Xocolatl - Hot Chocolate

Tasted: Spanish Hot Chocolate / Chilli Hot Chocolate

Price: $5.75

Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars

Buy again: Definitely, this was very good

It's a Saturday morning and following an early morning appointment in East Kew I arrive at Xocolatl by 9.30, a little conscious that it may be a wee bit early to be indulging in hot chocolate.  However my fears are allayed as I walk into the cafe and find it three quarters full with a real buzz of activity and enjoyment.  And this wasn't an anomaly, I was there until just after 11.30 and there was a steady stream of people heading through the cafe the entire time.  

Atmosphere

One cannot help but be impressed by the amazing, large copper window as you enter but what I like about this cafe is its lack of pretension.  Everything that I get out of this cafe, and Xocolatl in general but particularly this cafe, is its all about the chocolate; its about the enjoyment, about coming in and having a quality chocolate experience.  It's not about trying to dictate an image or trying to be trendy, I would perhaps call it sophisticated comfort with a great product and a fine appreciation.  Personally I love it

And I was fortunate enough to have an engaging chat with owner and chocolatier Christos and one of his daughters.  One of the things that always strikes me about Christos and his family is their absolute passion about chocolate, and how eager and generous they are in sharing that with people.  

Small things I also appreciate, a glass of water appears at our table almost immediately.  We can linger without feeling pressured.  But I am sure anyone reading really wants to get to the hot chocolate...

Sight

There's only so much you can do to hot chocolate to make it visually inviting, but one of those things is to liberally sprinkle it with real chocolate flakes and underneath ensure there is a suitable froth.

Taste & Texture

And here my gushing continues as I had one of the best hot chocolates I think I've ever had!

I ordered Xocolatl's signature Spanish Hot Chocolate (milk chocolate infused with cinnamon and vanilla - yum) which is absolutely delicious.  It is not a thick hot chocolate as I purport to like but it is incredibly full flavoured - not at all weak, but very full bodied.  

It contains a good froth, present, delicious but not too much.  The temperature was also perfect, neither too hot to be scalding not too luke warm that I drink it quickly.

My friend and fellow tester, Michael agreed.  Being a bit of a chilli/chocolate afficinedo, not surprisingly he ordered the fiery Chilli Hot Chocolate.  

The texture was very similar to that which I just described however for Michael what distinguished this from run of the mill chilli drinks is the chilli doesn't over power the tasting.  The chilli starts off somewhat mild and then kindly deposits a tingly chilli flavour and warmth at the back of the throat.  

Michael noted this was a perfect balance of chilli and chocolate and it lingered exceptionally well, even after he drank water!  You of course have to have some appreciation for chilli to order this but you don't have to be a devotee of the red beasts to enjoy this.  Certainly I got to try this and I have to agree with Michael and declare it delicious.

Summary

So we both loved our hot chocolates and will definitely be back again for hot chocolate and their lovely hand made chocolates.  As much as I loved the Spanish hot chocolate, and start to salivate just now thinking about it, I may be tempted next time to try their Wild Cocoa, which is dark and a little bitter, which I am very much looking forward to!

Rating for both hot chocolates; 5 out of 5.

5 September 2009
Reviewer: Shari & Michael