In a Tizzy

Category: Vancouver

  • HoCho Fest Day 24: Brunette Bangle

    Today was a hot chocolate festival day marked with both high and low moments.


    First, the low (because then we can move on from them): Really there is only one, and it is having made the discovery that Thierry Chocolaterie stopped participating in the festival as of yesterday – I do not know why, but this means there will be one location that I do not get to attend while it participates in the festival – perhaps I will go visit anyways!

    The highs: I was able to enjoy a very unique and delicious hot chocolate with three lovely people! The four of us ventured to Koko Monk this afternoon.

    Having done a bit of research ahead of time, I learned that all of their creations are preservative and chemical free! All of the flavours come from their natural sources. A novelty that I appreciate, and a point of pride in their establishment made clear by the chocolatiers that served us today.

    Brunette Bangle: Hot chocolate with the exotic hint of curry.
    Served with your choice of cookie.
    ($6.75)
    I was hesitant in approaching this unique flavour combination, as I do not generally like curries because the majority I try are spicy and have caused me to avoid them. However, this soy-milk beverage was a surprise to me: It was a really nice balance of real, homemade dark chocolate, and curry flavours! The curry flavours were not spicy, but added a unique dimension to the drink and paired well with the dark chocolate, which was bitter and full of flavour. 

    Halfway through the drink, we stirred it with the spoon provided and whew! Curry flavour was in abundance. After more mixing and including the chocolate drizzled along the sides of the glass mug, the flavours seemed to balance again and reach a very happy place.

    As for the cookie.. There is not much to say, and not much needs to be said: It is a cookie filled with delicious jam and covered in soft and powdery sweetness. It had the soft, chewy texture that I so love in my cookies.



    This spot is a definite need-to-try if you’re ever in the Kitsilano area! I want to sample all of their yummy chocolate confections and take a stab at that chocolate fondue fountain… Droooooooling.


  • HoCho Fest Day 23: Monkey’s Uncle

    Happy B.C. Family Day!

    To celebrate the day, some of the folks I love came out to my end and we all went for “Italian soul food” at the restaurant Incendio. My pasta was delectable, and the crusts of my family members’ pizzas were as well.

    S and N’s pizza.
    My rotini pomodoro pasta.
    Mom and J’s pizza.



     












    After our lunch, we made the journey over to the hot chocolate location for the day – the second trip to Bella Gelatería! I thought it would be a good spot to showcase some of the festival’s creativity and unique locations to my family.

    Monkey’s Uncle: gBAR made from banana liquer and swirls of “To Die For”
    banana bread crumb. Served with a slice of Erin Ireland’s “To Die For”
    Banana Bread.


    The gelato gBAR for this drink tasted SO GOOD! It tasted exactly like banana bread, except it was in a popcicle form. S and N tried this as well, but tried it instead in a cone and dipped it in their white hot chocolate (with moderate success). 

    Dipping our banana bread gBAR into the dark almond milk hot chocolate made it melt, and the oozing flavours tasted oh-so-yummy. The hot chocolate was dark and nutty from the almond milk, and was quite filling. Similarly to my last experience at BG, the gBAR did not flavour the hot chocolate very strongly, and the flavours of it were hardly present until the last quarter of the drink, where it became thicker with the gelato and hints of banana crept up.

    As was the case last time, the “To Die For” banana bread was delectable, and I think that everyone enjoyed their hot chocolate experiences as well. 



    I personally think that last year’s hot chocolate at BG was superior because of how strong the flavours were. However, this year’s is very unique in how you come to have the specialty drinks – to make this year’s top last year’s, I think the drinks should be smaller so that the gBARs can flavour the hot chocolate more effectively (maybe 12oz drink cups instead of what appear to be 16oz ones would help).

