In a Tizzy

Author: In a Tizzy

  • HoCho Fest 2016: 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 + Farewell!

    Each year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival brings together cafes, confectionaries, and restaurants to create specialty hot chocolate beverages to fundraise for a great cause. This year, proceeds of the festival will be going towards supporting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters. Each year, I join this win-win-win situation by dropping in to every possible location, tasting delicious drinks and snacks, reviewing my stops, and supporting this superb cause.

    This post features: Railtown Cafe, Gem Chocolates, 49th Parallel and Lucky’s Doughnuts, Chez Christophe, Schokolade Artisan Chocolates, and Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionary

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    HoCho 24: Pandance With Me, Railtown Cafe
    This was my first visit to Railtown Cafe! Tucked away in East Vancouver in a corner I didn’t know existed, I found my way one Wednesday at dusk to “Pandance With” their cocoa.
    This cocoa was infused with honest-to-goodness, in-my-cup, lime leaf and chili-infused coconut milk blended with almond milk (original recipe called for dairy milk). The first sip left me with a bit of a *kick* in the back of my throat, and a light, smooth taste in my mouth.

     

    Darker chocolate flavours, along with the aforementioned *kick*, grew more prominent throughout the hot chocolate’s consumption – this is probably because the things that actually flavoured the drink continued to sit and steep as it was drunk. To cool off the tongue, we had a chia bar with jam in lieu of the festival “whippet” cookie due to them selling out before we arrived!
    Overall, I would definitely return to this funky establishment (that also does catering!) to try more of their baked goods, lunch items, and non-dairy drinks in this unassuming part of town. Recommended!
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    HoCho 25: Let’s Do The Time Warp Again!, Gem Chocolates
    Rushing to the door 5 minutes before closing, GD and I ordered two dark chocolate versions of the final flavour at Gem Chocolates. Red chocolate lips topped this rocky-road flavoured drink, and I wish I had eaten them before they dipped beneath the surface, lending to the s’more-like flavours.
    I enjoyed this not-too-sweet chocolate (that probably would have been sweeter with another chocolate) that tasted like a liquid s’more! It was being consumed on-the-go, so there are unfortunately no post-worthy photos following this initial capture!
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    HoCho 26: The Bee’s Knees, 49th Parallel and Lucky’s Doughnuts
    A filling meal at the Foundation, followed by a post-dinner walk, led us to 49th Parallel’s Main Street location. This location has a wooden interior, lodge-y vibe of which I am personally a huge fan. With unreasonable impulsiveness, I ordered The Bee’s Knees in the hopes that it would top my previous 49th experience alongside a PB&J doughnut from Lucky’s.
    Made of almond milk, the honey in this dark chocolate cocoa made it sweet and delicious. While I personally would have preferred a tad less of the sweet stuff, it definitely made it smooth and took away any potential dark chocolate bitterness. There were overtones of lavender that made it a bit lighter in the mouth than it otherwise might have been.
    The biscotti had a mild lavender flavour with visible pieces of the plant inside it, and the white chocolate on the outside was an automatic win.
    … Need I describe how delicious a jelly-covered doughnut with peanut butter filling was?
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    HoCho 27: Winter White, Chez Christophe
    Finally, we made it eastward enough to reach Chez Christophe – an upscale chocolate and pastry establishment that impressed last year with a Fererro Rocher-type treat that was dropped into their hot chocolate. This year, I ordered their Winter White, as this flavour could be made with non-dairy milk (and sounded pretty delicious).
    The orange flavours in the drink reminded me of an herbal tea in the way it almost “floated” in my mouth and lingered after I was finished each sip. There were visible bits of orange zest in the drink, and they made an otherwise very smooth white chocolate texture a little more interesting. I believe that the almond milk was a good call in stunting the sweetness of the white chocolate, and the flavours all balanced quite well.
    A candied orange dipped in dark chocolate accompanied the drink, and was deliciously sweet! Dark chocolate likely helped buffer the intense sugar, but not so much that we missed out on any magic.
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    HoChos 28, 29, 30: I Want You, I Need You!, I Love You, Schokolade Artisan Chocolates
    On the same day as Chez Christophe, my team and I ventured to a similar neighbourhood where we found Schokolade Artisan Chocolates! An enjoyable stop for the last two festivals, I was intrigued by the offerings for this year’s. I was even more intrigued by how our names were interpreted by the folks behind the counter.
    I Need You!: 100% dark chocolate. J (“George”) ordered this one (boldly, I would argue), and allowed me to give it a try. 100% not my cup of cocoa – it was so bitter that it reminded me immediately of coffee (I suppose it did contain caramel “expresso”) and was not a flavour I wished to continue indulging in!
    I Want You: My (“Kathy’s”) selected flavour. I had expected something different based on the online description of this flavour – a “choose your own adventure” kind of vibe – but was somewhat frustrated when trying to order it. Clearly, in the eyes of the woman serving me, I did not understand basic instructions when it came to choosing my drink components off of the clipboard she used to cover up the menu, and when I tried to ask why the clipboard instructions didn’t match the festival description, she told me, with great exasperation, to “FOCUS”. In the end, I had an almond milk, hazelnut dark hot chocolate that reminded me of my disappointing experience at 49th Parallel (due to my own personal preferences) and a bitter taste in my from being scolded.
    I Love You: Afforded correct pronunciation of her name, M went for this one – a pomegranate white hot chocolate mind with almond milk. Topped with real pomegranate seeds and whipped cream, I took more readily to this flavour, and ended up trading with M. It tasted quite sweet and somewhat strangely fruity and tangy, like the flavours of white chocolate and fruit were battling rather than harmonizing. This was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was somewhat “unsettled” as a flavour combination.
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    HoCho 31: Get The Green Light, Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionery
    A bitter(but mostly)sweet day: My final stop for the 2016 Hot Chocolate Festival.
    Upon finding Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionery, it was obvious that this spot is a beloved neighbourhood gem: A line-up had formed outside the doors before it opened! As soon as the doors were unlocked, people scrambled for a seat at the bar and in the booths of this old-school establishment that resembled a diner with its checkered floors and traditional caps atop the heads of its employees.
    Alternating between two flavours throughout the festival, Glenburn offered their Creme de Mènthe, Grasshopper pie-inspired cocoa as their final festival treat. A fan of the alcoholic grasshopper drink and a fan of chocolate, I expected to be a fan of this (even if it did have to be made with dairy milk).
    Topped with white chocolate shavings and chocolate wafer crumbles, the whipped cream had a green tinge and was lightly minty in flavour. The hot chocolate beneath was itself a dark chocolate and blended with non-alcoholic Crème de Menthe, which left an “after feeling” of mint post-sip. Alongside the drink in its handsome glass was a white chocolate cookie that tied the drink’s theme and name together – it was a bit crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, a texture pattern I salivate at the mention of, thus winning my heart.
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    Thank-you for joining me and my friends as we explored the 2016 Hot Chocolate Festival! If you took part in any way, you were supporting a great cause and have contributed in small part (or large part) to a women’s job training program in the city’s downtown eastside. I certainly (obviously) enjoyed taking part, and hope that you have enjoyed my reviews and photographs of my adventures on my third devoted festival experience.
    Until next year…
     
