A leisurely stroll through The Gardens at 360 Mall is never complete without an indulgent session at Life with Cacao. Now clad in a whimsical new look, the beautiful lounge for all things dessert seamlessly brings more life to the luxurious shopping destination in Kuwait.
Admire the living wall of greenery, and enjoy the sunshine flooding in through the mall’s glass façade at Life with Cacao. Whether you choose to sit inside the cozy interior space, or you’d rather bask in the calm exterior sanctuary set next to the Japanese Koi pond, rest assured that your experience at Life with Cacao will leave you appreciating those fine, little details that make life better. Hint: These details usually involve a healthy dose of chocolate, and at Life with Cacao, the culinary experts at this establishment want you to ‘Live Deliciously.’
Life with Cacao’s new look emanates with chic. From the fabulous dark, wooden parquet floors that are successfully juxtaposed with monochromatic marble features, to the industrially themed lamps styled next to the regal chandelier that commands your attention as you’re walking by. French-inspired salon armchairs, luxurious sofas, and antique dresser benches make every corner worth total admiration. We immediately fell in love, especially with the vintage, wooden panels adorning the walls, artfully housing decorative birdcages.
We also couldn’t help but notice the towering shelves filled with books to the brim. At first, we thought the books were merely decorative. Closer examination revealed, however that the staggering collection of aged books were real. Think Shakespeare’s classics in German, an illustrated edition of Robinson Crusoe, Little Women and so many more! We know we’ll quickly return to this special little reading nook at Life with Cacao, to not only let our eyes devour the book collection on display, but to also further explore the brand’s visionary dessert offerings.
Understanding the Life with Cacao lifestyle is easy, you simply have to allow the space and inspired menu to immerse your taste buds with their delectable flavor profiles. Falling in love with chocolate is never hard, as it all depends on the quality of the ingredients used. At this establishment, the commitment to sourcing the finest chocolates can be experienced throughout their vast offerings. Since the local development of this concept seven years ago, they’ve recently revamped the look of the space as well as their menu, with 25 new offerings that include incredible desserts, savory bites and dazzling drinks.
Our eyes lingered across the menu’s beautiful pages, and while we were so tempted to start our morning with Fondue for Two (because, why not?), we opted to try the S’mores Croissant. Our minds were piqued by the uniquely round-shaped croissant that was generously filled with Life with Cacao’s homemade hazelnut spread, hazelnut chunks, melted marshmallows, generously drizzled with a salted caramel sauce, and served with Vanilla ice cream. The flavors worked together perfectly, as the freshness of the ice cream that was delightfully not too sweet, cut through the richness of this offering. Another show stopping signature dessert to try is the Cacao Surprise. Guaranteed to delight all of your senses, this dessert arrives as a tempered chocolate dome, filled with mango cake, mango ice cream, and is served with hot white chocolate sauce that reveals the fruity surprise that lies within.
The dessert menu also displayed an array of puddings that left us quite speechless, such as the Peanut Butter Chocolate Pudding, a soft cake filled with peanut butter topped with chocolate ice cream, caramel, chocolate sauce, toffee chunks and caramelized peanuts. We also loved how cakes are presented at Life with Cacao. Artfully layered in beautiful mason jars, options like the Golden Cheesecake or the Hazelnut Cake will leave your taste buds singing for more.
Breakfast options are also available at this establishment, from a classic American offering, French Toast (Bonus tip: try the Cacao French Toast that mixes both dark and milk chocolate sauces with vanilla ice cream) Pancakes, to Eggs Benedict and their Brioche Egg Sandwich. However, we gave in to sweet sensations, and ordered the Caramel Crêpe stuffed with salted caramel sauce, and topped with cubed toffee pieces, and chocolate rounds, as well as Red Velvet pancakes drizzled in a gorgeous chocolate sauce with fresh strawberries.
To break the rotation of sweets coming to our table, we decided on a simple savory interlude—the Butternut Salad. With roasted pumpkin, mixed greens, onions, peanuts and zingy orange zest and served with a butternut sauce, the salad was a light and refreshing bite. We also noticed that you can get creative with savory waffles at Life with Cacao, or you can choose from a variety of sandwiches and pastas to break that sweet cycle.
After our savory excursion, our palates once again craved something sweet. Which is why we chose a jaw dropping shake—yes that’s the reaction we had when we saw the Pistachio Shake. Pistachio ice cream, chocolate ice cream, fresh cream, dark chocolate sauce, chunks of pistachio and meringue. Our taste buds were riveted, from the smoothness of the ice cream to the crunchiness of the nuts and meringue pieces.
We ended our opulent morning with copious amounts of tea and hot chocolate, and we invite you to visit this dazzling establishment to experience the cacao lifestyle. Trust us, you won’t regret it!
Life with Cacao is located in 360 Mall (2530 9909), Grand Avenue-The Avenues (2220 0762), The M2, Salhiya Complex (2299 6970), West Mishref (2539 5415) and The Promenade Mall in Hawally (2225 6415). Please visit www.lifewithcacao.com for more information. Follow Life with Cacao on Instagram, @LifewithCacaoKw. Photography by Yousef Al Nasser, @Yousefcam on Instagram.