  • HoCho Fest Day 22: Hot Toddy Float

    Hot toddy (noun): A mixed drink made of liquor and water with sugar and spices, served hot.
    Also known as: Hot totty, hot tottie, or a hot whiskey (in Ireland)

    This screams to be made into a delicious hot chocolate! Off to the edge of the water we went in search of Soirette Macarons and Tea. A bit of a walk in the cold, but when we saw the little white shopfront appear around the corner, we felt excited.


    Inside the shop, I noticed wedding cakes decorated with macarons, high tea tiers being cleaned off by patrons, and an assortment of tiny goodies to choose from (topped with tiny macarons) inside the food cabinets at the counter. With only one festival item available today, I asked if it could be made with soy to minimize the effects of the ice cream that would be mixed in.

    You’d stay warm and cozy even in the peaks of Grouse
    Mountain with this buttered rum hot chocolate blended with wild
    mountain honey ice cream.
    Served with a Grouse Grind Reward Cluster.
    ($6.25)
    We ordered ours with soy, and were told we could sit “for a few minutes” before any high tea customers arrived (how kind of them to allow us that luxury!). To be honest, the service left something to be desired – maybe they were having a busy or stressful day, but the lack of smiles and conveyed sense that I was burdening them with my patronage made the hot chocolate experience less than thrilling.


    The hot chocolate had a distinctively liquor-y taste to it, but that potency was balanced with the honey in the ice cream, which seemed to smooth it out a little. Ice cream and soy milk meant it was very creamy and full-bodied, and the drink went down quite smoothly. “Pristine” is a word I might use to describe the small and almost entirely white shop – it felt like a spot you’d go to a little dressed up or to pick up your wedding cake. Macarons were everywhere! That, however, is to be expected – if there were few macarons, I may have taken up issue with the name (“Modern art? Irony?”) However, I didn’t need to do so because there were more macarons than I would ever need! Cascading down cakes, placed atop small desserts, sitting to be chosen as individual treats, in as many colours as there are ways to eat them. There truly aren’t THAT many, because it is so small, but they are all delicate and nice!

    Tomorrow is Family Day, so I look forward to sharing the journey with those folks I love!

  • HoCho Fest Day 21: Winter Citrus


    Today(yesterday)’s festival item was truly a blessing in how it soothed my very fragile mind from today (yesterday)! The day had felt overwhelming for no identifiable reason, so a kind offer to accompany me to my location for the day was very welcomed. Location of choice: The Last Crumb Cafe.

    According to their website, The Last Crumb was started by two sisters who were/are “obsessed with food” – and it shows! It has an atmosphere that, to me, showed an expression of fun-loving passion for what they do. Evidence to further their food obsession claim is found in the pastry cabinets, full of scones and cookies and cookie sandwiches and pies and cakes that all look homemade. While I did not buy one, I would very much like to at some point.

    Take a trip to Seville with this hot chocolate flavoured with orange blossom.
    Served with a orange vanilla marshmallow.
    ($7.91)

     Note: Cost may be increased due to getting it with almond milk!
    I was firstly impressed by the wonderful foam on this drink – almond milk is tough to get foamy sometimes! It immediately reminded me of a Christmas chocolate orange (the kind that you “whack and unwrap”)! I personally enjoy those flavours together, so it was delicious for me. Not everyone is a fan of fruit and chocolate, though. 

    Beyond the foam, the orange-chocolate flavour became more clearly its orange blossom-chocolate flavour – there was an added aroma to the flavour, as the milk was much more heavily infused with it than was the foam of the drink. It took a few sips to get used to, but once I did, it was lovely! A welcomed aftertaste that warmed me up on what was another very chilly day.

    It was thicker and creamier than I had expected, perhaps this came from the type of chocolate used to make the drink; regardless, the almond milk turned out to be a nice choice. The nutty, chocolaty, and citrusy flavours all meshed well together for my liking! Personally, I believe it would make a good chocolate bar flavour.



    The orange vanilla marshmallow was gigantic and covered in vanilla powder that blew across the table every time we took a breath near the cup, ha ha. It added a slight vanilla sweetness to the drink.

