Leonidas Chocolates, Hapa Izakaya & Bella Gelateria !

More hot chocolate hopping with K, as well as sampling Hapa Izakaya`s Dine Out menu along the way because the three locations today were all no more than a block away from each other. How convenient, right?

Leonidas Chocolates, right by the Convention Centre!

Our first stop today was my first stop last year, at Leonidas Chocolates [click]. Now in the dark I did not see much of a point in attempting to get a photo of the store front with my point-and-shoot, but Leonidas has one point that is kind annoying for first-time-goers which is their lack of outdoor signage (they are between the "EzeeRiders" and the Subway, which both have super bright signs).

Jamaican Kiss with Liege waffle ($7.35) & Boho Secret with Marron chocolate ($7.35).

Interestingly enough, their festival hot chocolate menu (like last year) had more drink options than the list on Cityfood [click]. Not that I`m complaining. Each drink came with a choice of a macaron, Liege waffle, cheesecake, scoop of ice cream or a piece of chocolate. I had the Boho Secret hot chocolate, described on the menu as a "72% dark Belgian chocolate flavoured with peppermint, turmeric, honey and pepper." It was definitely dark chocolate alright and I could taste the peppermint in the aftertaste. The honey was visible in the cup but perhaps I could have mixed it better because I really couldn`t taste it as I drank it. Though it looks small, I picked a chocolate because Leonidas is a chocolate shop and I really liked the Marron which is a praline and coffee chocolate. Delicious but it will unsurprisingly alter the taste of your hot chocolate if you eat it before you drink your hotcho.

Closer look at the Jamaican Kiss hot chocolate at Leonidas.

K had the Jamaican Kiss hot chocolate, which was said to be "Belgian milk chocolate flavoured with coconut, pineapple and rum" with a Liege waffle. We agreed that we could taste the pineapple (along with bits of the fruit itself) and of course the chocolate and I might have detected a hint of rum, but the coconut taste was either missing or completely overpowered. Both drinks were not too thick, not too sweet, nor too strange of a combination of flavours and enjoyable. The guy behind the counter was very polite and friendly, and even offered us a tasting of their raspberry macaron, how sweet! You can still try these, and all the drinks at Leonidas because they are offered daily through until Valentine`s day :)

Hapa Izakaya at their Coal Harbour location.

Having meant to try Hapa Izakaya for years since I`ve had a number of missed events there, I was delighted to see it on the list of restaurants participating in Dine Out Vancouver. They are offering, rather than a three course menu, a four course menu [click] for $28. Here`s what we had, without further text needed really. Everything was delicious, and the proportions were just right (actually the beef tataki was a little on the small side, just a little).

First course! Beef Tataki: lightly seared AAA beef with sesame-chili sauce (we both had this).

Second course! Oyster tempura served with miso-vinegar and shiso (I did not have the pickled red onion that K did).

Third course! I had the bacon wrapped scallops: BC scallops, bacon, soy-butter sauce with mixed greens.

K`s third course! Grilled chuck steak: Shiyo-Kouji marinated AAA chuck steak, fresh cucumbers and chili oil.

Fourth course! K`s arrived first, yaki udon with stir-fried chicken and vegetables.

And my final course! The seafood ishiyaki with scallops, halibut, ika, soy stock, cheese, shiso and yuzu skin.

One thing that I definitely learned at Hapa Izakaya is that most of their dishes had some form of onions. It is unlikely I have ever mentioned the allergy so I will allow my friends who know me well to laugh as they imagine my pain as I picked them out carefully. I admit I gave up on the last dish. On a final note, I enjoyed the progressive increase in the size of proportion they gave per course, it was a very satisfying meal. 

Monkey`s Uncle ($7.50) and Black Magic ($7.50) with To Die For banana bread at Bella Gelateria.

Our final stop for the night, Bella Gelateria [click] was a block away. Since my discovery of this gelato shop last year for this festival, I have been back for their gelato several times. This year, they had these gBars to accompany their hot chocolates. The 'g' presumably standing for gelato, because they are frozen gelato bars that you mix into your hot chocolate (I don`t know if you can tell, but they`re served right next to the hot chocolate which melts them pretty quick so mix mix mix!). K had the Black Magic which was a black sesame and matcha gBar with an 85% dark hot chocolate and white hot chocolate mix. I had the Monkey`s Uncle which was a banana bread flavoured gBar with a 64% dark hot chocolate. The gBars were actually quite delectable by themselves and make these hot chocolates a little more unique than just a drink that is entirely prepared for you. The To Die For banana bread was super moist and I got a progression of flavours, beginning with cinnamon, salt, a nutty flavour followed by banana of course, that just melted in my mouth. Good as always! I am very tempted to be back to Bella Gelateria if I get the chance. Oh they do serve all their drinks through to Valentine`s day as well, and you can have just the hot chocolate without the gBars if that is what you prefer.