     

  • I could use your help to win!

    Shameless self-promotion and chocolate/worthy cause devotion: 
    This photograph has been featured by City Food Magazine in their Hot Chocolate Festival photo contest! If you “like” this Facebook post and/or this Instagram post, you can support my future hot chocolate adventures and reviews! The person with the most “likes” across the two platforms will win a free pass to all of next year’s festival flavours.

  • HoCho Fest 2016: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

    Each year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival brings together cafes, confectionaries, and restaurants to create specialty hot chocolate beverages to fundraise for a great cause. This year, proceeds of the festival will be going towards supporting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters. Each year, I join this win-win-win situation by dropping in to every possible location, tasting delicious drinks and snacks, reviewing my stops, and supporting this superb cause.

    This post features: French Made Baking, Butter Baked Goods, Chocolate Arts, Diva at the Met, and Bella Gelatería.

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    HoCho 17: Magic Beans, French Made Baking



    On a grey Saturday afternoon – which also happened to fall on National Croissant Day! – we made our way to French Made Baking for a cocoa! FMB changes their flavour every day, cycling through 4 for this year’s festival, and Sunday’s flavour was “Magic Beans”, a white hot chocolate with tonka and vanilla-bean flavours accompanied by a rosemary and sea salt puff pastry twist.
    I ordered mine with almond milk, and was kindly given two twists to enjoy with my chocolate comrade for the day. The store’s sitting space has been expanded since I was last inside, and has a front area with their standard artistic tables and cloudy-blue-sky painted ceilings, with another back-end room that has a distinctly darker red – but very deliciously close to the kitchen – ambiance.

    The flavours in this drink were pleasant but very simple – the almond milk, usually so light in its weight that flavours are more distinguishable, did not bring forth the vanilla too much. It was, however, not overly sweet as I had anticipated a white chocolate being. While simple, it was enjoyable!
    Alongside the drink were the puff pastries, which were not quite as flaky as I had expected, but were certainly puffy! I could not detect the salt and the rosemary was mild, but a pleasant enough treat (salt would have made them pop a bit more, I think!).