    I loved the decorations inside the shop – plates and elegant tea cups all over the walls made it dainty and reminded me of a grandmother’s collection, but presented in a younger and more modern way. Definitely inspiring for future decorating ideas!










  • HoCho Fest Day 20: Big Bad Wolf

    Hallelujah, Friday has ARRIVED! In celebration of this, and with great fatigue, I made what turned out to be a somewhat lengthy journey east of UBC to indulge in hot chocolate today.

    The journey took us to Schokolade Artisan Chocolates and Cafe. It is a not-too-small shop with a sweet aroma that contrasts the harsh vibe of the neighbourhood in which it resides.

    A 38% milk chocolate flavoured with a blend of gingerbread spices and
    steamed milk. Served with a gingerbread cookie.
    ($10.50)

    $10.50?! That may seem unreasonable when you look at the description, but the chocolates accompanying the gingerbread man cookie are included with the purchase of one hot chocolate – one hot chocolate, one gingerbead man, and four fancy chocolates of your choice! Pricey, but quite the filling and tasty offer.


     Luckily, I had someone with me with whom to share what could have been a chocolate overdose if done alone. We selected: Two dark chocolate raspberry hearts, a dark chocolate nougat, and a salted caramel treat (the supernova-esque one in the photo). They all proved to be very delicious, and the gingerbread man was soft and chewy when dipped in the hot chocolate (may he rest peacefully in our tummies).


    In terms of the drink itself, I did not find that I was particularly overwhelmed by it as a specialty drink for the festival, but it was delicious as a hot chocolate in its own right. We agreed that a darker chocolate would have provided more contrast with the ginger flavours to make it a bit more of a dynamic drinking experience. However, the way type of chocolate we had allowed for seamless blending of ginger and chocolate – the ginger was subtle but provided a little extra something that made it reminiscent of the season. What seemed to be missing was evidence to explain its given title – I sensed no “bad side” to this hot chocolate – it seemed quite tame, in fact, more like a “Big Friendly Golden Retriever” perhaps (ha-ha-ha)!


    If I’m ever out in that direction again, I’d be happy to try something else,
    as they do seem to have an interesting selection of special drinks and certainly
    a delicious collection of crafted chocolates to choose from.

  • HoCho Fest Day 19: Hera’s Habit

    Thursdays are long days, and long days call for a reward. Luckily, I can count on every day holding a reward of some sort during the hot chocolate festival! Today I reaped my day’s prize at none other than Cocoa Nymph, who is into their third festival item introduced this week.

    “Hera’s Habit”
    Made from 50% deep milk chocolate with malted milk balls.
    Served with vanilla bean cinnamon shortbread.
    ($6.55)

    As is usual, I ordered my beverage with a dairy-free alternative to reduce the effects of existing milk in the drink’s components. It was delicious. The “deep milk chocolate” was smooth and added weight to the lighter almond milk’s body. The chocolate’s flavour was really excellent. 

    Malted milk ball.

     The malt ball on its own was grainy – and good! Particularly with the hot chocolate becoming mixed in with it. I learned what malt is so that I would understand what I was consuming before I mixed it into the drink – and I suppose it is basically grain that has been “steeped, germinated, and dried”, and reminded me of eating cereal that had been left for quite some time in a bowl of milk – which is DELICIOUS (personal taste). 

    Once it was all mixed in, I found the malt added new texture and weight to the drink, and allowed the taste to settle and linger on my tongue for longer and really gave all of my tastebuds the opportunity to experience the drink.

    As for the cookie, it was distinctly cinnamony – it was not moist (since it was a sugar cookie), and therefore begged to be dipped into the hot chocolate. This of course led to the blending of vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate; all of which get along very well.



    After a long Thursday, this full-bodied drink with gentle flavours that seemed to give my tongue a hug with every sip was just the ticket to carry me through the rest of the evening’s obligations. As well, to celebrate the successful completion of the most tedious part of my academic week.

