decent atmosphere and a wait staff who happily put up with the antics of a large, rowdy group of giggly Yelpers, I had a jolly nice evening here last month which was made all the better by the delightful company of my Yelp homies. Though the cocktail menu was a bit limited and the drinks themselves wholly inconsistent in their composition from one glass to the next, everyone seemed quite pleased with the beverages they ended up receiving.

(My drink, for instance, was a deep greenish-brown with strong cola flavour-notes and what appeared to be muddled mint floating across the surface. Not a single drink on the menu makes any mention of either cola or mint. Was actually quite good, though!)

Being quite a new venue, we had the place mostly to ourselves. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, the staff was patient with our epic rearranging of tables and general loud silliness, and the location was ideal just across from the Stables. With a chilled-out vibe and a 2-for-1 happy hour until 8:00, I predict that Cocobamboo will do just fine for itself. Even if it isn't necessarily my cup of electric-blue-booze.

Loved this bar. Had one of the best cocktails i've ever had- the Coco Bamboo. Nice roof terrace and tropical/tiki-ish feel. Will definitely return.