Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

Chocolate Arts is a fairly big cafe with a big chocolate bar (including many Valentine's Day packages). They are participating in the 2016 Hot Chocolate Festival and I tried their "Creamsicle" this afternoon. TIP: You can ask for the hot chocolate to be split into two cups. Pretty handy if you are trying several flavours. Creamsible ($7.95) It's white chocolate! So no real chocolatey flavour here, and in the end it tasted like a sweet vanilla drink. The accompaniments were tastier. Overall, unless you really like white chocolate (is that even real chocolate?), give this a pass. Blood orange sorbet was bitter-refreshing like cold grapefruit. After getting a taste of it, I put my portion into the hot chocolate and... it just vanished. Couldn't really taste any change to the hot chocolate. So, don't waste it like that -- or ask for more, I guess. Bitter Orange Macaron was rather tasty, with a strong chocolate flavour accompanying the orange flavour. ...

If you are looking for hot chocolates with very interesting flavours, then Koko Monk is the winner. Not only that, they offer vegan options for all their Hot Chocolate Festival 2016 entries. Past entries are still available as the best ones are retained in their slowly expanding roster of hot chocolates. It's a pretty tiny place but there is one booth that can seat maybe 6-8 persons. We tried the 3-chocolate flights. Two flights came to $21 after tax before tip for three 4oz glasses per flight. You also get your choice of one macaron per flight (value $2). So it works out to about $8.50 to try three hot chocolates -- still less than a single Hot Chocolate Festival drink at a place like Thierry . Istanbul Blues Very interesting gingery-peppery flavour. Rashomon Interesting and complex flavour. Gently sweet with matcha and sake flavour notes. Definitely recommended unless you need your hot chocolate to be chocolate-y. Harem A La Turca Bitter, almost coffee-like in ...

Just got back from a hot chocolate crawl downtown where we tried four locations: Thierry - "Milk & Coffee" - 39% Valrhona “Andoa” milk chocolate. Served with coffee flavoured whipped cream with dark chocolate semifredo made of 63%  “Illanka” Peruvian chocolate langue de chat Price came to $10.45 after tax! If you focus on just the hot chocolate, then it definitely is pricey -- remember that you are paying for the whipped cream and biscuit as well.  It's January 30th, so when I asked the person behind the macarons, I was quoted the "Dark & Saffron" drinking chocolate (the correct one according to the schedule; could not see the schedule anywhere in store). But when I ordered the hot chocolate festival's hot chocolate, they gave me this "milk and chocolate" concoction instead, which was supposed to have had its last day on January-29th. Drink was not hot! Flavour was tame and the drink felt on the thin side. Bel Cafe - ...

The Olympic Village Terra Breads is notable for being licensed -- they have wine! They also bake 24-hours a day (but the place is not open 24 hours, however), so unlike some other cafes, what you see in the counter might actually still be fresh no matter what time you go, instead of end-of-the-day leftovers if you go late afternoon or evening. Their Hot Chocolate Festival 2016 entries are very strong for being interesting in taste and good price for portion. Drawbacks include being not very hot by the time it got to us; and the underlying hot chocolate seemed a bit thin and mediocre. Honey Buns ($4.95) Venezuelan dark chocolate, house-made chili honey, cinnamon, bourbon vanilla bean. Served with cinnamon sugar brioche. We got a very friendly front counter person who also let me try a spoonful of their chili honey. The chili flavour is there and there's a good burn in the back of your throat but it starts slow. For several seconds all you get is the normal sweetness of ...