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    HoCho 18: The Fluffernutter, Butter Baked Goods


    Holy butterscotch.
    Butter Baked Goods was a magical experience last year with their “You Know What” Oreo-esque hot chocolate with crumbled homemade cookie in the mix. We enjoyed one of those cookies on the side of this year’s “Fluffernutter” festival drink.
    The drink’s snack was a peanut butter marshmallow slice, and I believe this is something you can order separately from the drink, usually; but this year it was kebab’d along with another marshmallow atop the cocoa! I ordered mine with soy milk and was blown away by the strong butterscotch and peanut butter flavours so evidently infused into the white hot chocolate. While very sweet for a Sunday morning, this was definitely a delicious drink. I couldn’t really expect anything less from a place that unabashedly makes butter part of its name – the items are going to be rich and they are going to be delicious. 

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    HoChos 19, 20: Caramel3 and The Creamsicle, Chocolate Arts


    Shameless self-promotion and chocolate/worthy cause devotion: 
    This photograph has been featured by City Food Magazine in their Hot Chocolate Festival photo contest! If you “like” this Facebook post and/or this Instagram post, you can support my future hot chocolate adventures and reviews! The person with the most “likes” across the two platforms will win a free pass to all of next year’s festival flavours.

    Moving on…

    With two amigos in tow, I made a speedy trip before closing time to Chocolate Arts to try a couple of flavours I had had my eyes on for quite some time: “Caramel3 (cubed)” and “The Creamsicle”.
    Unfortunately, I could not order the caramel-done-three-ways hot chocolate with non-dairy milk, so my dairy-loving friend took over once I collected my sample. I did not find the creativity of the drink itself to be outstanding, but the flavours were delicious! Caramel is usually a winner, and the caramel chocolate and the caramel drizzle were a good time. Where is the third caramel element? In the absolutely-amazing-delicious sea-salt-chocolate-covered caramel toffee on the side. I am hugely vulnerable to this particular type of confection, and the case was no different with this one, other than it perhaps being one of the most delicious I have ever tried.
    Luckily, the Creamsicle could be made with non-dairy (almond) milk, so that is what we did! It is a white hot chocolate accompanied by a glorious bitter orange (and chocolate?) macaron and a scoop of blood-orange sorbet, which is to be stirred into the drink to make it a drinkable creamsicle.
    I was a huge fan of this flavour combination – as someone who eagerly consumed Creamsicles in my childhood, this flavour took me to a good place. The bitter blood orange undertone was just detectable at first, but became more prominent as the drink was consumed further. Some vanilla bean traces were spotted at the bottom of the drink, which must have been what made it a more true Creamsicle flavour experience. The macaron was a delicious treat on the side and captured this drink and the festival quite effectively.
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    Between drinks, I had my graduation photos taken! For a prop, I brought my own camera and a mug, and captured this “behind-the-scenes” shot of a pretend hot chocolate. I may post the photographer’s photos later on.

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    HoChos 21, 22: Citrus Zensation and Licorice Bomb 21, Diva at the Met


    My family joined me for a hot chocolate and dinner outing to Diva at the Metropolitan Hotel last week after my graduation photos were taken. We all decided to be bold and ordered two of each festival flavours: The “Citrus Zensation” and “Licorice Bomb 21”. Both of these drinks, like last year at this location, were pre-made with dairy milk, so unfortunately they were not consumed in their entireties!
    The Citrus Zensation was a really interesting recipe of orange juice and dark tangy hot chocolate (the same syrup used on top of Soirette’s “Sourpuss”). The OJ made it much lighter in weight than it probably would have been if only made with milk, but I think what brought it back to a creamier mouthful was the disc of white chocolate on top of it that melted into the drink via hot steam! 

    It resembled last year’s cocoa style, but was looking a bit fancier this time around. Inside the globe was raspberry puree, which added an extra berry dimension to the drink. My sister described it as “more like OJ with chocolate than chocolate with OJ”, but was still pleased with her drink. It was accompanied by a small pistachio-orange financier, which looked delightful.
    I ordered the Licorice Bomb 21: Same set-up as the Zensation, but instead of an OJ-chocolate, it was an extra-bitter Valrhona cocoa and had a Pernod Anise-cranberry juice combo inside the magical globe on the top. Like the first drink, the steam from the hot chocolate melted the disc and it sank into the mixture, adding flavour (and some alcohol) to the dark chocolate!
    This was paired with a mini cranberry-coffee pound cake – both flavours were very evident, and went together in a way that I didn’t expect to be so good! I may just have to try baking my own version one day.

