The Hot Chocolate Runneth Over
Another trip to Melbourne, another overdose on hot chocolate. Here's this year's trip in a flashback-style highlights reel. Now with addresses, in case you're playing along at home.
Thursday: Little Peninsula
Little Peninsula's hot chocolate is somewhere between thick, rich Italian hot chocolate and the usual drinkable hot chocolate in cafés. It's served with a spoon, but still pretty liquid so you can just as happily drink it. This little wine bar is on Little Lonsdale just near Melbourne Central's office tower.
www.littlepeninsula.com.au - 308 Little Lonsdale Street.
Friday: Koko Black's Chilli Hot Chocolate
If you do happen to visit Koko Black (in the Royal Arcade, just off Bourke Street) make sure you go upstairs. Little tables and if you're lucky, big winged armchairs by the big arch windows onto the arcade are a great accompaniment to chocolate bliss. A little more la-de-da than the other purveyors of hot chocolate on this trip, Koko Black might be a bit stuffy, but their chilli hot chocolate is silkily warm with a nice chilli kick. Bonus points for the spider's web syrup decoration on the top.
www.kokoblack.com - Royal Arcade, Bourke Street.
Saturday: Brunetti, City Square
Ahhh, Brunetti. How do I love thee? Sitting with good company under the heaters outside as they close up the store around us at 10.30pm, sipping thick, Italian hot chocolate. Quite possibly the perfect way to end a Saturday night that began with a chinese meal, wine, and discussion of scary dreams, embarrassing rock moments and segway polo. When (not "if") you visit Brunetti, make sure you ask for cream on the side so you can dip teaspoonfuls in to the drink, which measures out the liquid-chocolate overdose.
www.brunetti.com.au - City Square, 214 Flinders Lane.
Sunday: Trampoline
Trampoline (who I've previously raved about for their great gelato) also have a chocolate fountain at their Brunswick Street store. Ask for a hot chocolate—it's not on the menu, but the posters all over the store advertise its "Not too thick. Not too thin"-ness—and they'll show you a paper cup about one-third full of chocolate (at this point it's polite to either giggle, drool quietly or generally swoon). Added to this is some frothed milk (think cafe latte) which is mixed, then topped with flaked chocolate. Tip: to avoid becoming laughter-fodder for staff, ask for a spoon to scrape the chocolate bits from the bottom of the cup. I get the impression we weren't the first to spend minutes waiting for gravity to bring the last of the chocolate within reach.
www.trampolinehq.com.au - 381 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Monday: Max Brenner
I've raved in the past about Max Brenner's hyperventilation-inducing menu of hot chocolates, so if you've previously missed that, feel free to brush up now. In summary: if it's hot and chocolately, you'll probably find it here. I'm still yet to try the sucao DIY-approach, but everything I've tried has been good. Not amazing, but consistently good. And the hug mug is always good for a laugh.
www.maxbrenner.com.au - Menzies Alley, Melbourne Central, 300 La Trobe Street
Honourable mentions
There were a couple of places I didn't make it to on this last whirlwind trip to Melbourne, but I think they deserve a mention.
L'Aperitivo
This is where it all started back in 2004... I think it's still the best Italian hot chocolate I've found in Melbourne.
340 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick
San Churro
I've heard and read many good things about this Spanish chocolate cafe. Check out this photo on flickr of their three shots of chocolate and tell me you don't want to pay them a visit.
www.sanchurro.com - 277b Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Still no word on Italian hot chocolate in Perth, mostly because I'm otherwise absorbed at work.
And lazy.
Posted on Sunday, August 6, 2006 and filed under Hot Chocolate, Melbourne 2006.
Comments
You, my friend, are a champion. This post is the perfect reference source for hot chocolate when in Melbourne. I'm insanely jealous that you got to try all these, but appreciate that it was all for research purposes.
Posted by: Andrew on August 6, 2006
Rock on, Si! Now instead of a counting-on-fingers deliberation when asked for a 'best of Melbourne', I can wordlessly point at your maginificent list. Though I must also add San Churro on Brunswick Street and would personally move Brunetti down that list a notch or two.
Posted by: n on August 7, 2006
I should add for the record that this list is in a purely where-I-happened-to-be-each day order, not any particular order of preference.
And how could I make any kind of preferential order among these? That's like asking someone to choose their favourite child.
Posted by: Si on August 7, 2006
Having recently moved to Perth - and sadly missing the 'Cafe' atmosphere of Melbourne (sob!) does any know of ANYWHERE in this sunny city, where I can get a good coffee (you know right temperature, not over steamed, not burnt, clean machines etc. The small details that make a great coffee experience. Also Hot chocolate - not the instant kids drink variety but real (Spanish preferably) hot chocolate for addults!
Great to hear news - oh and have a great day (if you're in Melborune - have agreat coffee for me :-)
Posted by: Elizabeth on October 17, 2006
You should try the hot chocolate at Inkari (237 Lygon St., Carlton) - a South American-style cafe. (After all, chocolate originally comes from South America.)
Chilli-lovers must try the "Aztec Submarine" - a great "spicy" hot chocolate with chilli! This cafe has over 20 different styles of hot chocolate drinks.
Posted by: Fred R on September 5, 2007
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Posted by: first on December 6, 2008
