Just in time for the holiday season, WashingtonExec had the opportunity to interview Washington, D.C. late-night chocolate lounge entrepreneur Nisha Sidhu. Nisha Sidhu, along with Bharet Malhotra, run the restaurant and chocolate boutique Co Co. Sala, located in Penn Quarter.
We asked Sidhu why she felt so strongly about opening her own chocolate oasis and how she is able run a restaurant that ranges from a late-night lounge to a popular brunch spot. Sidhu of course discussed her made-fresh daily chocolate, popular holiday gifts for that special someone, as well as what her favorite chocolate combination is.
“The inspiration mostly comes from familiar items and finding a twist. Many times the twist involves chocolate such as the chocolate enrobed bacon garnish on our bacon mac and cheese. Alternatively, the twist may involve liqueurs such as our cupcake chasers. It’s a chocolate cupcake with a liqueur-filled pipette injected into it. Some may say it looks somewhat scientific…we like to say it’s chocolate for ‘grown ups’!,” said Sidhu.
WashingtonExec: What gave you the idea to open Co Co. Sala?
Nisha Sidhu: In 2005, I started developing a concept which revolved around coffee, chocolate, and cocktails. The initial concept was an art gallery space which showcased edible artwork in the form of sugar and chocolate showpieces and served handmade chocolates. However, having lived in the DC area for almost 20 years I felt that it would be great for DC to have a place to go to late at night for fine dining level desserts. Often when you have a multi course meal at a restaurant, you are too full to even enjoy dessert and rarely do you go to a fine dining restaurant only for dessert. The concept grew to include multi-course desserts served in the evenings and a chic yet comfortable lounge that served creative cocktails. I knew that this was something I could not do alone and after meeting my partner Bharet Malhotra, my dream soon became a reality. Since cocktails were going to be served, it made sense to include some savory elements on the menu. When I met our Executive Chef Santosh Tiptur in 2006, we began brainstorming ideas on how to subtly incorporate chocolate and coffee in savory dishes. What started as a small chocolate shop, soon became a concept that involved chocolate in all forms imaginable including a full service restaurant and retail shop. The name Co Co. Sala has several areas of symbolism. Co Co. stands for coffee, cocktails, and of course…chocolate. Sala means lounge in a few languages including Italian. The connotation of company in Co. represented our management team who worked tirelessly for two years before even opening the doors. Hence, the name Co Co. Sala. Over the years, our menu and offerings have evolved but our core premise of coffee, chocolate, and cocktails has remained.
WashingtonExec: You have said that you “have a passion” for chocolate…what is your favorite kind? What is your favorite chocolate dish or combination?
Nisha Sidhu: Needless to say, I love to enjoy chocolate in all forms whether it be a bon bon, dessert, ice cream, artwork, or just a simple piece of solid chocolate. Although I have many, one of my favorite types of chocolate is Jivara by Valrhona. However, my favorite way to enjoy chocolate is with salt. Ever try sprinkling coarse sea salt on chocolate ice cream? It sounds a bit crazy but it’s one of those things that just goes together well!
WashingtonExec: Your restaurant is a boutique, night club and brunch hot spot…do you ever sleep? How has Coco Sala been able to transition so well?
Nisha Sidhu: Between Co Co. Sala and having two wonderful, yet very active children I believe it’s safe to say I don’t sleep much. It’s always a struggle trying to find the right balance when one is so passionate about both their business and family. However, it’s a also a tremendous blessing. I believe our success in transitioning amongst our various areas has been due to a few factors. First of all, we strive to be the best at whatever we do and don’t allow ourselves to overfocus on just one area of the business. Secondly, our staff just amazes me in their dedication and hardwork. We are very much a family and I believe that creating this type of an environment internally, will hopefully reflect on our guests so that they feel as if they are in our home. Lastly and most importantly, our guests are very loyal and great at spreading the word about all of our offerings. We love to use social media, attend fundraisers, and reach out to people directly so that they feel comfortable knowing that they will have a memorable experience at Co Co. Sala.
WashingtonExec: The holiday season is upon us…what would you recommend getting for someone’s significant other, mother or sister from your shop?
Nisha Sidhu: I don’t think you can go wrong with any of our gifts since everything is hand-made fresh on a daily basis without any preservatives. We also take pride in our product aesthetics and packaging so the recipient really feels special when they open their gift. If you are unable to actually bring them in to enjoy the full experience at Co Co. Sala, then a wonderful and unique gift is our Co Co. Breakfast Box which includes a chocolate bar made with locally-roasted espresso beans, a tube of our popular chocolate-enrobed bacon, a co co. sala mug, a strip of our vanilla bean marshmallow, and our hot co co. pop which is a pop that melts into a decadent european-style hot chocolate when you add hot milk.
WashingtonExec: I heard that First Lady Michele Obama recently dined with 7 friends at your restaurant…did you have the opportunity to meet her? Did she say what her favorite dish was? Did you have to close down the whole restaurant?
Nisha Sidu: Unfortunately, I was not at the restaurant when the First Lady visited. It was a private outing so we did not know about it in advance. However, I was in close contact with our GM and Chef that evening so it was still an amazing experience. We did not have to close down the restaurant. In fact, most of our guests did not even know she was there until after she had left.
WashingtonExec: Where do you find your inspiration for all your unique dishes?
Nisha Sidhu: Our Executive Chef Santosh Tiptur develops all of the recipes for our dishes and chocolates. He is an extremely gifted chef that translates my often crazy ideas into a dish or its component. Together we work on the general concept for our menus. The inspiration mostly comes from familiar items and finding a twist. Many times the twist involves chocolate such as the chocolate enrobed bacon garnish on our bacon mac and cheese. Alternatively, the twist may involve liqueurs such as our cupcake chasers. It’s a chocolate cupcake with a liqueur-filled pipette injected into it. Some may say it looks somewhat scientific…we like to say it’s chocolate for “grown ups”!
WashingtonExec: Does Coco Sala plan on using new discount sites such as D.C.-based LivingSocial?
Nisha Sidhu: We were actually one of the first DC restaurants to participate in Living Social back in 2009. It was great for us as it helped us reach thousands of customers whom we may not have reached otherwise.