T-Bar, Adelaide Central Market

Merkel and Myrtle had a curry in the Adelaide Central Market recently at a venue that did not have a hot chocolate so Merkel ventured to the T-bar where he got a takeaway version of the drink. This was not bad for takeaway hot chocolate. It was topped with a white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder and was rich and creamy. It came with a dunked marshmallow. The costs were $3.40, $4.20 and $4.80 for the various sized drinks.

Donut King, Myer Centre

Last time Merkel visited a Donut King he had to have the takeawary hot chocolate which is never a good way to enjoy a hot chocolate. He recently visited the Donut King in the Myer Centre Food Court and was provided a brown ceramic coffee cup in a saucer with two marshmallows accompanying the drink. The drink was topped with a white froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. The flavour was dark and rich enough to be rated as a good hot chocolate for $3.20. Donut King is taking its hot beverages seriously with new "Royal Bean" range of coffees.

Bracegirdles, Short Hot Chocolate

Merkel and Myrtle return to Bracegirdles in Toorak Gardens to celebrate a year of visiting hot chocolate venues and other achievements. This is a reliable award-winning venue for all sorts of chocolate indulgences.

Merkel ordered the Short Hot Chocolate, which was a small glass of melted warm Belgian chocolate in a shot glass and saucer. There were little chocolate pellets in the saucer and the drink was topped with a dollop of white froth. This was a delicious delicacy and cost $4.50.

Sugar Cane Vietnamese Restaurant

The Sugar Cane is at 408 King William Street. This is a fine dining restaurant with thoughtfully designed décor, good table service and seating inside and outside. The menu provides a good selection of Vietnamese noodle and rice dishes.

The hot chocolate came in a glass with a handle and saucer. It is topped white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The hot chocolate is creamy and chocolaty. As someone else was buying on your reviewers behalf I neglected to get the price of the drink.

Paul's on Gouger

Paul's is a fine seafood restaurant at 79 Gouger Street. It is a few doors West of A Taste of Spice and just round the corner from Bliss. This restaurant sells good tasting fish prepared simply and quickly. There are seat on the footpath, inside and upstairs. The table service is quick and efficient.

The hot chocolate looked promising. It was in a stemmed glass with a handle and it hard a dark rich colour with a brown froth and a sprinkle of chocolate on top. Unfortunately it tasted off in the same manner that the hot chocolate at the Banana Leaf did. Not sure whether this was the milk or the chocolate mix, but it was not pleasant. The hot chocolate cost $3.90.

Paparazzi Renovated

Paparazzi has undergone significant renovations. No longer is the coffee and desserts bar in an island in the middle of the restaurant but it has been moved against one wall. This probably allowed the Café to put in more tables and provide certain logistical advantages. The décor of the old Paparazzi was not getting old or dated and the new one still looks pretty clean and chic.

The hot chocolate now comes in a Vittoria coffee cup rather than a Coffex cup. The Vittoria logo is on the inside drinker-facing position. This has the disadvantage that the unwary drinker sees something black stuck to the insider of the cup. Relief occurs when the level of drink recedes far enough to reveal a logo and not an insect. The hot chocolate cost four dollars and was a light Swiss style drink. It was topped with white froth with a line of chocolate powder across the middle.

Cibo Espresso, Prospect

Cibo now has 5 shops in the Adelaide CBD and a further 10 shops in the suburbs. Merkel attend the Prospect outlet which is on the corner of Prospect Road and Vine Street in the same block of shops as Café Komodo and Muratti. There is plenty of seating inside and outside on the block off area of Vine Street. Inside, Cibo used its wall space to exhibit the colourful artwork of Mark Lobert. Cibo has continued its commitment from the Fringe and SALA to show artwork all year round.

Merkel was looking forward to another Cioccolato Italiana. Unfortunately their machine was on the blink so Merkel had to settle for their standard hot chocolate. It came with a white froth and liberal chocolate powder on top in a fairly small cup. It was not as rich as Merkel would have expected given they said they would make it strong to compensate for the lack the Cioccolato Italiana.