The Hot Chocolate Festival for 2016 has begun and my first pick this year is Diva at the Met and their intriguing chocolate globes and bombs. See the video in this post of them in action. #21 – “CITRUS ZENSATION” A chocolate globe filled with fresh raspberry puree melts into a steamy sensation of dark Cacao-Barry Extra Brute, pure orange juice, and candied orange zest. All topped with freshly ground almond crumbs. Served with a petit orange-pistachio financier. #22 – “LICORICE BOMB 21” You have to be of legal age to try this. A chocolate bomb containing Pernod Anise, and cranberry juice slowly melts its way into a freshly steamed mixture of extra bitter Valrhona cocoa. Stirred and topped with an almond-graham streusel. Served together with a mini cranberry-coffee pound cake. Both drinks are structured similarly -- a cap of chocolate sits atop an initially very hot hot chocolate drink and is allowed to melt into it. The drawback is that once you've waited the 2 minutes or s...

Interesting change to the Bel Café that the counter is for takeout only, or maybe at least during the busy lunch hour. I suppose it's only fair since the server does go around cleaning up after and offering you water -- and therefore is sort of owed a tip. Went by a late-ish Friday (1.30pm) for their hot chocolate festival offering. If you didn't know, the annual Hot Chocolate Festival for 2015 ran approximately mid-Janaury till Valentine's Day, so it's over, sadly. But like previous years, I found a lot of the offerings to be hit and miss, though they were certainly creative. Even at 1.30pm they were packed till closer to past-2pm. Lunch crowd plus waitlist, I suppose. And maybe that's another reason for the counter being takeout only since you might order something "for here" only to discover you haven't anywhere to sit. The sensible thing then is to get seated first, then order. Prices here are inclusive of tax, which is really handy. Hot C...

On Saturday I did a  Hot Chocolate Crawl  for  Hot Chocolate Festival 2015  with a fellow Yelper and we hit three places. French Made Baking had the best hot chocolate of what I tried that day. It's a tiny place but they've sort of opened up the back to have seating parallel to the kitchen area. You have to walk through to get to the one washroom shared by patrons and staff anyway. HOT girls cooking away in the kitchen. Of course we're not talking hot-because-of-your-tight-black-Cactus-Club outfit type hot. More like sweet girl-next-door feminine hot. Not having hairnets help with that. Each day a different hot chocolate will be featured, however some flavours may be available every day. As well,  the popular "Lord of the Hot Chocolate" - a festival favourite of previous years - will be on the menu every day. All drinks are made with Valrhona chocolate . #25 - "ONLY THYME WILL TELL"  Orange and Thyme infused Dark Chocolate (72% single origin, ...

On Saturday I did a  Hot Chocolate Crawl  for  Hot Chocolate Festival 2015  with a fellow Yelper and we hit three places.  The Last Crumb Bakery  was the second stop. It's actually a remarkably large place that feels a bit like a high school cafeteria. Spacious seating. Just one washroom and you need to ask for the key. Can I take points off for that? (Please note that the bakery and cafe is closed on Mondays. See hours below.) At The Last Crumb Bakery and Cafe they make their hot chocolate sauce in house from a rich, high quality Dutch Cocoa. #39 - "TRIPLE GINGER SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE" Triple ginger hot chocolate. Served with handmade Ginger Apricot Sconscotti (biscotti made from our delicious, handmade buttery scones.) Available: January 17 - February 14 #40 - "CHOCOLATE CHERRY LUST" Sour cherry hot chocolate. Accompanied by a fluffy, handmade, vanilla speckled marshmallow.  Available: January 17 - February 14 Triple Ginger Spiced ...

On Saturday I did a Hot Chocolate Crawl  for Hot Chocolate Festival 2015 with a fellow Yelper and we hit three places. Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France  was the first stop. We got in shortly after they opened as there was concern they might sell out, as they did last year. It's a tiny store that's basically slightly more than half kitchen and the rest is maybe a 20-seat area of mostly benches as well as some space outside. Has sort of a rustic feel and a decor that includes lots of chocolate molds. Strangely it felt quaint. All drinks are prepared with milk or almond milk. A selection of flavours is also offered in bags to prepare at home. No drink service on Feb 14th, to accommodate their Valentine's Day lineup. #17 - "Marocchino" Classic Italian drink: half drinking chocolate, half espresso. Served with a meringue of your choice. Our recommendation: cardamom, anise or vanilla. Available: every day of the festival that the shop is open. #18 - ...