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    HoCho 23: The Bounty, Bella Gelatería (Yaletown)

    Finally, we reach the next weekend: A Saturday trip to Bella Gelatería’s Yaletown location that I had not been to before.
    Upon entering (very hungrily) with AE, the differences between this and the Coal Harbour location were immediately evident: This was restaurant-style! I saw many more desserts than the gelato and sorbettos offered in Coal Harbour, and I saw a grilled cheese and pizza pass me by! Looks like there are some more substantial nourishment opportunities in Yaletown if you are looking for both sides of the snack coin (i.e., sugar and macro nutrients).
    We were seated at a table and didn’t see anyone coming over, so we went up to the counter to order our drinks. I ordered “The Bounty”, a coconut-milk hot chocolate infused with Thai lemongrass, and A ordered “The Drunken Monkey”, which, as you may have guessed, is full of banana flavouring (in addition to Grand Marnier). I tried a sip of his, and it was incredibly sweet, but very good. I don’t know that I would order a 12oz one, but an 8oz one would be a good sweet treat (plus that To Die For Banana Bread by Erin Ireland!).
    Apparently, if you order at the counter, you are automatically presumed to be ordering to-go items, so our treats were served in portable containers – so much for a glorious photo opportunity!
    I was a bit disappointed by my drink – I do not think this is the fault of the store, but rather the fault of my own tastebuds for not enjoying the flavour combination. The coconut milk and lemongrass, while combined expertly in-store based on their descriptions online, were not appealing, perhaps because of the darkness of the chocolate. The (vegan) macaroon on the side, however, was superb. Especially with a hungry stomach, I was primed and ready to enjoy the hearty and chewy texture of a coconut macaroon dipped in dark chocolate.

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    Until next time…



  • HoCho Fest 2016: 13, 14, 15, 16

    Each year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival brings together cafes, confectionaries, and restaurants to create specialty hot chocolate beverages to fundraise for a great cause. This year, proceeds of the festival will be going towards supporting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters. Each year, I join this win-win-win situation by dropping in to every possible location, tasting delicious drinks and snacks, reviewing my stops, and supporting this superb cause.

    This post features: Terra Breads, Koko Monk, East Van Roasters, and Thierry.

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    HoCho 13: Honey Buns, Terra Breads (4th Ave)


    SPICY.


    This almond-milk breakfast cocoa (not really, but I had it at breakfast time, so… It is now!) from Terra Breads is blended with chilli honey, and the kick in the back of my mouth was immediately noticeable! Not one to usually enjoy something with a spice to it, I was surprised to drink it comfortably – the honey definitely helped, along with the whipped cream on top. Dark chocolate made this cocoa feel more appropriate for breakfast, especially with the lighter almond milk flavour. A small cinnamon sugar brioche came alongside the drink and helped calm my spice-sensitive tastebuds with its delicious sweetness – fresh like a miniature morning cinnamon bun!


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    HoCho 14: Wild Saje, Koko Monk

    Tuesday evening found me at Koko Monk, ordering their weekly festival flavour that is characterized by middle eastern flavours. All of the flavour in Koko Monk confections, baked goods, and drinks come directly from the ingredients used, which do not include any artificial flavours.
    This drink was made with almond milk and I felt excited about the “salted rose caramel” that was listed as a component of it. When the drink was handed over, the caramel was oozing over the edge of the glass and one lick told me it was a most splendid flavour. However, the most distinct flavour in this cocoa was the Turkish coffee, and discovering that this was a large component of the drink at 7:00pm was somewhat of a concern, since Turkish coffee is intense! 

    For me, this drink didn’t quite hit the mark, but that is likely in large part due to my general avoidance of coffee! I’ve always been impressed by the flavours at Koko Monk, and I look forward to trying one of the next weeks’ flavours. However, this dark and coffee-filled drink wasn’t the right match for me. The hazelnut macaron on the side, though? That was a piece of edible artistry. All of the goodies on the side of their festival flavours I have tried have been delicious, and you can select any macaron you desire for this year’s festival treat.



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    HoCho 15: The Buzzzzz, East Van Roasters

    With a freer afternoon on hand, I was able to use a weekday to head out to one of my traditionally favourite stops for the festival – East Van Roasters! Not only have they always impressed with taste, but they are working towards a good cause and are receiving a percentage of the proceeds for this year’s festival.

    On the recommendation of the woman taking my order, I took my Buzzzzz cocoa with soy milk. This drink was described as containing Hives For Humanity honey and bee pollen (!), and that sweetness was evident, but not overstated when I began to sip away at the deliciously foamy, chocolaty beverage. I loooved this flavour! It had an interesting texture, that may be due in part to either the soy milk or the pollen or both… Whatever it was, it was good.

    It was thick in mouthfeel and not too sweet taste-wise, and came with a honey financier (which, apparently, is a French cake that resembles a sponge cake and is usually made with almond flour or ground almonds). The financier tasted so so good – I thought it was banana bread at first, but it was spongier than that, and certainly not large enough to satisfy my desire for it after I had one bite.

