It was a ton of fun putting together our first FBC Restaurant Roundup on Ramen last month. In fact, it made us so hungry that Ethan and Melissa even made a special trip to try out the Vancouver choice and gave it a resounding two thumbs up!
December is a month of getting together with family, friends, doing shopping, touring light displays, playing in the snow... and what better way to warm up than with a big mug of hot chocolate. Our Restaurant Roundup Crew are sharing their best spots for hot chocolate in their cities.. and one or two might just be the adult variety 😉 Enjoy - and we dare you not to crave hot chocolate after reading this!
Canada's Best Hot Chocolate
Let's start in the East this month...
Halifax's Best Hot Chocolate
Let's start with Kathy from Halifax Eats who brings us Choco Cafe's hot chocolate.
Honestly, I'm a cappuccino girl. But sometimes that chocolate craving hits and a warm bevy of cocoa goodness just hits the spot. With both milk and dark hot chocolate, The Choco Cafe is the one place in Hali rockin' the hot chocolate to a whole new level. But, then again, chocolate's their thing.
Read Kathy's review of Choco Cafe.
Quebec City's Best Hot Chocolate
Marie at Food Nouveau writes about Quebec City for About.com and she brings us the city's best hot chocolate at Choco-Musée Érico...
Hot chocolate may very well be one of the best ways to find comfort during Quebec City’s cold and snowy winters. There are many great places around the city to indulge in that sweet concoction, but my favorite (and certainly the most popular) is Choco-Musée Érico, a small half-museum, half-chocolate shop. Treats include fine chocolates, cookies and ice cream, but one of the reasons why many people go back is to indulge in one of their decadent hot chocolates. The extensive selection range from "mild" to "thick and very chocolatey" options, but the reason I go is that it’s the only place in Quebec City where I can enjoy a dairy-free hot chocolate made with soy milk that’s just as rich and decadent as the rest of the menu. As a lactose-intolerant, I’ve long had to deny myself hot chocolate, but those days are thankfully no more!
You can check out Marie's review of Choco-Musée Érico.
Montreal's Best Hot Chocolate
Staying in Quebec, let's check out Jason at Shut Up And Eat's best pick for Montreal at Cacao70:
Cacao70 is Montreal's primiere - not to mention one and only - "chocolate bar". Close to 25 different kinds of hot chocolate ranging from 29.2% purity, all the way to 100% (with or without alcohol), Cacao70 is every chocolate lover and aficionado's fantasy destination.
You can read Jason's review of Cacao070 here.
Toronto's Best Hot Chocolate
Next up we have Toronto and Stella at Food Junkie Chronicles tells us about Chococrepe...
Chococrepe uses only Valrhona chocolate for their hot chocolate (Valrhona is a high-end chocolate from France which costs almost three times as much as regular chocolate). I love it because the melted Valrhona hot chocolate is really rich, smooth, and luscious. And as if that's not enticing enough, Chococrepe's hot chocolates also come in a variety of flavours such as pumpkin, fleur de sel, dulce de leche, chili cayenne, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, orange, and lychee!
Read all of Stella's review of Chococrepe.
Ottawa's Best Hot Chocolate
Staying in Ontario, let's move further north to Ottawa where the crew at FoodiePrints thought we should all know about Brothers Beer Bistro... maybe not the usual place you'd expect for hot chocolate but this does look amazing (with a little adult kick!)...
This hot chocolate dessert was conceived of at Brothers Beer Bistro. At the bottom is an eggnog panna cotta. The hot chocolate is spiked with Courvoisier (VSOP Exclusif) cognac. The marshmallows are made with Bellevue Kriek, a Belgian cherry beer.
Each layer is executed well, but ordinary. Mix everything together, fishing out a marshmallow or two to start, and you’ve a very lightly boozy romantic drink. Everything comes out silky. ll of the flavours work together to showcase one another, creating a cooperative of festive tastes.
I could not imagine a better melding of Christmas drink traditions!
Be sure to check out Don's full Ottawa hot chocolate roundup.
Winnipeg's Best Chocolate
How do you get through a cold prairie winter? Kathryne at Food Musings chose Constance Popp as her pick...
Constance Popp’s chocolate drink (it is hot and it is chocolate but is not called hot chocolate) is nothing short of exquisite. I had to shut my eyes to close off the rest of the world when I tasted it. I wanted to focus only on the elixir in my mouth!?
See what else Kathryne has to say about Constance Popp.
Calgary's Best Hot Chocolate
We've got double duty from Calgary this month. Let's start off with Stephanie from Global Dish and her pick of Cococo...
Cococo’s hot chocolate is just that; hot chocolate. It’s pure and simple, rich and delectable. Just the thing to sip on a cold Calgary winter day!
Check out Stephanie's review of Cococo.
Dan from Dan’s Good Side couldn't decide so he gave us a few of his choices for some festive alcoholic versions including this one from Higher Ground called the Coffee Crisp
After I go sledding (yes, I am almost 30 and still go sledding) I don't just want some hot chocolate...I want some booze! This mix of creamy hot chocolate, espresso, Kahlua and Bailey's can warm me up faster than you can say: "Oh my god, Dan's drunk again!
Check out some more of Dan's favourite choices.
Vancouver's Best Hot Chocolate
We've got another duo for hot chocolate in Vancouver so let's start off with Dee at Gastrofork and her choice of Thierry...
Thierry's Liquid Chocolate is a rich, indulgent treat that resembles drinking from the ponds of heaven. For a chocoholic (like yours truly), Thierry's signature blend of dark chocolate is beautiful all by itself. But for a treat, add a little hazelnut or choose from three different spiked versions of this elixir!
Read more about why Dee loves Thierry's chocolate!
And last but not least we have Sean from Sean’s Adventures in Flavortown and his pick of Thomas Haas
Thomas Haas is known world wide for making some of the best chocolate confections and pastries. His two locations in Vancouver are a must visit if you find yourself in the city. The hot chocolate selection at Thomas Haas is second to none with flavors like the classic and extra dark to the exotic like chili infused Aztec hot chocolate. Whatever flavour you choose you're in for a rich, creamy cup of the city's finest hot chocolate.
Check out the rest of Sean's review of Thomas Haas.
Big thanks to our entire Restaurant Roundup Crew for sharing their favourite hot chocolate spots. They’ll all be back next month with their top spots for a Canadian classic: poutine! What's better for a cold, dreary January than a little gravy, fries and cheese curds?
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***all images are courtesy of our Restaurant Roundup Crew.
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Now I want to do a cross-Canada hot chocolate trip! I have to agree with Stella on Choco Crepe – they have some of the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. I think that quality ingredients always make a huge difference.
[…] when FBC asked about my favourite hot chocolate spot, in a new Restaurant Roundup segment on their site, the answer came to me in a snap: […]
Yuummm! Awesome roundup. I think Juliette et Chocolat should be mentioned for Montreal as well! Their hot chocolate menu is to die for
I’ve tried a few of theses places on my last year crazy summer roadtrip and I have to say that my favourite is still the hot chocolate from Chococrepe. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! I can probably say the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.