The scenario “So where do you live?” “Who me? Oh, just at Coco Bliss Coogee,” is more accurate than you would think. Since the Queensland-born raw food and smoothie bowl start-up turned franchise Coco Bliss Collective opened up a branch on Coogee Bay Road, I have been spending my mornings trying every single bowl on the menu.
After my Couchsurfing trip in the USA, I was having açai bowl withdrawals in London. Where was all the açai freshness I binged on in San Diego, L.A. and Long Beach? Luckily living in Coogee has been feeding my addiction, with at least five açai bowl spots opening up within 10 minutes’ walk from my house. From Cali Press to Melonhead, from Juice Stop to the newly-opened and totally yummy Beach Bowls, I just can’t get enough.
One açai bowl bar has stolen my heart however, and that’s Coco Bliss Coogee. Founded in October 2013 friends Candice Roat and Mellita Rayner, Coco Bliss was born with the aim to serve yummy treats that are refined sugar free, superfood boosted eats when on the run. With a menu that is predominately raw, vegan, gluten free and completely refined sugar free, everything at Coco Bliss is 100% nutritious and way too pretty to look at.
After trying the whole menu, my go-to bowl is the MANGO WEISS ($14.00), which wraps my favourite fruit around a traditional açai bowl like rose petals, topping it with muesli, whipped organic coconut yoghurt, organic coconut flakes and pomegranate garnish.
Coco Bliss are specialists in “nice cream”, or ice cream made of raw, frozen and blended fruit. The LEMON COCO BOWL ($14.00 like every bowl on the menu) is zingy and fresh like lemon sorbet but uses nice cream made from coconut flesh, banana, coconut milk, organic maple, lemon and  topped with muesli banana, passionfruit, whipped vanilla coconut yoghurt, organic coconut flakes and raw cashews.
By the way, those weren’t all for me. I took my parents there.
The BALI BOWL uses pitaya, mango and bananas to make nice cream and tops everything with muesli and fresh apple, banana, kiwi fruit, whipped vanilla coconut yoghurt, passionfruit puree and raw cashews.
If you’re looking for a guilt-free treat, the PB JELLY açai bowl adds banana and raw cacao to the mix, with fresh strawberries, pure peanut butter, house whipped organic choc coconut yoghurt, peanut butter swirl and cacao nibs as a topping. The FERRERO BOWL is slightly similar but has no peanut butter and swaps the toppings with a clean nutella swirl, crushed hazelnuts and cacao nibs. If it’s a detox you’re after, Coco Bliss offer THE BLACK BOWL made with toxin cleanser and activated charcoal, for a black açai bowl that is just as yummy as the others but with an extra health kick.
Taking Coco Bliss’s lead, I’ve begun making my own bowls at home and to having them for lunch, dinner or whenever I feel like. If you follow me on Instagram, I apologise in advance for the bowl spam.
Pictures: Carolina Are
I am dreaming of that PB Jelly….
It was pretty yummy!