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    HoCho 16: Milk & Coffee, Thierry

    Finally, on Friday evening, I made my way with CC, MS, and PS to Thierry! We caught them on the last day of their first secret festival flavour, Milk & Coffee. Those words pretty much capture the drink in its entirety…

    As someone who avoids dairy drinks, this was not a super enjoyable drink for me! I like the concept of the espresso whipped cream, but combining that with a dairy chocolate base was too much. Unfortunately, this speciality chocolate drink did not live up to the standard of taste I had anticipated for a milk chocolate cocoa from a speciality chocolate location. The taste was described by my comrades as “slightly watered-down liquid butter”, which isn’t the most appealing of tastes as you may imagine.

    The dark chocolate mousse on the side was delicious, as well as the crispy sugar cookie that accompanied it; however, I left feeling a little let down after previously positive festival experiences. It would be nice to return and try one of the next secret flavours.

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    Until next time…


  • HoCho Fest 2016: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

    Each year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival brings together cafes, confectionaries, and restaurants to create specialty hot chocolate beverages to fundraise for a great cause. This year, proceeds of the festival will be going towards supporting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters. Each year, I join this win-win-win situation by dropping in to every possible location, tasting delicious drinks and snacks, reviewing my stops, and supporting this superb cause.

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    HoCho 6: Mumbai Meets Paris, Thomas Haas
    On Thursday morning, PSYC 325 reading in hand, I made my way to an annual all-star for the festival: Thomas Haas.
    Thomas Haas has always been an all-star in my books (and in those of the patient individuals waiting in lines that stretch out the door each year) because of their customer service, atmosphere, and of course… The flavours.
    This year, after conferring with the staff for a few minutes, I decided upon a soy milk “Mumbai Meets Paris” – soy, because we thought that absorbing the chai spices would be better than letting them roam free in an almond-milk drink (as almond milk tends to let wild flavours do).
    My first sip was immediately reminiscent of those chocolate oranges (Terry’s?) that you smash on the table to split into little chocolaty orange slices around Christmas time. As a fan of both chocolate, orange, and their combined flavour, I was a fan of this drink right away.
    It had a full flavour without come across as too heavy or super rich. Sometimes when my mouth is full of flavour, it is because sugar is taking over – not with this drink, which kept its sugar at a perfect level so that the darker chocolate was not bitter, but also making a morning cocoa run less unreasonable.
    The accompanying praline had a distinctive flavour that I had trouble placing at first… My notes have an exclamation point where I realized that it tasted like crunchy Nutella, which was obviously a positive attribute of the treat.
    Highly recommended, especially for the little Grand Marnier chantilly (which, I learned, is fancy whipped cream) finish.
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    HoCho 7: Give Yourself to the Dark Side, Gem Chocolates
    Ah, Gem Chocolates.
    Each year, I make multiple stops here, because the store’s head honcho changes the flavour up four times over the course of the festival and always has exquisite treats – both in design and taste – to accompany the drinks. We also argue about my preference for dairy-free drinks each time, but I appreciate the concern for my flavour experience.
    Unfortunately, on this particular festival day, the tail-end of my sickness was causing all taste experiences to go haywire or downhill. I could not stomach much food throughout the day, and I was only able to complete parts of my festival goodies. My comrades spoke highly of their whipped-cream-topped dairy and lactose-free hot chocolates, while I worked away at mine ever-so-slowly. Definitely enjoyable, but not to the degree I will be able to enjoy the next flavours (you must expect great things from the confections that this man is able to produce!).
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    HoCho 8: After 9, Bella Gelatería
    Heading downtown to sample Bella Gelatería’s annual flavours is a treat I have enjoyed each time. Last year, I was somewhat frustrated by the pre-mixed dairy drinks, as I was unable to sample the magical creations in the way they were meant to be experienced. This year, they created an exclusively almond-milk drink made with peppermint, which I tried!
    In all honesty, this particular drink and treat combination was a bit underwhelming, as I know that this location is able to create magical drinks and foods. It was a lovely dark hot chocolate with peppermint tones throughout, but it was not spectacular! The other flavours (7 more in total, between two locations) look extremely unique and crafty, and I might have to try a bit of a dairy one to see just how creative they have managed to get this year.
    Overall, enjoyable, but not as special as those other flavours look to be.
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    HoChos 9, 10: It’s A Clusterfluff and The Voices in My Head Tell Me It Ain’t No B.S., Mink Chocolates

    Mink Chocolates was not on my list last year, but I felt drawn to the strange names and delicious-looking descriptions of this year’s treats.
    I was soon informed of just what a “sparkle stick” was that accompanied the Clusterfluff creation – it was literally a sparkling stick! It made sense with the drink due to the torched marshmallow floating inside it. That beverage was deliciously sweet (made with almond milk) and made of the same chocolate as that of Bel Cafe’s 801 drink. The marshmallow added some unique sweetness, though.
    On the other hand, the B.S. drink reminded me of Soirette’s yam? Sweet potato? drink done last year, but with a new kind of squash! Certain vegetables in chocolate drinks make sense, my friends – this was one of them. It added an earthy sweetness to the dark chocolate and almond milk that couldn’t be expected, but was pleasantly surprising. I would definitely recommend trying it (and if you like smoked oysters, than all the better?).