Ruby's Organic Café

Stirling must have more Cafes per head of population than any town in South Australia and perhaps Australia. Previous this blog has reviewed Millie's, Tranquillo and Konditorei. The big car park behind the main shopping strip is handy for parking and walking to your Café of choice.

This time your reviewer visited Ruby's Organic Café. There is seating inside the Café and covered seating on the footpath of the main road of Stirling. Ruby's sells organic salads, quiches and rolls.

The hot chocolate at Ruby's was excellent. It came in a generous mug and saucer with a big home-made marshmallow. The drink was topped with a white froth and a liberal sprinkle of unsweetened chocolate powder. The hot chocolate was rich, creamy and not too sweet. The cost was $3.70.

Fancy Fillings Sandwich Chefs

Fancy Fillings is an Australian Franchise with plenty of their sandwich bars in Victoria. According to their website there is one franchise in the Colonnades shopping centre but the site has not caught up with the new franchise in the food court of the Myer Centre where Merkel attended recently. This stall is tucked away behind Doc Espresso in lower ground floor of the Myer Centre, Rundle Mall.

$3.20 buys a small cup of hot chocolate from Fancy Fillings. The cups are disposable but good quality and plastic spoons are available. The hot chocolate is topped with a Creamy brown froth and a sprinkle of cocoa. The taste is chocolaty enough but still the best hot chocolate venue in the food court is Roco Pasta.

A Taste of Spice

A Taste of Spice is a Malaysian restaurant at 57 Gouger Street a couple of doors West of Passatempo and across the road from the Adelaide Central Market. There is plenty of comfortable seating inside and outside and friendly table service is provided. The restaurant is nicely decorated with pictures depicting Jazz musicians on the walls. A Taste of Spice provides a good range of Malaysian rice and noodle dishes and inexpensive lunch specials.

The hot chocolate costs $3.50 and comes topped with a heap of bubbly froth covered in a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink had a good milk chocolate flavour and was not too sweet. It was served in a ceramic cup and saucer.

Cremorne Hotel, Renovated

Merkel and Myrtle returned to the Cremorne Hotel recently. The renovation have provided for a new bar and a big modern eating area. There is still a formal restaurant and a gaming area. The beer garden that faces onto Unley Road seems to be a popular addition.

Merkel ordered is hot chocolate from the new bar area with great expectations. The Cremorne was awarded best standard hot chocolate in the Merkel Awards 2009. The hot chocolate was still presented in a tall glass with handle but that is where the resemblance to the hot chocolate he had more than a year ago at The Cremorne finished. There was no complimentary chocolate with the drink. The hot chocolate was made using liberal squirts of chocolate syrup which looked a little decorative but produced a sickly sweet flavour to the hot chocolate. The Cremorne Hotel hot chocolate still cost $4.10.

Jamaica Blue, Noarlunga

Jamaica Blue is fairly big Australian Franchise although there are only three stores in South Australia. Merkel ventured to the store in the middle of the Colonnades shopping centre, Noarlunga. Jamaica Blue specialises in coffee and also does light meals.

At $4.30 this hot chocolate seemed expensive and was too sweet to detect any quality in the chocolate flavour. It was served in a glass with a paper sleave for keeping the fingertips from burning. The drink was topped with a brown froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder.

The Buckingham Arms Hotel

The Buckingham Arms is at 1 Walkerville Terrace, Gliberton. Merkel and Myrtle were there to partake of the Saturday lunch smorgasbord. This was an excellent buffet with a variety of styles of food, seafood and desserts.

The only hot beverage available in the smorgasbord was self-serve coffee from a machine so Merkel ordered a hot chocolate at the bar. It cost $3.50 and came in a stemmed glass with a handle on a saucer. The drink was topped with a dollop of white froth on background of brown froth. The hot chocolate looked better than it was tasted as it was far too sweet even though two packets of sugar were provided in the saucer.