Leonidas Chocolates (Vancouver Convention Centre)
#29-1055 Canada Place, Vancouver
Monday - Friday : 10a to 7p
Saturday : 10a to 6p
Sunday : 11a to 6p

Bella Gelateria

1001 West Cordova Street, Vancouver

Monday - Thursday : 8a to 10p

Friday : 8a to 11p

Saturday : 11a to 11p

Sunday : 11a to 10p

I had a great night tonight in this small three block radius downtown. Definitely going to return to Bella Gelateria, just a matter of when and hope to get better photos next time ;) Good night everybody, and happy hot chocolate hopping!

Hot Chocolate Festival 2013 : Leonidas - Fresh Belgian Chocolates

Belgian chocolates made with 100% cocoa butter at Leonidas*

#39 - "RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE"
White chocolate with raspberry cheesecake ripple served with a chocolate eclair or liege waffle sample.
Available: every day of the Festival.

#40 - "TOSCA"
Dark chocolate and rum served with a chocolate eclair or liege waffle sample.
Available: every day of the Festival.

#41 - "FROZEN NOISETTE"
Melted praline blended into frozen yogurt, topped with a shot of melted chocolate, and finished with crushed hazelnuts served with a chocolate eclair or liege waffle sample.
Available: every day of the Festival.

Leonidas - Fresh Belgium Chocolates
#29 - 1055 Canada Place
(Vancouver Convention Centre)
M-F 10a -7p | Sat 10a - 6p | Sun 11a - 6p

Jerkface and I tried Leonidas* around this time last year. The location can be a little bit difficult to spot at first because rather than obvious signage, they have a sleek window design for their store front (that I forgot to take a photo of on my way in and out, sorry!). I can`t remember what drink he got, I think it may have been the same drink as me (maybe, maybe not.. he`ll remind me), but I tried the Raspberry Cheesecake hot chocolate (still offered this year) with liege waffles last year which was pretty good. I recall that it was sweet, very rich and satisfying: you could really taste the raspberry in it. They have changed their cups this year, I liked the ones they had last year better, and the waffles with whipped cream have become a single waffle, but the hot chocolate does not disappoint. Unfortunately after a thorough search through my computer, laptop and many USB drives, I have misplaced the photographs!

I went with B last week to try a different cup of hot chocolate. This year, to accompany your hot chocolate you get a choice between an eclair or a liege waffle. Since I had already tried liege waffles last year, I had an eclair this year. The cup of hot chocolate that I tried, like last year`s Raspberry Cheesecake was very rich. I imagine that all non-Tim Horton's and non-Starbucks hot chocolates have this quality to them. I had the Tosca which was a blend of dark chocolate and rum. I really liked the eclair, even if the chocolate lover in me would have preferred a bigger piece. I found that the dark chocolate in the Tosca was probably too dark for my liking and I could taste the rum, but it was very complementing and not overwhelming. I couldn`t finish it for how rich it was! I had to share it!

B had the Frozen Noisette, which at the time I couldn`t catch the full list of ingredients besides hazelnut (and if you read the list of ingredients, you`ll see why), and to go with it he chose the waffle. As its name suggests, the drink is cold, but there is an option to have it hot so it was still weather appropriate (it was rather cold that day). I only tried a sip but I enjoyed the Frozen Noisette more than the Tosca, I am sheepish to say. I am sure those who enjoy the bitter taste of dark chocolate more than I do would have enjoyed the Tosca very much. I underestimated just how dark the dark chocolate would be, and the taste of it combined with rum.Oops!

Tosca with an eclair in the back at $6.50 and Frozen Noisette with a liege waffle at $6.00 up front.

A closer look of the top of the drinks, last year there was a shape of an L in the foam of my drink.

Not on the festival website for some reason, are a few other hot chocolates that Leonidas is offering for the hot chocolate festival this year. I found this list on Foodology's blog post of Leonidas posted about a week or two ago because the girl listed the drinks a little too quickly for me to catch, and will put a copy of that list here:

• TIGER MILK : Leonidas White chocolate, saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, and finished with slivered almonds
• JAMAICAN KISS: Leonidas Milk Chocolate, coconut milk and pineapple rum
• BOHO SECRET: Leonidas 72% Sao Tome dark chocolate, mint and a secret ingredient

I did not have a chance to try any of these but the Boho Secret sounds intriguing! Other than hot chocolate, Leonidas also serves many types of espresso and coffee, ice cream, macarons and other pastries, as well as chocolates that come straight from Belgium made with 100% cocoa butter. I had a sample of one of these and it has been a long time since I have had such a delicious piece of chocolate! Make sure to try one if you go :)

*Link to Leonidas` official website here: click.
*Photo of Leonidas` chocolate counter retrieved from DineHere: click.