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    HoChos: 11, 12: Peach Perfect and Sourpuss, Soirette Macarons & Tea

    Finally, we reach Sunday. We ventured out to Soirette to sample both of their hot chocolate offerings for the festival. Extremely different flavours based on fruits, but both amazing. I walked away with a new-found appreciation for this location after some sub-par customer service experiences in the past (thanks to those that worked today and made us feel like friends!).

    The Peach Perfect was white chocolate with peachy tones and lavendar on top – it was very sweet, but was super delicious and the soy milk worked well with it, really making it a full-mouth experience. Its accompanying peach macaron was so great I can barely put words to it! It did not have a creamy type of filling, but rather seemed like a peach jelly, and tasted fresher than you might expect in a macaron.
    The Sourpuss, on the other hand, was mostly a standard hot chocolate on the inside, until the topping – a sour berry and dark chocolate mixture – sank through the foam and mixed its way into the drink. This was a much darker drink but was a nice complement to its sweeter sibling. The coconut truffle was chocolaty on the inside and had a great crunch before hitting the soft flavour within.
    One of my favourite stops, so far!
    —–
    Until next time…

  • HoCho Fest 2016: 2, 3, 4, 5

    Each year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival brings together cafes, confectionaries, and restaurants to create specialty hot chocolate beverages to fundraise for a great cause. This year, proceeds of the festival will be going towards supporting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters. Each year, I join this win-win-win situation by dropping in to every possible location, tasting delicious drinks and snacks, reviewing my stops, and supporting this superb cause.

    —–
    HoCho 2: The Bananarama, The Last Crumb Bakery & Cafe


    On this rainy Sunday, I grabbed an amiga and headed east to sample a drink from a location that I have enjoyed visiting each year of the festival, The Last Crumb.
    This year’s flavours include The Bananarama: a banana cream pie turned hot cocoa, and His Lordship’s HC: a London Fog that went rogue. I sampled the former with GD sampling the latter.
    Immediately, I was met with surprise. When my order was called out, I walked up to the counter expecting to see a plated cookie next to the drink; however, the cookie had been designed to sit on the edge of the mug! I thought this was clever, and it seems to match the quirky atmosphere of the shop itself and the care shown by staff and chefs who create great pastries displayed in-store.
    I ate my cookie – a “flaky daisy” – by dipping it in the hot chocolate, and was pleased to find that the flaky pastry was fresh, chewy, and light. A layer of chocolate on top did not hurt, especially as it melted with each dip in the warm, chocolaty pool of my drink.
    At first, the flavours were not very bold in the drink – I could detect the banana and chocolate, but my first sips were mostly foam and did not carry the taste as effectively as the less frothy almond milk beneath. Upon reaching that layer, the fuller banana cream pie taste came through and was delicious. It should be noted that I opted out of the whipped cream, which would likely have finished off the theme of this particular drink very effectively.

    It would be great to return at some point to sample an almond-milk or soy Lordship’s HC, as Earl Grey is one of my favourite teas and chocolate is one of my favourite things, period.

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    HoCho 3: Ambrosio Affogato, Earnest Ice Cream


    Following my visit to Last Crumb, I went to see CC and mentioned my just-prior festival stop. Hearing of the nearby locations, CC and company decided that another stop was in order – we soon found ourselves at Earnest Ice Cream on Quebec St.

    I had not previously been to this infamous Vancouver ice cream shop, but was looking forward to trying this ice cream with “molten drinking chocolate” poured over top of it. I requested a vegan cookies n’ cream to replace the Tahitian vanilla ice cream, and waited for my order in the busy little store.

    Unfortunately, my order came with the only other vegan ice cream option – dark chocolate peppermint. While this would ordinarily be delicious, I’m sure, my first taste of the treat was so intensely dark chocolate that I found it a bit overwhelming. The molten chocolate had a bit of a spicy kick to it that could be balanced with cool ice cream; my comrades said that prior to the ice cream melting, the combination was delicious. However, the amount of molten chocolate proved to be a bit much, as it consumed the ice cream and became too rich for our liking.

    Accompanying the ice cream was a miniature salted chocolate rye cookie, and I feel confident that if you like chocolate and/or cookies, you would enjoy this! It was so delectably chewy and moist that I could spend all day experiencing the consumption of that cookie (they have regular-size cookies in the store!).