Andre's Cucina and Polenta Bar

Andre Ursini was one of Adelaide's more successful Masterchef contestants. He has opened this restaurant at 94 Frome Street, Adelaide specialising in Northern Italian cuisine and focussing on the use of polenta. This is no ordinary Italian restaurant. The table service is friendly and the food is tasty, original and ideal for sharing.

The hot chocolate comes in a small ceramic cup with a brown froth and a liberal sprinkle of chocolate powder. The hot chocolate cost $3.20 and was creamy and chocolaty.

Delish Real Food

Delish is a multi-purpose restaurant at 31 Gilbert Street, Adelaide. It provides breakfast, lunch and dinner and takeaway meals. It provides friendly table service and eating inside our outside.

The hot chocolate is light swiss style and costs $3.40. It came in a glass mug with handle and saucer. It was topped with a white froth and sprinkle of cocoa.

Millie's Bakeries

Stirling

There are four outlets of Millie's Bakery in South Australia. Your reviewer has been Millie's Bakery in Dulwich and Mount Barker. He recently visited the Stirling shop near the main roundabout. The one remaining shop is in Nairne.

The hot chocolate was $4.00 and came in a generous mug and saucer. The saucer had a marshmallow. The froth on the hot chocolate was decorated with a couple of lines of chocolate powder and a criss-cross pattern in chocolate syrup. The presentation in Dulwich was better but the creaminess and taste of the Stirling Millie's was excellent.

Nairne

Millie's Bakery in Nairne is in an a building contructed as a stable many years ago on the Main Street of countryside Nairne. It is smaller than the other Millies but sells similar fare.

The hot chocolate was $4.20 in the same generous mug and saucer as the Stirling shop with the same pink marshmallow. The decoration with the chocolate syrup was defter than the Stirling Bakery and only had a light sprinkling of chocolate powder on top. The Dulwich Bakery still had the best presentation. Your reviewer is not sure why there was a disparity in pricing between the three bakeries of the same name. The Stirling outlet had the creamiest best tasting hot chocolate.

Cuppa, Blackwood

Café Cuppa can be found Blackwood at Shop 7/225 Main Road. It has tables inside and outside with a good view of the main road at blackwood. It provides a short menu of breakfasts, lunches and hot beverages.

The hot chocolate came in white ceramic mug and the coffees were served in coffee cups with featuring a viewer-facing Monjava logo. The hot chocolate was topped with a white froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink was chocolaty enough but was too sweet. The hot chocolate cost $3.50.

Saldechin Iced

Merkel and Myrtle return to Saldechin in the evening recently to partake of the subtle tones of a Friday night Jazz duo while sitting next to the Martini Bar. According to the menu note Saldechin is short for "Salon de Chinoisese" which explains the oriental stylings and menu.

It was a warm evening and Merkel chose to try the Iced Chocolate which was only $4.50 on the menu. It was topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. It was served in a tall glass and drink was an even light brown colour. The drink was chocolaty enough with a slight coconut flavour.

Jackpots on Pulteney

Jackpots is licensed café, bottle shop and pokies lounge between Fasta Pasta and Quisine at the South end of Pulteney Street, Adelaide. It does a number of fast food snack and deep-fried meals for lunch.

The hot chocolate was three dollars and came in a black ceramic mug and saucer. It was topped with plenty of froth and an even sprinkle of chocolate powder. It took a reminder from your reviewer before the hot chocolate was delivered. The taste was a reasonably rich milk chocolate flavour.

Arlecchino's Gourmet Cafe

This café, a few doors South of Plenty, has seating on the Hutt Street footpath at 182, inside the café and out the back in the courtyard. Your reviewer can recommend the covered courtyard on a pleasant day. Arlecchino sells a range of premade focaccias and light meals.

