Bonsai Botanika - 109 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane QLD 4000

Quirky combination of specialty coffee, gourmet chocolate treats and Japanese ramen all under the same roof, which Bonsai Botanika somehow managed to pull off.

Furnished with warm earthy tones, an iconic rustic bike, and an exquisite display of organic but decadent desserts, I instantly fell in love with this hippy yet so trendy café.

 

Bonsai Botanika is split into three levels:

• On the ground floor, you can choose from various organic coffees, including CHEMEX Brew and Kyoto Cold-Drip Brew, gourmet chocolate drinks, frappes, homemade artisan ice-cream, paired with a slice of flourless cake.
• Upstairs, there's a nifty bar serving ramen at exorbitant prices. Prices range from $18 - $27.

 

As a self proclaimed chocolate connoisseur, I was immediately drawn to the four different types of hot chocolate available - Swiss White Chocolate, 32.9% Java Milk Chocolate, 67% Madagascar Dark Chocolate, and 70.1% Ecuador Dark Chocolate. I wasted no time at all and ordered the 70.1% Ecuador Dark Chocolate ($4).

Instead of getting some boring old hot chocolate, I got a pretty cool science experiment - with hot frothy milk in one cup and smooth indulgent dark chocolate separated in a miniature conical flask.

Check out my cool science experiment - Ecuador Dark Chocolate

This was waaay better than liquid gold - the rich, creamy chocolate glided smoothly down my throat but the dark decadent chocolate flavours still lingered on my palette even after I finished the hot chocolate. Irresistibly addictive, my Fellow Food Extinguisher had to literally stop me from taking my empty conical flask to the counter to ask for more.

Please sir, I want more...

My Fellow Food Extinguisher ordered the Kyoto Cold Brew ($5.8). Unfortunately, I am caffeine intolerant and don't know how to appreciate coffee, but my Fellow Food Extinguisher enjoyed it very much as it gave him a strong caffeine hit. For a cold brewed coffee, I thought it was quite aromatic (just because I can't drink coffee doesn't mean I can't smell coffee!).

We ended our wonderful evening with a slice of Matcha Green Tea Cake ($8.8 for 110g). Despite being rich and dense, it was slightly crumbly and bordering dry - it would probably have tasted better earlier in the day (i.e. when it was fresh). The matcha flavours felt marginally artificial and left a pungent bitter aftertaste. Although the cake was still relatively decent, I expected more if the café charged a premium - at least pair it with ice-cream (and not plain old cream)! Let's just say I would much rather have the indulgent desserts at Jamie's Italian for $10 instead.

Verdict:
Hot Chocolate here is to-die-for, close to being on par with Lindt Café or Guylians. Pity I can't say the same for the cakes.