A photo posted by roz ♡ (@rawrzuhlind) on Jan 19, 2017 at 9:00pm PST

Next, the 'Rocky Road to Love' at Chocolate Arts. What an apt name- this was a bit of a rocky journey for me. The amount you get is quite impressive- I really couldn't finish mine, and it didn't help that it was a bit thick. I kept checking the menu because it reminded me of a drinking chocolate, although it says otherwise. Taste-wise, it was a bit like drinking chocolate soy milk. That said, the marshmallows & caramel drizzle were a great touch, and the chocolate coated candied almonds stole the show for me- I couldn't stop eating them! This costs $8.35.



On to Gem Chocolates. I'll admit, they've risen quite steadily on my list of favourite hot chocolate locations in the past few years. Offering a different flavour weekly, I find their menu to be quite unique and fun (without crossing into gimmicky territory like certain places that I won't name...) Their first offering is 'Flower Power', a flower blossom infused drink that I really enjoyed. The floral note wasn't overpowering at all, but quite soothing, and it went well with the smooth milk chocolate. The flower design marshmallows were also quite cute and unique- I kept thinking they were chocolates before I actually ate them. All their hot chocolates are $7!

A photo posted by roz ♡ (@rawrzuhlind) on Jan 23, 2017 at 9:00pm PST

Last year, I started off the festival at The Last Crumb- I'm glad I didn't do so this year, as I wasn't particularly excited after their 'Strawberries in the Snow'. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it also wasn't amazing. The chocolate itself isn't very obvious (which I suppose isn't surprising as it's white chocolate based), but the strawberry flavour gets completely lost in translation after the first few sips. I did like the strawberry jam thumbprint cookie though. For $6.83, my general feeling is pretty much just 'ehhh'.


A new participant in this year's festival, Doughgirls Comfort Kitchen also sell what look like scrumptious meals- I couldn't stop salivating after seeing the lasagna, mac & cheese, and shepherd's pie in the case. If only they'd been around back when I was on UBC grounds.....
Anyway, back to the main topic! I stopped by for 'Arctic Ice', a white chocolate drink infused with mint. (You all remember how much I love mint, right?!) This reaaaaally hit the spot after a long morning at work. Again, I have to mention how much I actually enjoy white chocolate based drinks, and the refreshing mint was perfect. The contrast of their frozen mint truffle with the warm drink really made for a great combination. While not as exciting, the chocolate peppermint biscochito was an added bonus, and for $5.25, I really think it's worth heading up to UBC for this!



While I wasn't originally planning on stopping by Diva at the Met (especially knowing how pricey it is...), I somehow ended up there on Friday evening. 'Peppermint Pole Dance' certainly sounded like something I would enjoy, but in the end, the taste just didn't justify the price. Perhaps it was the addition of the peppermint schnapps that ruined it for me- I don't enjoy alcohol, least of all the aftertaste of it. The supposed infusion of pineapple wasn't at all apparent to me, but I did like the streusel topping. My favourite part of this was probably the delicious chocolate pillow cookie which was so perfectly chewy. My verdict? For $11.50, I'd give this a pass unless you're a documented fan of peppermint schnapps (and even then.....).



IN SUMMARY aka tl;dr

STOP, DROP, AND GO GET ONE NOW

• butter baked goods: $5.25 (plus tax)
• glenburn soda fountain: $6 (before tax)
• doughgirls comfort kitchen: $5.25 (plus tax)
• temper chocolate: $8 (before tax)
• gem chocolates: $7 (before tax)

Ah yes, the start of the new year brings new resolutions, but also marks the return of the annual Hot Chocolate Festival presented by CityFood Magazine (which may actually go against everyone's favourite resolution of eating healthier and keeping fit ;D).

The first location I headed to was The Last Crumb for 'His Lordship's HC'- a vanilla Earl Grey hot chocolate. It came with a vanilla bean butter cookie that I enjoyed due to my love for vanilla. The drink itself was quite nice- I'm not too crazy about tea, but the Earl Grey flavour wasn't overpowering and I actually found it quite comforting as it was a drizzly day (of course), and it was perfect for warming me up. The price of this was $6.30.

kicking off #hotchocolatefest with a london fog hot chocolate- perfect for a quiet study sunday. thumbs up for the vanilla cookie as well! #rozreviews #howmanyfilterscaniputonthispictomakeitmoreexciting

A photo posted by roz ♡ (@rawrzuhlind) on Jan 17, 2016 at 3:35pm PST

Next up was French Made Baking, which, if you've read my hot chocolate posts before, is consistently one of my favourite spots. This year was no different, I'd have to say. Last year, I raved about their Dulcey Valrhona white chocolate, so of course I couldn't miss out on their 'Magic Beans' offering- tonka and vanilla bean infused Dulcey white chocolate. I'm not really sure what I could say that I haven't said over and over again- it's sweet but not sickeningly so, and it's so unbelievably creamy and smooth. You can try this on February 3rd, 7th, and 11th (and it's $6.60!) The rosemary and sea salt puff pastries were a nice contrast- so crisp and savoury.

Bella Gelateria is yet another place that needs no introduction, I'm sure. My friend Anika and I stopped by for 'Before 9' and 'Bx3' and our total was $14.99 for both (~$7.50 for one!) Before 9 is a peppermint infused hot chocolate- the peppermint wasn't too strong, which is great, but I found that post-sip, you're sort of left with this chocolate...film in your mouth? I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it'd probably be a good idea to have a bit of water on hand. As for the Bx3, it was pretty much just banana bread in liquid form, and we both were really impressed by it. Before 9 comes with a rice crispy (nothing special), and Bx3 comes with a slice of Erin Ireland's famous banana bread. Yum!