A mug of hot chocolate cost $3.50 and came with a light froth. The drink had a good milk chocolate taste

Plenty, Hutt Street

Plenty is a tiny Café at 146 Hutt Street which sells focaccias, lepinjas and Nepalese curries to eat in or takeaway. There is only limited bar seating inside but there a few tables outside.

The hot chocolate came in a glass with a saucer. It was topped with a creamy brown froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink was creamy but not particularly rich. The hot chocolate cost only three dollars.

Stax, Iced Chocolate

Your reviewer returned to Stax at 88 Flinders Street recently. This time he managed to find a seat inside. There is seating inside and outside.

Your reviewer chose the iced chocolate because of the heat. It was $5.80 and was a rich brown colour with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on top. This was a good chocolaty drink in a tall glass. There was not much sophistication in the presentation but it was tasty and not too sweet.

Regatta's Bistro

Regatta's Bistro is a fine dining restaurant with good table service and cloth napkins. It is at the back of Adelaide Convention Centre. I had hoped that I would get a view of Torrens Lake as the logo for the restaurant is a four-person rowing boat. Unfortunately the restaurant is too high off the ground and the plaza is too big. Still the view of the parkland trees and the new Adelaide Oval grandstand is reasonably impressive.

There is plenty of seating on the plaza but it was a bit cold on the day I was there. The main courses are about thirty dollars. Alternatively the lunch special which includes on entrée is also thirty dollars. The waiter reminded me of Homer Simpson after almost starting World War III with the excuse "It's my first day". Fortunately the waiter's oversights were inconsequential.

The hot chocolate is four dollars and comes in a mug with an eccentric saucer. The word 'eccentric' is used in its mathematical sense. The sauce is elliptical and the circle on which you place the mug is not in the centre or the saucer. This eccentric theme is mirrored in the side plates. A pink and a white marshmallow were provided on the saucer and the drink was finished with a bubbly froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The taste was a milk chocolate flavour.

Billy Baxter's, Norwood

Since Merkel reviewed three other Billy Baxter outlets, Billy Baxter's at Norwood has been established. This is on the corner of The Parade and George Street in Norwood at the entrance to the cinema complex there and provides friendly service.

The hot chocolate came in a mug and saucer with a big marshmallow. The mug has the Billy Baxter's logo on the side facing the right-handed drinker and a Billy Baxter cartoon on the other side. The drink is topped with a white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink is rich enough and costs $4.95.

Muratti Cakes and Gateux

This is a popular cake shop with a big array of cakes and desserts on display. Muratti also does some savoury snacks and hot beverages for the dine-in customers. It is at 114B Prospect Road, just a couple of doors South of Café Komodo.

The hot chocolate had an unmistakable Belgian Flavour. The mug was topped with a white froth and a semi-circle of chocolate powder. While it was not as rich as some other Belgian hot chocolates reviewed here, it was still a very pleasant drink. A sliver of dried apricot dipped in chocolate was provided with in the saucer.  The cost was $3.50.

Boticelli

This is a fine restaurant with cloth napkins and good table service. The theme of the restaurant is the renaissance artist Boticelli, and prints of his famous paintings such as "Birth of Venus" and "Primavera" adorn the walls of the restaurant. Boticelli is next door to Caffe Como and also has seating outside if required.

The hot chocolate cost $3.20 and comes in a stemmed glass with handle. It was served with plenty of froth and chocolate powder on top. The chocolate was creamy, dark and a rich flavour.

Passatempo Caffe Ristorante

Passatempo is another good restaurant and is at 53 Gouger Street. It is over the road from the Central Market and Zuma's Caffe and a couple of doors west of the House of Pearl. It has been established in Adelaide for many years now. It provides pizza, pasta and standard Italian fare.

The hot chocolate costs $3.20 and comes in a glass on a saucer. A cluster of mini marshmallows is provided on the saucer. The drink is topped with plenty of froth and a liberal sprinkle of chocolate powder. The glass was hot to hold but the chocolate was creamy and had a milk chocolate flavour.

