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

So terribly sad that this is my last hot chocolate fest recap for the year- it's been a sweeeeet month!

Managed to round up my friends for a small after-school date at Bella Gelateria...which is an excellent excuse to order everything on the menu ;D (technically, they were kinda coerced into this decision.... "you can't order the same thing as me!!!! roz needs pictures for her blog!!!!)





Matt chose 'Erin Gone Bananas', I had the 'James Brown', Anna had 'Earl Goes Boom', and Christina had 'La Dolce Vita'. Of the bunch, 'La Dolce Vita' was definitely the best! You can't go wrong with dulce de leche.  'James Brown' was very rich, and the addition of spices is definitely an acquired taste and not for everyone. On my instagram post, I wrote about anise and nutmeg....and on second thought I'm not quite sure where I got the info that these were the spices in the hot chocolate? Did I make that up? I have no idea, haha. Anna and I weren't terribly excited by the cookie- Anna doesn't like ladyfingers, and while I don't mind 'em, the ones we had were a bit dry with not enough fior di latte gelato inside. Super sadface about it, since fior di latte is one of my favourite gelato flavours. I was hoping it'd be the same gBARs as last year :(

This is the same day I got a shout out from Cityfood Magazine- thank you!

"I really like mine."- Christina

"It's quite sweet but not diabetes sweet."- Anna 

Last but not least, I had to end the festival with a bang of course (and on the last day itself, no less.) Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionary is yet another place I've wanted to try since I first heard it was opening, but due to their location, I've never been able to make the trip. As I had Saturday free, and it finally decided to stop raining, I hopped on the bus and made my way out to Burnaby.



It was every bit as cute as I imagined- the shelves filled with candy from my childhood was one of my favourite touches, and of course, the interior itself was precisely what you imagine when you think of retro diners. Not to age myself (haha), but soda fountains and diners always remind me of the Archie comics that I used to read in elementary school!

I got so distracted while taking pictures that I didn't think of the obvious problem: how quickly ice cream will melt near a hot drink....oops.

1. French Made Baking
2. Butter Baked Goods
3. Glenburn Soda Fountain & Confectionary
4. Gem Chocolates
5. Koko Monk Chocolates

Time for a week 2 recap of my Hot Chocolate Festival adventures!

First up- a trip to Bel Café with Erica after a wonderful time at the screening of Bolshoi's Swan Lake, which was absolutely wonderful beyond words. Just a chance to see the exquisite Svetlana Zakharova dance on a big screen alongside Denis Rodkin- it was such an emotional experience for me. I honestly am still speechless and can't put any of my thoughts into words, but both Erica and I were teary-eyed by the end of the show, haha. Anyway, on to the hot chocolate! We both ordered the 'Tahitian Dream' for $8. Erica found it to be too sweet for her- I agree that the marshmallow was definitely sweet, but I didn't find it to be unbearably so once mixed in with the drink. Regardless, the vanilla bean shortbread that came with the drink was delicious!

• french made baking: $4.25/$6
• thomas haas (this is nuts): $6.95
• thierry: $10.25