    The shop is warm and cozy-feeling, and I hope to return to try their final item, which sounds amazing! I had actually hoped it had come out today, but I am by no means disappointed by what I had. Come Saturday, I may return. In the meantime, I will look fondly upon my solitary time spent in Cocoa Nymph today as their only customer at the time, as I enjoyed what was a delicious treat.


















    Hmm, I kind of like this font again…

  • HoCho Fest Day 18: Banana Split

    It should be evident that today’s festival item holds great promise to be delicious based solely on its name.
    After taking part in an exercise study downtown, I took the opportunity to take a second peek inside Bel Cafe. 
    My first visit had been met with the information that I could not order my drink with a dairy alternative, so I decided to try again later.

    The cafe has a very modern and “chic” feel to it; dark wood and brown furnishings, very soft blue walls with simple polka dot designs darting across them. This is also the first cafe I’ve really encountered where a sign tells me to wait to be seated! So I did wait, and I was seated, and I was handed a menu and spotted the hot chocolate festival item, the Banana Split. The description differed from the one on the City Food festival’s page, but I was there for a purpose and this alternative sounded equally as delicious! I inquired as to whether it was possible to get this one with a dairy alternative, and the kind waiter recommended almond milk; of course I went with his suggestion.

    36% Valrhona Caramelia chocolate, topped with vanilla bean marshmallow,
    served with banana bread.
    ($7.10)

     First sip: WOW! Yum! The caramalia chocolate and vanilla made the drink so very beautifully sweet – I believe the vanilla bean flavour crept purely from the marshmallow (which was melting into the drink), but regardless… My tastebuds were having a sweet and tasty party.

     I believe that soy milk would have made this a more rich drink, and I am very content with having lightened the sweetness and thickness of flavour by choosing almond milk – I really do love that milk so much! It complemented the caramel and vanilla flavours very well. 

    The drink was not the only item presented in the lovely display of the festival combo, however! Beside the hot chocolate (in what I thought was a beautifully simple and elegant glass), was a slice of banana bread. The bread was nutty and moist and full of texture from all of the extras that were baked into it. I made good use of the spoon that was supplied by dropping chunks of bread into the drink, only to scoop them up covered in sweet chocolate, caramel, and vanilla flavours; each of which took its turn in making its presence strong throughout my drinking experience (caramel, almond, vanilla, rotate).

     Aside from the lovely experience I had with the Banana Split, the menu had a multitude of other items that looked like they would be great for a midday snack or light lunch. I tried not to stare too much at those around me, but the friends sitting to my left had lattes with intricate latte art atop them and the cutest of cakes to go with their drinks – about the size of a small fist! In my opinion, the perfect size for enjoying a dessert.

    I hope this will be a spot I return to soon – I would recommend going as a duo if you wish to go with company – I did not get to explore any more of the space (if there was any beyond the glass door in the back), but what space I had was very limited and filled up quickly! Perfect for one-on-one conversation, but three would require finding enough seats in the center table which allowed for larger groups (but was full of singles and duos anyways).

  • HoCho Fest Day 17: Chartreuse Milkshake

    This evening’s hot chocolate festival stop called for an upscale, classy establishment with an unassuming exterior offering a hot chocolate “inspired” cocktail. CC and I headed down to Uva Wine Bar and Bittered Sling to meet my fellow later and to get a head-start on checking out the location for ourselves.

    The interior was very warm, with red designs trimmed with silver decorating the walls around us. Red furniture and interior reflected warm red light throughout the wine bar. It felt very relaxing, but in a way that sort of demanded you relax while wearing your business-casual clothes – not that I’m complaining, it is nice (in my opinion) to find a unique place to go and dress up for!

     While we waited for the fellow to arrive so we could order our selected festival item, we examined the menu and found many tasty-sounding appetizers and decided upon the daily special of $2 bruschettas. The daily bruschetta was mostly squash, and was absolutely ah-MAZING – definitely inspiring to try and make my own squash spread with some yummy herbs and perhaps Daiya cheese if it cooperated?