The Union Hotel

Merkel and Mytle sought refuge from the rain in the Union Hotel at 70 Waymouth Street last week.  The Union is an old city pub that looks quite smart inside. It provides hotel meals and has a special each day such as curry day and schnitzel day.

The hot chocolate came in a glass. The froth dissipated quickly and had a sprinkle of cocoa on top. The drink could have been more chocolaty and cost $3.50.

Lena's

Merkel returned to Lena's for a quick lunch in the foyer now called the Lobby on Waymouth at 11 Waymouth Street. This placed used to be called The Precinct. The hot chocolate came in a Vittoria glass with a wire handle. Merkel has speculated elsewhere that the etching of the name "Vittoria" on the glass could not be characterised as either facing toward or away from the right handed drinker because the handle would probably rotate. Merkel can now confirm that the handle does not easily rotate but it does come off completely with a bit of pressure and reattaches just as easily. This confirms that the Vittoria glass is neither drinker-facing or viewer-facing.

The hot chocolate at Lena's was much the same as before. It was rich enough once stirred and cost $3.20

A Café Etc

A Café Etc is at 67 Jetty Rd Brighton on the South Side somewhere between Ninos and the Edge Delicatessen. Whoever set up this café was a serious collector of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia. It is everywhere and the huge mural on a Marilyn on the wall is testament to someone's dedication to the film icon. The Café provide a good range of meals including salads, crepes and focaccias. The tables and chairs are solid wood and are available both inside and outside.

A Café Etc had Italian Chocolate on the menu. Your reviewer is enthusiastic to add more venues to list of places to get an Italian hot chocolate so jumped at the opportunity to try this one. It was good thick Italian chocolate; possibly one of the thickest. It was topped with a dollop of froth which was a bit ineffectual for such a rich drink. The whipped cream provided by Cibo is a better accompaniment. The Italian Chocolate cost $5.00.

Ripple and Swirl Cafe

The Ripple and Swirl Cafe is on The Esplanade at Christies Beach. The location looks over the blue waters and sailing boats off at Christies Beach. The Cafe sells a range of restaurant meals but also sells sandwiches and ice creams.

The hot chocolate came in a glass with a wire handle with a saucer. It was topped with a creamy froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. Two white marshmallows were served in the saucer. The hot chocolate cost $3.50. The drink was creamy and chocolaty enough after a good stir.

Whipped Bake Bar Café

Semaphore Road is well supplied with a good range of Cafés and restaurants. The Whipped Bake Bar Café is further towards the sea than Sarah's Sister's Sustainable Café. It sells bakery items and does breakfasts and lunches. There was a good range of cakes and pastries but the cakes your reviewer tasted had not been baked that day.

The hot chocolate came in a tall glass with a handle and cost $3.50. There was plenty of froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder on top. The chocolate flavour could have been richer for your reviewer's taste.

Sarah's Sister's Sustainable Café

The name of this café at 117 Semaphore Road, is a good test for anyone with lisp or needs instruction on where to put apostrophes. Some of the signage in the actual Café drops the second apostrophe. This is not really much of an apostrophe catastrophe. Sarah's is a vegetarian café and a regular gathering place of greens and those interested in sustainability. On the day Merkel and Myrtle visited they were able to sit the very pleasant gazebo area out the back next to a babbling fountain overlooking the picturesque garden of the Semaphore Garden Centre.

Sarah's Sister's Sustainable Café has been exhibiting art regularly and was an exhibitor for the SALA 2010 and the 2010 Adelaide Fringe Festival. On the day the Marmadukes visited, the brightly coloured works of Denise Papson were on display.

The hot chocolate came in a generous white ceramic cup with a heap of froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder on top. This was a creamy, chocolaty drink and not too sweet. The cost was $3.50.