Last time I was here was in the final days of Hamid Salimian's tenure and they put out a super-inventive limited-time Middle Eastern set menu. I was mostly looking for vegetarian and gluten-free $18 Dine Out Vancouver options so Diva at the Met wasn't even on my radar, but there was interest in it from our dining group so I ended up going. No regrets -- happily surprised even! Hot chocolate was also really decent -- and yes, you can order their Hot Chocolate Festival offerings at 9:30 PM to go with dessert during a late seating dinner. Dine Out Vancouver 2015 $38 Wine Pairing is flat $15 for pairing with all three courses. Appetizer Roasted Parsnip Vanilla Bean Soup Apple Compote | Raisin Croutons | Crispy Pork Belly or Caramelized Beets & Goat Cheese Salad Candied Hazelnuts | Pomegranate and Guava Dressing or Angus Beef Carpaccio Hand Cut AAA Beef Tenderloin | Braised  Cipollini | Capers | Shaved Grana Padano  Cheese | Baby Arugula and Truffle Vinaig...

From the same cafe that brought you the " Paula Dean White Trash Train Wreck " last year comes another novel Hot Chocolate Festival entry this year: "Don't Bug Me". Coconut milk 38% milk hot chocolate garnished with free-range dried crickets. Served with a 72% mini dark chocolate square. Available: January 17 - February 14. Like last year's entry, this is not so much a hot chocolate with an interesting flavour as it is a hot chocolate topped with something odd. In this case, some kind of grey whipped cream (?) on which are sprinkled a few dried crickets. And you'll appreciate having something sweet to go along with the crickets because they are really horribly bland with a wheat-like flavour . At $8.50 + GST = $8.93, it's pretty steep if your objective is just to try some dried cricket, but definitely good for the novelty and a story to tell. It's also supposed to come with a square of dark chocolate. They forgot to give it to me, so be a...

I'm all for trying strange foods, so for the Hot Chocolate Festival 2014 , I was keen on trying the one with potato chips and this one from CocoaNymph , with mango. #15 - "APHRODITE'S DELIGHT" Made from 72% dark chocolate, with mango rosemary puree and almond milk (vegan and dairy free). Served with a side of rosemary anise fudge. Available: January 18 - February 14 Luckily I'd gone with someone because I found it kind of gross. She didn't, though, so she helped me finish it. There had been reports of weak mango flavour , but when I got mine on Friday night, it had a sour mango flavour that turned me off it right away. I had expected a sweet mango flavour, but mangos can certainly be sour. That really threw me off. I bravely gave it a good go and had half my cup, but I could give it away, so I did. I don't want to say it's "bad", but I do feel it could be an acquired taste, so go with a friend if you can. The square of fudge was...

January 31st (today!) is the last day to try  Mink 's first Hot Chocolate 2014 entry, "Paula Dean White Trash TrainWreck": 70% dark chocolate ganache with condensed milk, salted kettle chips, and vanilla whipped cream. Served with a 72% dark chocolate wafer. Don't fret if you miss it, however. The concoction is basically Mink's drinking chocolate on the bottom, a pile of potato chips (which weren't quite salty enough, I thought), and whipped cream on top. The separate layers contrasts it from many other Hot Chocolate Festival entries where you get a novel mixture of ingredients (which sometimes flies and sometimes flops). It is also a tall enough composition that you will likely make a huge mess if you try to stir it all together without eating some chips and whipped cream first. Sadly, none of the combinations of whipped cream, chips, and drinking chocolate were particularly interesting. The saltiness of the chips may have been meant to bring out mor...

