No Washing up Required

On these cold dreary nights, where the promise of summer’s warmth is far off, there is nothing better than hot chocolate. Rich, dark and creamy, it helps lift the winter blues that still hang around this time of year. But have you ever wanted to be able to eat your mug after finishing your hot cocoa? How about the spoon and saucer too? I found a place that served me hot chocolate in a dark chocolate cup, with a chocolate spoon and saucer. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.

When I first saw it on the menu, I didn’t believe it. Maybe they meant something like the chocolate came with extra hot cocoa on the side, it couldn’t be real, could it? Yet, when my drink arrived it was indeed served in a chocolate mug, with a small elegant chocolate spoon and saucer. I picked up the spoon and dipped it into the hot chocolate and tasted it. Sweet, rich and oh so delicious, it gently warmed me. The drink was not too hot, as if it had been any warmer, it would have been served to me as a chocolatey mess with a few melted lumps floating in it. I bit the spoon. It tasted more bitter than the drink, giving a contrast.

I slowly sipped my drink while nibbling on my cup as the level of the liquid got steadily lower. A truly unique experience, eating your cup while you are drinking from it, causes the rim to change shape and alters the mouthfeel. The handle was a little bit hard to hold, and a few times I nearly spilt some of the miraculous liquid. Possibly melting a hole in the handle would help, but then there would be less chocolate for me to enjoy. Or I should not wear a white shirt on the same day that I found a chocolate shop.

The café was decorated with chocolate paraphernalia, from milk churns turned into small tables, a cocoa bean mill, to the walls being covered in old silver chocolate moulds. There were classic egg and chicken shapes, but interesting ones as well, like boats, pears, twirls and even a large fish. There was a small fireplace on one side of the café, which worried me, as it could have caused the chocolate utensils to melt, but I was sitting on the other side of the room. It all added to the ambience of the café and made my hot chocolate even more enjoyable.

As a Swiss, who has been exposed to some truly lovely chocolate, this cocoa and tea set was excellent. Some of the best that I have tasted in a long time, outside of Switzerland. The chocolate moulds needed a little refinement, to make them easier to use, but still held such delight in being able to eat them, that it hardly mattered.

So, while the weather is still chilly and wet, come and get a hot chocolate. Even better you could get it in a chocolate mug, so that the café has less washing up to do, and you will have more enjoyment as you eat your cup.

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41 Broadwick St, Soho, London, W1F 9QL