    Uva’s HC-inspired cocktail: Citadelle gin, Green Chartreuse, cacao beans, lime
    and orange juice, Bittered Sling Malagasy chocolate bitters, egg white.
    Served with zeppoli (Italian donuts!) *Only served after 11A.M.
    ($12)

     I researched the Green Chartreuse ahead of time, as I was curious what this aspect of the beverage had in store – I would recommend anyone else looking into it as well! It is said to be made with 130 different herbs and is perhaps the only naturally green liqueur.

    Zeppoli (Italian donut)

     There were a lot of herbal flavours in it that became evident on the first sip – initially I thought that it was the standard potent alcohol flavour that surprised me, but upon inspecting my tastebuds, it was actually a party of herbs and citrus flavours dancing on my tongue! The lime and orange juice mixed really well with the herbs of the Chartreuse, and the gin added an extra kick that brought it to life. Each rest between sips was characterized by a nice aftertaste. AT first, it was tough to detect the cacao taste, but as we (since everyone shared) continued to sip, the tastes all became more present.

    As for the zeppoli? Well, we split it between the three of us, but I have never tried a treat with quite that texture and taste! The most accurate word I could think to describe its texture is “squishy”, somewhat like a marshmallow, I suppose, and it had strawberry preserve in the centre to bring a bit more of a tartness to the very sweet dough which was covered in cinnamon sugar. All-in-all, a lovely treat with lovely people at a new-found location for high-end snacking and socializing! Not too far from home, either.

  • HoCho Fest Day 16: Chocolate Glace a la Cardamome

    What a Monday! Chilly, sunny, full of sleeplessness, and of course: Chocolate.

    Today was cold, and so was my drink! With company at my side, I ventured eastward to find what turned out to be a very tiny shop called Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France.

    It is tucked away around the corner of East 21st Avenue, and to me embodied a “hole-in-the-wall” sort of establishment. Far from being just a hole in the wall, this place was almost entirely wooden interior, full of chocolate (to add to the brown decor), quaint, and yet easily carried a sense of “class” with it.

    On to the treat: From the four options available, we chose the Chocolate Glace a la Cardamome. It sounded like the most unique, and was a flavour yet to be encountered in the festival flavours.




    Cardamom flavoured iced drinking chocolate.
    Served with a Gaufre de Liège waffle, along with a side of fleur de sel caramel or chocolate hazelnut spread.
    Available Every day of the festival that the shop is open.
    ($5.25)


     Served in a small milk bottle, our beverage arrived over ice with a stripy straw – it looked great! The waffle served alongside came warm with our selected chocolate hazelnut spread. Noted by the enthusiastic shopkeep (I think she must have been the owner), this waffle is not your average American or Canadian square waffle that is heated in a few minutes in a waffle pan or popped into a toaster; this waffle has been readying to be eaten 48 hours ahead of time, all the while becoming the delicious entity that it was on our plate.

    Upon sipping the drink through its stripy straw, I was greeted by very thick chocolate flavour and body, strongly intertwined with the taste cardamom (no subtlety).
    The cardamom flavour is difficult to describe, but it seems to resemble a sort of sweet mint flavour with citrusy tones – online searches yield descriptions that say it resembles the eucalyptus plant (though I cannot speak to that myself).

     The shoppe is very small and quaint, and the woman who helped us with our choices and questions was enthusiastic and French and eager to describe the options to us! If you look at the photo of me (looking slightly crazy with chocolate love) and what is behind me: picture twice that space, and you have the entire visitor space in the shop! There is a back room for waffle-making and chocolate-creating, but I love how it is so small and homey feeling. I didn’t try any of the chocolate confections that were displayed, but I certainly would like to return to the little neighbourhood and give it a go! It’s a colourful area of town full of old buildings and places like this!