#51 - "GRANVILLE ISLAND GROCERY LIST" Inspired by the flavours of Granville Island, this is a beet and saffron hot chocolate. Served with a Gjetost macaron. Available: January 24 - 26, February 5 - 7 So last Friday I finally got around to going to my first Hot Chocolate Festival venue. I walked from the skytrain station, so I give the horrible traffic jam down West Pender a complete miss -- yay! At 5.45 pm, the store was devoid of any customers, though a little later a few people wandered in. End of the day is a horrible time to go if you are hoping for a wider selection of fresh macarons. For the hot chocolate festival, however, it's fine. The Granville Island Grocery List was a beautiful white chocolate drink with a red swirl on top. Quite sweet as expected, but I found the flavours a bit off-putting and had a "sickly sweet" feeling. Q's Quarter  had a completely different take on it, however. He really liked it, and found "layers of fla...

It's time for Dine Out Vancouver again! Here are some tips... DON'T use the Vegetarian checkbox to limit your search. This picks up only those restaurants the fill out the special "Vegetarian Menu" tab. Many restaurants (such as East is East ) have at least one, if not more, vegetarian or vegan choices in their Dine Out menus. This issue probably won't get corrected until 2015, but really, if the restaurants weren't so lazy, they could have filled out the vegetarian menu as well and the Vegetarian menu checkbox would actually be meaningful. Check out the Lunch menus as well. For example, West offers a Dine Out Vancouver lunch menu that doesn't have the full array of dinner choices, BUT it is $10 cheaper . Hot Chocolate Festival Remember that the Hot Chocolate Festival runs more or less concurrently -- January 18 - Feb 14. It's generally not as well advertised, so be in the know and don't miss out. NOT every flavour will be availab...

After god knows how long, I dropped by Leonidas again last Friday to grab a hot beverage on a cold, rainy evening right before heading over to Peckinpah. Turns out they have small round cheesecakes now, that the owners pick up from The Confectional in Seattle. They were still serving their Hot Chocolate Festival offerings, though the menu has been trimmed down to about a half dozen of their most popular items. The lonely storekeep holding down the fort on that dark, dreary evening was a Belgian import, and ecstatic to be working for Leonidas, the chocolates she grew up with. She recommended the raspberry cheesecake flavoured hot chocolate, made with white chocolate. It was quite sweet, but not so sweet as to require a glass of water on the side or to give you a sugar burn at the back of the throat. I was warned that it would have some sourness, but this didn't show up for me. It did definitely taste like cheesecake, though without so much cheese flavour to make it more a ch...

Hot Chocolate Festival at Leonidas (downtown Waterfront Convention Centre) ? Well, not exactly. The festival is long over for this year, but they are introducing the flavours they presented into their regular menu. I only found this out Saturday night at their lovely 100th anniversary Easter weekend event. Disclosure: How did I get outed as a blogger? I wasn't in there five minutes and somehow I got tagged. C'mon! I don't even have my picture on this blog. So, okay, I guess I should say that the staff got me pegged as a food blogger from the get go. I normally go undercover. Incognito. Couldn't get away with that this time, though. But hey, it's not I was the only one who got free treats here. Everyone did, and you could have too, if you'd signed up for it . About a year and a half ago, Leonidas opened at the new Convention Centre at the Waterfront in downtown Vancouver. You may have attended their Grand Opening special in December 2011. The emphasis the...

There are some places that are so different that you really ought to check it out, just for the experience. One such place is Secret Location . The concept of Secret Location is apparently not so alien in Europe as it is in Gastown, but over here it's a very different experience. There are two rooms to Secret Location: A store and a restaurant/bar. The store has all sort of oddities, from the actual items sold (like the intriguing Necono Digital Camera ) to the actual furnishings, like the wall shelf where a section looks like a paint spill. Many, if not all, of the items were selected with the intent that you probably couldn't find it anywhere else (anywhere else locally, anyway). The large restaurant area has a beautiful long lit-table bar, and a variety of seating styles, with small tables, larger ones, low tables, even sofa seating. If there's a clear theme, it's the colour white. Look around carefully and you might spot intriguing things such as an umbrella c...