Cocoa Room is the place of sweet dreams.
The color scheme of glowing golds and deep browns help transport you to a different place. Huge murals, barrel seating and rich ostrich leather complete the journey from the present to a pirate ship traveling the trade routes of yore. Breakfast or brunch at the Cocoa Room, located in the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC) is a favorite for Kuwait residents to do!
Obviously, everyone and their brother loves it too.
The catch? They don’t do reservations, we are not sure why. Instead, they put you on their wait list. For those of us who are not really the patient kind and tap our feet and tut when something takes too long, this can be drag. Especially when we are hangry (which is almost all the time).
We were warned but we decided to give it a try anyway!
Attempt 1
A few weeks ago, we tried to get in and waited for 20 minutes. We walked around the pool and picturesque gardens of the JACC and came back with eager faces to the hostess, only to be told that we were still number 16 on the list. Our rumbling stomachs and other restaurants beckoned us to explore other options, but the glow of Cocoa Room made us resist. We took another round and scrolled through Facebook. It had been 30-40 minutes. By then our blood sugar, high hopes, and aspirations had fallen so low that we gave up and left.
Attempt 2
The next time, we got lucky. It was 8am on a Friday morning and we were awake after an early night in. On a whim, we made a call to find out how much we would have to wait. The hostess told us that we wouldn’t have to. People smarter than us were probably still enjoying their weekend sleeping in.
There was little traffic and we managed to get there really quickly. We were still sort of expecting to wait for a couple of minutes. But, we didn’t! We got in right away. It was also pretty empty. We had the place mostly to ourselves. The staff were visibly well rested and ready for us.
Signature hot cocoas, Morrocan Scrambles, Wild Mushroom Benedict Croissants and sizzling sausages filled our bellies. Let’s just say the croissants were a very pleasant surprise. The crunchy toasted exterior coupled with the eggs that were cooked to perfection. The sauteed mushrooms balance everything to create a flawless dish.
It was relaxed and enjoyable, the way a breakfast should be. We could listen to the music and we didn’t have to compete with the people next to us to be heard.
And then like clockwork, the crowd picked up post 10am and the queue for a table began. You could feel the eyes of those waiting burning holes into the back of your head while you slowly sipped your hot chocolate.
By the time we were done the place was completely packed and people were lined outside. We might have looked a little too smug while we were leaving.
It was such a happy experience that the next time we want to go we’ll be sure to set our alarm clocks and not leave it to luck. Because the Cocoa Room is definitely worth the wait!
To learn more about Cocoa Room, follow them on Instagram @cocoaroom.
Cocoa Room is in the 2018 Dining & Entertainment Guide, view the entry here
Featured image taken by bazaar staff.