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    HoCho 4: 801, Bel Café

    I arrived at Bel Café expecting a different cocoa experience, but discovered that I would be sampling the flavour originally intended for the second half of the festival: 801. While I cannot inform you of the reasoning behind this numerical name, I can say with confidence that ordering it leads to good things.
    This drink is made with Valhrona Caramelia chocolate – a light chocolate with salted butter caramel, which obviously means it was amazing.

    As is my usual, I ordered an almond milk option, and think that this may have served me well in lightening the drink up in terms of sweetness and richness. Even with the almond milk, which sometimes causes flavours to blend somewhat less effectively, the drink was incredibly smooth in texture and flavour. It had two toasted pecan marshmallows floating inside it, which I tried a bite of and left behind (because vegetarian diets don’t technically include marshmallows); the marshmallows were fun to chew on with the pecan bits inside. 
    The banana bread triangle left me content, as it was very moist and its size seemed appropriate for a snack with the cocoa. I am sure that a hungry festival-goer would be left wanting even more of this made-in-house treat.

    —–

    HoCho 5: Saturday Nut Fever, 49th Parallel and Lucky’s Doughnuts

    Today’s stop was made in haste as the store was closing within 9 minutes of my arrival!

    I should point out that by the time I reached 49th Parallel and Lucky’s Doughnuts, a head cold for the ages had fully set in and was almost assuredly affecting my sense of taste.

    After brief contemplation, I ordered the Saturday Nut Fever option: a hot chocolate with hazelnut flavour and latte art promised in the description. I was not to be disappointed by the lovely fern-like design made of almond milk and chocolate in my mug.

     For me personally, this hot chocolate would take a bit of getting used to, as the sweetness I had anticipated finding in a chocolate-hazelnut combination was not present. The nutty flavours were evident, but did not tickle my fancy as I had thought it would (perhaps because I had expected a Nutella-like experience). It would be worth trying again, though, when I am in good health.

    Alongside the beverage came hazelnut amaretti and hazelnut truffle, both of which were amazing. The amaretti (this is a new word for me) was a great texture experience and had a pleasant sweetness to it, making it all the better. The truffle was unexpectedly squishy, and should be eaten with a utensil (or your hands if you like finger-licking goodness), but was certainly delicious.

    I will likely not be able to get to a location tomorrow, but look forward to catching up with you all when I hit up my next spot.

    Until then…

  • HoCho Fest 2016: 1 + Welcome!

    My friends, it is the time of year I wait for months on end, the time when my budget is devoted almost wholly to one single cause, a time of tickled taste buds for four glorious weeks. It is time for the 6th annual…

    HOT CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

    Each year, the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival brings together cafes, confectionaries, and restaurants to create specialty hot chocolate beverages to fundraise for a great cause. This year, proceeds of the festival will be going towards supporting the Downtown Eastside Women’s Job Training Program of the PHS Community Services Society and East Van Roasters. Each year, I join this win-win-win situation by dropping in to every possible location, tasting delicious drinks and snacks, reviewing my stops, and supporting this superb cause. 
    Let’s begin.
    —–
    HoCho 1: The Southern Hemisphere, Temper Chocolate & Pastry

    After reviewing all of the available options for the day, we made our way out to the faraway Vancouver north beyond Stanley Park to take advantage of our unconstrained time. It was a straight shot, and soon we arrived at a location I had not heard of until looking over this year’s participants: Temper Chocolate & Pastry.

    It’s a cozy little place, tucked between many other stores on the street. Even at the earlier hour in the day, customers were trickling in regularly to try out small cakes, biscotti, cookies, and a multitude of drinks and confections.

    After some consideration, we decided to give The Southern Hemisphere a shot. A darker chocolate infused with Tonka bean – a flavour with which I was unfamiliar and had to learn more about! It was served with a small, legitimate wooden stick, and had a floating chocolate sphere containing a vanilla bean marshmallow.

    I ordered it with almond milk and began my annual journey. It was a most delicious first step into my month of chocolatey goodness. The dark chocolate flavour, usually fairly distinctive (especially with almond milk), was sweetened by the Tonka bean – a member of the same family as peas that can be used as an alternative to vanilla. 
    The almond milk made the weight of the drink lighter in the mouth and allowed the chocolate and Tonka bean flavours to be showcased a bit more than I think it would have with a heavier milk (soy or otherwise). I think both experiences would be great, but I am pleased with mine in the end.

    Our chocolate sphere, containing the accompanying marshmallow, was slowly melting; however, not with the haste that we would have liked. Thusly, we took our rugged stir stick and helped it along.

    With the addition of the melting marshmallow (eaten by my omnivorous festival guest), the drink took on additional sweetness and became more truly vanilla-flavoured in its profile. The process of reaching the marshmallow itself caused small chocolate tidal waves and caused a thick chocolate surprise at the bottom of the drink that gave the entire experience a rich and worthy completion.

