Bel Café - The Best Hot Chocolate EVER!

It's official, the hot chocolate festival finished with the best hot chocolate I have ever had in my life!  Imagine the yummiest hot chocolate you've ever had (not too sweet, just the right amount of chocolate), add chai spices and top it all off with a homemade chai spiced marshmallow.  Heaven on earth!  Even the orange palmier it came with was to die for.  My only regret?  That I waited until the last day of the festival to taste this yummy goodness as it's a special release only for the festival.  Mind you, it's probably a good thing...otherwise I'd be over there on a daily basis!

Things to note: (1) Bel Café is a full service café.  So, if you want to eat in, you have to be seated at a table like at a restaurant.  If you want take-out, feel free to go up and order from the counter.  (2) Their baked goods look mouthwateringly delicious.  (3) Their soups and sandwiches also looked very yummy and a decent size.  (4)  Everything is homemade in house.  And (5) they do have a regular hot chocolate on their menu, which I most definitely plan on trying out after the yummy deliciousness me and my fabulous cycling buddy tried yesterday.

"BENGAL DAYDREAM"
Milk chocolate with sweet spices (chai),
served with caramelized honey and orange palmier.

http://www.belcafe.com/

Leonidas - Hot Chocolate Festival

As I was perusing the different hot chocolates partaking in the Hot Chocolate Festival, one caught my eye more than the rest:

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

I loved the fact that it was frozen.  Plus pralines and chocolate combined?  It had me at hello.  So, I headed down to Leonidas with a spin buddy this past week.  Leonidas itself is absolutely adorable.  A cute yet modern hideaway, right on the seawall, full of yummy drinks, chocolates, pastries and macarons.  I can definitely see myself sneaking in there for an afternoon chocolate and enjoying it on the benches near the big rain drop in the summer.

The hot chocolate itself wasn't exactly what I was expecting.  I was so excited about the frozen aspect that I missed the word blend.  So, I was picturing a scoop of frozen yogurt with a shot of chocolate poured over top and crushed hazelnuts sprinkled on top of that.  However, it was all blended together like a frappucino instead.  It was indeed still deliciously rich and yummy, though.  And the waffle it came with...out of this world!  I would go back just for one of those waffles.  My favourite part was that everything was made fresh right in front of your eyes.  It gave you the time to relax and decompress.  So, if you're every walking along the seawall and start to crave a chocolate, pastry, beverage or a chocolate drizzled waffle, don't be afraid to pop your head into Leonidas!

 My view of my liege waffle drizzled with melted chocolate and my Frozen Noisette.  ($7.78)  A bit on the pricey side, but the drinks and waffle were both much larger than I was expecting.



 My spin buddy's scrumptious dark hot chocolate.  Hers also came with a liege waffle drizzled with melted chocolate.



The view from Leonidas.  Not too shabby!

 

http://www.cityfood.com/events/hotchocolate2013/

 

http://www.leonidaswaterfront.com/

The Hot Chocolate Festival, Beaucoup Bakery and a Side of Scrabble

I went for a lovely walk in Kits and South Granville last weekend and a cute little bakery caught my eye at 6th and Fir.  So, needless to say, I was ecstatic when I found out they were participating in the Hot Chocolate Festival.  Yes, I said Hot Chocolate Festival!  From January 19th until February 14th, a bundle of coffee shops, bakeries and chocolate shops are making up the most delicious hot chocolate concoctions you could dream of for your tastebuds' pleasure.  I've included the link below, so you can take a look at the different stores participating, and the different types of hot chocolate they're offering to tantalize your taste buds.

Now back to Beaucoup Bakery.  I fell in love the moment I walked in.  You feel like you're in a little bakery in France.  Everything is so simple, but elegant and warm and inviting at the same time.  I was initially just going to go for the hot chocolate, but when I saw the wall (yes I said wall) of baked goods that welcome me, how could I say no?  Luckily I had a partner in crime, so we were able to try two different pastries and both were out of this world.  I've included photos below for your viewing pleasure...but the long and the short of it is, you'd be missing out if you didn't meander into this little piece of France sometime soon.

Things to note: (1) It is extremely busy, so be prepared to fight for a table during peak times.  However, you'll never feel like you're being rushed out.  We even enjoyed a lovely game of Scrabble.  (2) They have a loyalty rewards program like many other shops, but they give you three ways to utilize your points: (i) you can be kind to yourself and use your points to treat yourself to something special, (ii) pass it on and treat a friend or a random person in line to a treat, or (iii) pay it forward and your points can be used towards helping feed a Liberian girl for 2 weeks of school lunches in partnership with www.MoreThanMe.org.  I thought this was such a neat rewards program.

The Passionfruit Drinking Chocolate that Beaucoup Bakery was featuring for the Hot Chocolate Festival.  I had never heard of drinking chocolate, but it is literally chocolate that is a drinking consistency...and it is heaven in a cup!  Not to mention the passionfruit added the perfect fruity flavour to the chocolate.  I thoroughly enjoyed the touch of the heart-shaped sugar cookie.  ($4)

Chausson aux Pommes.  Pastry filled with a cinnamony, apple filling.  Unbelievable!  I'm an apple turnover fan and this blew any apple turnover I've ever eaten right out of the water.  ($3.50)

Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl with Hazelnuts.  Think a crunchy cinnamon bun, with chocolate in amongst the swirls.  Out of this world! ($3.50)

The view from our table.  I was able to catch this photo in the only 15 seconds that no one was lined up during the 2.5 hours we were there.

I love their logo and the old school filament lightbulbs they have throughout the bakery.

Another succeful scrabble game!  I can't wait until it's summer and we can play at Beacoup on one of the tables outside in the sun.

 

http://www.beaucoupbakery.com/

 

http://www.cityfood.com/events/hotchocolate2013/