Last of the Hot Chocolate Festival : Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France, French Made Baking & Happy Valentine`s Day !

Here`s to the end of the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival this year, we definitely got to all the drinks that I really wanted to try. That`s awesome because since the festival`s second run in 2012 (making this the third year for me), I`ve never managed to try all the ones on my list because I never have enough time. Hooray to only having classes on two (long) days of the week! We went to Soirette (twice), Bella Gelateria (twice), Thomas Haas, Schokolade, Leonidas, French Made Baking... And on Valentine`s day, we finished off with Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France and a final trip to French Made Baking.

I really liked these fake wax seals for their chocolates.

In 2012, I went to this little chocolate shop on the corner of Main St and 21st Avenue to try a hotcho.. And was really unimpressed with Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France`s store hours. After the trouble of commuting there, they were closed.. Contrary to the information on CityFoods, on their store website, and heck! Even on the little sign on their door that told me they would be open. But two years later, K took interest in the iced drinking chocolates they were offering and having tried an iced hot chocolate in Vegas (Serendipity 3 at Caesar`s Palace by the way, if anyone is interested), I really like the idea of them.. Thankfully, their hours were accurate this time and we entered the door to find a cozy and very small French chocolate shop... That was very crowded with people coming in to pick up chocolates for their loved ones on Valentine`s day, how sweet!

We shared a Chocolat Glace a la Rose, a rose flavored iced drinking chocolate that was served with a liege waffle with a choice between a chocolate hazelnut spread or a fleur de sel (sea salt) caramel spread to go with the waffle. If you know how much I love chocolate and hazelnut, then you already know which spread we picked. But I was actually worried that the spread might be too sweet, since liege waffles tend to lean towards the sweet side for me even by themselves, but no such thing. The waffle was just right, toasted so the chocolate spread melted just a little bit as you ate it. Delicious, I would definitely come back for another.

The rose iced drinking chocolate itself.... I would recommend for people who absolutely adore rose water. The taste of rose and cocoa (and I mean cocoa, not milk chocolate) almost compete with each other. I really have to say that it was as if my taste buds were struggling to decide which flavor stood out more. Neither necessarily overpowered the other, though I can`t say they complimented each other either. Meh, but with a very friendly francophone owner, I am hopeful to be back next year to try a different flavor. Plus, their chocolates were really a hit; the place remained full of people for our entire duration there!

Chocolat Glace de la Rose, with a really cute cardboard straw and waffle! ($5)

Yummmy! Gaufre de liege waffle with a chocolate hazelnut spread :)

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France
198 East 21st Avenue, Vancouver
Weekdays : 12p to 630p
Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Saturday : 11a to 6p
Sunday : 12p to 5p

Back to Soirette & in line for Thomas Hass !

Our first stop this year for the festival, we had already tried Soirette's 9 O`Clock Gun, which was a really good cedar flavored hot chocolate inspired by Stanley Park. Our last time there, it was too packed to really sit down and get some photos or enjoy our hot chocolate. But this time, it emptied as we ordered!

We went back on Saturday for their Hot Toddy Float inspired by Grouse Mountain, not offered on the same day as the 9 O`Clock Gun. The description for the Hot Toddy Float was this: "You`d stay warm and cozy even in the peaks of Grouse Mountain with this buttered rum hot chocolate blended with wild mountain honey ice cream." We could definitely taste the liquor in this drink, but like any other hotcho that has had honey in it, the honey was sadly lost amongst the other flavors.

Hot Toddy Float served with a "Grouse Grind Reward Cluster" at Soirette Macarons & Tea.

I surprised K with this heart shaped strawberry butter macaron ($2) when he went to fill up our parking meter :)

Naturally, there was only meter parking available in the Coal Harbour area so we did not fill our meter all the way, just in case it ended up being packed again and we were forced to get our drinks to go again. So while K went to fill the meter some more when we discovered seats, I ordered our hot chocolate and this heart shaped macaron to surprise him. I am no fan of strawberry myself, but he seemed to enjoy it :)

Google maps estimated a 10-12 minute drive from Soirette to Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie, yet another beloved macaron stop for me. Here the aromas were amazing, and the line was out the door of the little cafe. Once I reached that door in line, I was once again fascinated by their amazing ceiling as I was last year. I took another photo of that ceiling and I am sure I will get another next year when I return... Please note that there is underground parking (we paid for meter parking again without knowing they offer parking!)

I love the Thomas Haas saucers!

Another photo of their amazing ceiling a year later (see previous year Thomas Haas blog post).

A colorful assortment of macarons offered that day ($10 for 6).

I wanted to get a shot of this crazy line up that only got longer after we got in line!

Too packed to get our drinks in one of their nice mugs, but I love these!

The Passionista (left) and the Campfire (right) at $5.95 each.

And I really loved the cocoa flower that`s on their to-go cups!

The line and lack of seating forced us to grab our drinks to-go, instead of being seated to enjoy them... But you still get that heart and the decoration of the drinks even in to-go cups, how nice! K had the Passionista, a "fresh passion fruit-infused hot chocolate with Grand Marnier chantilly" and it was served with a passion fruit pate de fruit. A Google search revealed that this was a chewy candy with an intense fruit flavor made from the purees of fresh fruit. I had the Campfire, "a classic hot chocolate, only with smoky caramel, smoked Hawaiian sea salt" and this was served with marshmallows and another little pastry that I haven`t any clue the name of. I am a huge fan of sea salt caramel flavored things, and was pleased to say that this tasted like the 9 O`Clock Gun with the addition of that sea salty, caramel flavor. It definitely had many layers to the taste and I really liked it! Both of these drinks are offered everyday through until Valentine`s Day, and I really recommend Thomas Haas` macarons :)

Soirette Macarons & Tea
1433 West Pender Street, Vancouver
Monday - Wednesday : 10a to 6p
Thursday - Friday : 10a to 7p
Saturday - Sunday : 11a to 6p

Thomas Haas (Kitsilano)
2539 West Broadway, Vancouver
Tuesday - Saturday : 8a to 530p
Sunday & Monday : closed

Schokolade Artisan Chocolates & Cafe !