    Beyond the quaint aesthetics and delicious food (our fresh and gooey chocolate chip cookie was made with Valhrona chocolate chips – this chocolate seems to be a festival favourite this year), the service was friendly and casual and I felt more at home in this new neighbourhood than I may have otherwise. It will be worth going back to explore in greater depth! There are also many more goodies to be sampled at this particular neighbourhood stop.

    I’ll be back periodically with updates on each experience – if you want to join in on the fun, please get in touch so that we can review even more beverages than one person can reasonably do alone.

    Until next time…


  • Being Cognizant: New Year’s Resolutions

    A series about the ways I work towards being cognizant through decisions that make me more mentally engaged with various facets of my day-to-day life.

    Cognizance (noun): Awareness, realization, notice, knowledge, perception.

    —-
    It’s that time of year when small talk turns to the question, “So, did you come up with any new year resolutions?”

    I like this time of year, because people often take some time think about themselves in a positive way, or at least with a growth mindset:

    “I am going to start exercising regularly!” 
    “I am going to have a green smoothie every day!” 
    “I am going to stay on top of my readings this semester!”

    (That last one was a joke, of course.)

    While I do love goal-setting – a post on that is upcoming – I am not personally a fan of New Year’s Resolutions due to the way that they are typically approached by the goal setter.

    “Why, Katie, would you not support one’s desire to make positive changes?” asked Seriously Irrelevant Holiday Cat.

    Well, the thing is, I think that setting a goal with such a specific start date and not creating measurable steps to achieve it can be a dangerous activity, at least by way of achieving your goal and feeling confident in yourself.
    New Year’s resolutions often involve making a significant change right away at the beginning of the year, on the first day, and making that your new standard to meet (e.g., no more candy, or 30 minutes on the treadmill three times per week). This, in my eyes, is a recipe for disaster, for a number of reasons.
    The dawn of the new year: What are your goals?
    Firstly, you are not easing into your goal.
    You may be introducing a change in your life without gradually doing so, and this can make it difficult to stick to in the long-run (or even the short-run). If you choose to go with a 30-minute treadmill jog for the new year, you might find that it is incredibly difficult to accomplish this even once if you are not regularly doing something in this realm already. It can be disheartening to feel that your goal is not accomplishable because you were unable to achieve it right away. Creating a plan that involves building up to your goal over time using baby steps is a more sure-fire way to eventually attain a specific goal with a measurable outcome.

    Secondly, you have decided to start achieving this goal regularly on a particular date.
    It’s great to set a deadline for yourself to begin working on a goal, but if your goal is lofty or something you are not accustomed to, you might find that once your deadline has passed… the motivation to pursue the resolution has also passed. Setting a deadline to begin working towards a goal is a better idea, rather than setting a deadline to begin achieving this goal on the regular. Reframing your thinking to, “Over the course of this year, I hope to work towards X,” is more powerful than, “Tomorrow I am going to begin regularly achieving X.”

    Thirdly, your goal may be based on a perceived defect in yourself.
    I am particularly wary of any resolutions that involve appearance, such as losing X number of pounds, getting a six-pack of abs, or attaining a size 0 in clothing (for women’s clothing, because apparently women should aspire to be nothing). These goals will lead to a sense of failure or incompetence if you are unable to achieve them and are based on physical attributes that may be outside of your control, which is a sign that you should not set the goals with this sort of language (or perhaps avoid setting these goals at all). If your appearance is going to be a part of your resolution at all, the goal itself should be within your control (such as healthy eating and exercise), whereas a change in appearance may be a by-product of that goal (such as increased muscle tone or loss of unhealthy fat). Further, any goals that are attempts to improve yourself for others? Make sure that you setting goals for yourself and that you are intrinsically motivated* to achieve them in the long-term.

    If you are making New Year’s Resolutions this year, consider these three common barriers to achieving goals that you set for yourself and take the time to make a plan of attack for eventually succeeding in making the changes that you want to see in your world.

    —
    *Intrinsic motivation: Motivation that comes from within oneself, that originates from the individual, rather than coming from an external source (which would be extrinsic motivation).

  • Pumpkin Challenge 2015: Days 26 – 31

    What a month of pumpkin goodness! Thanks for sticking around for the ride if you have until now. 
    Below, the final 6 days…


    Day 26: Yonanas Pumpkin Green Smoothie
    Day 27: Pumpkin Scone (courtesy of Cobs Bread)
    Day 28: Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll (courtesy of Edible Flours)
    Day 29: Vegan Pumpkin Pudding Bread (courtesy of Chocolate-Covered Katie)
    Day 30: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Apple Nachos 
    Day 31: Pumpkin Spiced Whiskey Chocolate Mini Cakes
    See you next year!