Si writes about Czech Republic:
The Hot Chocolate has begun
Hot chocolate at Pellacchia Caffé, Rome.
I freely admit that I came to Europe with a shortlist of things to hunt down and try wherever they may be. We've already started documenting the many varieties of bier, øl, and pivo that Europe's many, many breweries, brauhauses and pivovars offer and today I'm adding another.
Proper hot chocolate.
What do I mean by proper hot chocolate? The cafe where we had breakfast in Olomouc, Czech Republic, says it best. Their menu includes two the following headings in the hot beverages area:
- Hot Chocolate
- Milk + Cocoa
Proper hot chocolate usually involves the melting of actual solid chocolate into hot milk. And this cafe had at least seven or eight variations.
But hot chocolate that rich does not a breakfast drink make, so Matt and I ordered coffees with breakfast and walked on to Kavarna Kraska Dne just across town which is famed for its rich hot chocolate which is made by melting 100g (!) of dark chocolate into warm frothed milk. The result is a seriously rich, gooey chocolatey drink that really needs to be eaten with a spoon. It's not as thick or bitter as some of the hot chocolate I've had in Melbourne, but it's definitely worth the side trip.
Hot chocolate and Czech honey cake at Olomouc, Czech Republic.
It's also great served with honey cake, which may well be on the menu though we can't confirm this as we don't speak Czech and our handy phrase book doesn't seem to include the word "honey." Luckily our waitress spoke English, though she found our pronunciation of the Czech word for "thank you" worryingly entertaining.
As it happens, our (second) hostel in Prague was right next to Conino Lamborhini, an Italian cafe which, aside from making great coffee, also had hot chocolate on the menu.
It wasn't overly thick, but it was rich. I'll pay that.
It was somewhere between normal hot chocolate and the thick, custardy hot chocolate I've found in Melbourne. Either way, it was worth the 30 second trip from my room out to the cafe.
Since then, Mot and I have found a great hot chocolate not too far from our apartment here in Rome at Pellacchia Caffé. For comparison it's pretty close to Brunetti, meaning it's not too rich or thick, and this one comes with a healthy scoop of whipped cream in the cup which makes a nice start to the drink. Once you've worked your way through the cream layer there's an untouched chocolate layer waiting underneath.
Bliss.
Comments on The Hot Chocolate has begun
rosemary says:
Si. My own weakness for hot chocolate is completely whimpy and totally barbaric compared to yours... I don't think Milo would count in your world... I can see there is another level - I will now aspire too. Thanks!
Comment added on Tuesday, December 5, 2006