The Winter Comfort (upper) and Snow White (lower) at Schokolade Cafe ($10 ea).

Schokolade has been one of my favorites for a long time, partially because it used to be super close by (before I moved, that is) but also because it is incredibly cozy and the owner is always in. And they have chocolate shaped like mahjong tiles that I love to give as gifts. Rushing from school, and K from work, to make it to Schokolade Artisan Chocolates & Cafe before the closed at 5 on Tuesday, forced us to get their hot chocolate in to-go cups. The little dusting of powder still makes them look presentable though! I should note that CityFoods actually has the wrong hours for Schokolade. They are open from 9a to 5p, not 10a to 6p.

Now while I always go in for their Squirrel Special, they were offering some intriguing drinks for the Hot Chocolate Festival this year that brought us there this week. K had the Winter Comfort, a "100% pure hazelnut butter blended with milk chocolate" hotcho, served with a chocolate-dipped hazelnut biscotti; both the drink and what little I had of the biscotti were delicious. Hazelnut is very likely my favorite flavor in combination with chocolate. I had the Snow White, a "white chocolate and steamed milk, flavoured with peppermint and rose" hotcho, served with four pieces of chocolates.. This was delicious, even though it was pretty difficult to taste the rose.

The hazelnut biscotti, and chocolates in flavors of Earl Grey, orange, jasmine, pomegranate, caramel and raspberry.

But the kind owner decided we could each have four chocolates per hot chocolate (we did not know that the Winter Comfort did not come with four pieces of chocolate until we came home and took a better look at the menu, how nice of her!). K picked all the fruity flavors, haha. And they were all delicious, suffice to say. One of my favorite times for hot chocolate is at the end of a long day at school or work, which is exactly what this was :)

Schokolade Artisan Chocolates
2263 East Hastings Street, Vancouver
Tuesday - Saturday : 9a to 5p
Sunday & Mondays : Closed

Five Sails Restaurant & Back to Bella Gelateria !

My friend J told me that he originally had Dine Out plans at the Five Sails Restaurant that were cancelled several weeks ago when we caught up over bubble tea. Hearing his disappointment about how much he had anticipated the lobster on their menu, and considering how much I adore lobster, we made reservations for four last Wednesday to try this much talked about lobster.

The feel of the restaurant is quite elegant and the ocean view makes for a rather intimate vibe, which is likely the reason they are usually a wedding banquet venue pick. Our servers and waiters were not only friendly but were fairly occupied with ensuring that we enjoyed our meal, cracking the odd joke here and there, which made the overall experience enjoyable. Now onto the food... I loved the tuna tartar; the sesame and avocado were delicious together, but one criticism I had was that I didn`t really taste the tuna. It was still a scrumptious appetizer, I was just surprised at how hard it was to distinguish the taste of tuna. Then in the main course, the fish in the lobster dish overtook a lot of the flavors for me. The sauce that normally accompanies this course likely masks that... but since the sauce contains onions, I don`t have an opinion on it. I`m sure with the sauce to complete the dish, it was really quite yummy. I did enjoy the dessert immensely too, so essentially the other courses on the menu made up for this one... But while the menu itself looked and tasted delicious, I admit to a larger appetite and the proportions were a lot smaller than I like... But oh well.

Here are the pictures that will finish off my thoughts on this $38 Dine Out experience:

A complimentary sampling of their lobster salad.

An assortment of complimentary bread.

Roasted Vegetable Terrine: Chef's salad of organic & seasonal greens.

Ahi Tuna Tartar: Crispy wontons, avocado & ginger scented sesame oil dressing.

Catch! : 1/2 Atlantic lobster, weathervane scallop and daily fresh catch.

A closer view of my lobster.

Banana & Chocolate Tango: Chocolate ganache, banana infused vanilla mousse w homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

Luxe Lemon Mille-Feuilles: Delicate layers of phyllo pastry and lemon cream, lemon parfait and fresh berry puree.

Following our meal at Five Sails, we realized how close we were to Bella Gelateria. And I had been meaning to return for another hot chocolate, so there was no better opportunity. Rushing to beat their closing time (we had a late reservation at Five Sails due to the high volumes of people wanting to try their menu), we hurried across the street and down the block to grab ourselves some hot chocolate and gelatooo.

Back to Bella Gelateria for their London Foggy ($7.50).

We really did not need to worry because while they do close at ten, they struggled to turn away customers for long after we had arrived and purchased our hot chocolate. This time, I got the London Foggy to go. It is their Earl Grey hot chocolate. I found that the dark chocolate in combination with what must be their Earl Grey gelato was a nice blend. They separate the gelato bar by putting it in a separate cup for you when you get your drink to go: this was nice compared to the previous post where the gelato bar was placed on the saucer right next to the warm cup of hot chocolate (melting it). It was just the thing to finish off my downtown experience that night! Did I mention that I actually really like their to go cups? Yummy. I hope they bring this back next year :)