House of Pearl

House of Pearl is a Malaysian Restaurant at 45 Gouger Street. It has an attractive décor with red walls. It was some time before Merkel recognised it as the old Petty Sessions coffee shop. This was a wonderful coffee shop in Merkel's youth. The balcony that overlooks the rest of the restaurant is still in place. House of Pearl does fresh, tasty Malaysian meals and provides fast and friendly table service.

House of Pearl did not do a hot chocolate but he suggested Merkel go next door to the Gouger Street Cibo to get a hot beverage. Merkel obtained a "Cioccolato Italiana" from Cibo which he has enjoyed in the past. Cibo didn't want to give the restaurant next door their crockery so it had to be in a paper cup. Still the thick Italian hot chocolate was delightful and was served with whipped cream.

Bean Bar, Bank Street

The décor the Bank Street Bean Bar at 132 North Terrace was looking tacky when Merkel visited recently. The chairs were looking frayed and there was a big temporary air conditioning unit in the eating area.

Merkel asked for more chocolate in his drink because the ones he received from the Bean Bars at City Cross and Hindmarsh Square were a little insipid. This was a good idea as the drink was good and rich although a bit sweeter than Merkel would have liked. The drink came with the normal Bean bar glass, froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. The cost was $3.30.

In the interests of higher research Merkel decided to investigate the trademarks of Bean Bar and Blogger.com to see if there are enough similarities to create a trademark dispute. Both logos use an orange background and a white "B". In the Bean Bar case the "B" is usually on its side in the shape of a teacup. In the picture below the top two images are the trademarks of Blogger.com and Bean Bar respectively. A bit of rotation and squashing has the Blogger.com trademark looking a bit like a mug and the Bean Bar trademark looking a bit like the Blogger "B". Merkel concludes however that there will not be any lawsuit soon between these two companies.

Ninos, Brighton

Ninos is at 75 Jetty Road just a few doors toward the sea from the Edge Delicatessen Café. Ninos provides a range of pizza, pasta and other meals for eat in or takeaway. There is plenty of seating inside and seating outside with view down of the Jetty.

The hot chocolate was $3.50 and came in a tall stemmed glass and saucer. In the saucer were two marshmallows; one white and one yellow. The yellow marshmallow was a distinctive banana flavour. The drink was topped with plenty of bubbly froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. The flavour was rich and dark and not too sweet to be enjoyed with the two marshmallows.

Argo on the Parade

Argo is a bright new looking Café at 212 The Parade, Norwood not far from Providore on Parade. They have variety of teas and coffees and a range of good breakfasts and lunches.

The hot chocolate comes in the standard Veneziano coffee cup used at Nano Ready2Go and the Lunch Room. The hot chocolate is rich and creamy and not too sweet. It is topped with a bubbly forth and an even sprinkle of chocolate powder. It cost $3.70.

CityXGrill

The real name of this stall is City Cross Grill but "CityXGrill" appears on the signage and it catches the eye. CityXGrill serves hamburgers, hot dogs, shaslicks and other lunches and snacks. This another stall situated in the City Cross Arcade which runs between Gawler Place and James Place and also between Rundle Mall and Grenfell Street.

The hot chocolate is only three dollars but is fairly watery. There is enough chocolate in the drink. The hot chocolate is topped with white froth and a liberal sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink is server in an Aroma Fresh coffee cup with the logo in the outside drinker-facing position.

Caffe Roma Mia

Merkel and Myrtle braved the busy food court of City Cross for lunch recently. Merkel was disappointed by the absence of Coffee & Cream which previously had done a good hot chocolate. An empty stall with its signage removed indicates it is now to go on the disappearing hot chocolate venue list. This time Merkel bought lunch at Caffe Roma Mia which is at stall 16 which provides Italian breads and meals.

The hot chocolate was served in the standard Piazzo D'Oro cup with features advertising on the outside and an Italian motto on the inside of the cup. The hot chocolate had a good froth and was chocolaty enough but not particularly creamy. The drink cost $3.30 and was served with a delicious biscuit.