Next up on the list? Mink Chocolates. They've been a sort of hit-or-miss for me in the past, as I found their offerings to be very gimmicky (but I guess whatever grabs the public's attention, right?) I was prepared to give them a miss yet again, but in the end, I couldn't resist trying 'It's A Clusterfluff', which is really quite a "normal" drink by their standards, haha. This is a milk chocolate based hot chocolate with torched marshmallow fluff on top, and you get handed a sparkler on the side. Thanks to my friend Christina for holding on to mine- I really struggled to get a picture before it burnt out completely! As for the drink- I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It is a bit on the sweeter side though, and I'd definitely recommend mixing the fluff completely into the drink as opposed to trying to eat it- the taste on its own wasn't too appealing to me. Once again, Mink's drink is one of the most expensive ones at $8.95.

• french made baking: $6.60
• chocolate arts: $8.35
• soirette: $6.95

It's that wonderful time of year again- the hot chocolate festival presented by CityFood Magazine! If you've read my blog before, you'll know my favourite drink is hot chocolate, and I took advantage of the festival last year. This year, I'm definitely just as excited as ever...


Unlike last year, I've decided to do a weekly round-up on here so that you have a better chance of trying any hot chocolates that you're interested in (unless their availability dates have passed, of course.) You can find the complete list of offerings here.

First up on the list! I headed to Thierry, and as expected, it was completely packed. In fact, I couldn't even get a seat- I ended up standing in a corner trying not to get in the way of the employees, haha. Their first hot chocolate is the 'Madagascar', and it's being offered until the 28th of January. Unfortunately.....I personally didn't enjoy it too much. What isn't really made apparent in the description is how closely the drink resembles drinking chocolate, which, if you've read my round-up from last year, I'm not particularly fond of. It wasn't quite as thick as others I've had, but it was still a bit too heavy and sweet for my taste, and I really wasn't keen on finishing it all, had I not paid $10.25 for it. I did love the chocolate caramel that was included though- reminded me of See's chocolate caramel pops. I'll be returning for their second option next month, so hopefully I'll like that one much better!


The next day, I headed to a personal fave- French Made Baking. As I mentioned last year, their hot chocolates have consistently been one of the best in my opinion. Don't be fooled by their unassuming appearance- they are creamy and sweet (though not overly so), and I'm just so obsessed. This year was no different. I tried their 'Chauds Les Marrons', which was yet another Dulcey Valrhona caramelized white chocolate, but this time, with the addition of chestnut. Honestly, that one cup really wasn't enough- even thinking about it now, I'm drooling! It was genuinely so delectable, and I URGE you to go give it a try. The hot chocolate itself is only $4.25, but if you add a small slice of dark chocolate cake, your total will be $6. I wasn't crazy about the cake (which was a bit like a cookie/cake combo) as it was a bit dry, but if you dip it into your hot choc...problem solved!

Day 3 led to a visit to Gem Chocolates after school. Despite having worked in Kerrisdale for three years, I somehow had never stopped in at Gem before. Well, that needed to change, no? I ordered the 'Cocoa Lily' which is a hot white chocolate with black sesame. I liked it! With white chocolate, it's so easy for drinks to be too sweet, but this was definitely not the case, and I think the aromatic black sesame helped tone that down. As a child, I grew up consuming black sesame desserts- pretty common in Asian households, I think. Mom always went on about how it's supposedly good for keeping our hair black, so I always went along with it, haha. The floating chocolate flower was both adorable and delicious, and I enjoyed the black sesame praline, though it was quite sticky! My one issue with this was the remnants of ground up black sesame pulp that were left at the bottom of my cup as I was finishing up my drink. This drink is no longer available, but their three other offerings also sound quite intriguing, and I for sure will be returning! My total was $6.50.




As is becoming tradition, I decided to rest on the seventh day, so I wanted to do something special for Day 6. I ventured out to Kits after class, and stopped by Koko Monk Chocolates. I hadn't originally planned on adding it to my list, but they were kind enough to comment one of my Instagram posts, so I figured why not? (And gee, I''m glad I did.) Upon finding out it was my first time there, I was offered two samples and a bit of a taste test to see if I could discern the flavours in the chocolate. I certainly had a hard time with it, but the chocolates were so smooth & unbelievably amazing, and I was blown away as to the many taste levels that developed within my mouth. I'll definitely return to try some more out when I have time. Now, on to the hot chocolate itself. I ordered the 'Lyric & Dagger', which was yet another white chocolate with black sesame mix. Here's a quaint verse that they've provided:

The story of this hot-chocolate takes place in a golden dessert of old, old days. Please be ready, black sesame in this velvety concoction will be mounting on your most virgin taste buds like an albino sun. And you will feel that the flavor is opening like a forgotten door with a sandy cry in the dark cave of your mouth. Then the dance of the lemon and lime caramel with silent sesame will start. You will not be the first one who hears the whisper of Morgiana telling the story of Ali Baba and Forty Thieves but you will be absolutely the first one who experienced the taste of the very same secret words "Open sesame, open" in your mouth.

To be honest, when I first went through these descriptions, I found it to be a bit gimmicky & exaggerated, but thinking back on the drink, I can see how apt this really is. The sesame really isn't a strong taste, but there's always a hint of it in every sip. While the hot chocolate itself tasted fairly similar to Gem's, I must say that I feel as if theirs is a more refined/elevated concoction in comparison, and it's mainly due to some small details, like the lack of black sesame pulp at the bottom of my cup, and also the added lemon & lime caramel which added a bit of extra...oomph to the drink, if you will. As for the cookie, I went for the chocolava, which is more on the chewier side- just the way I like 'em. I paid $7.85 in total. This is yet another drink that is no longer being offered, but Koko Monk has three other options that sound equally as intriguing!

• french made baking: $4.25/$6
• butter baked goods: $5
• koko monk: $7.85