Café Station, Catholic Diocesan Centre

The Catholic Diocesan Centre is at 39 Wakefield Street Adelaide. To get to Café Station you go up the Ramp. The Café is to the right as you go up into the centre. Some of the signage can be seen from the street. There is no seating inside the café but a number of tables are in a pleasant location outside the café, overlooking a garden in the carpark level below. Sandwiches and snacks are available from the Café.

The naming of this café and its connection to Catholicism is obscure. Perhaps one of the Stations of the Cross was a café where Jesus slipped in for quick cappuccino on his way to the crucifiction.

The hot chocolate was served in a white ceramic Vittoria cup; One of those with the logo on the inside drinker-facing position. It was finished with plenty of froth and a liberal sprinkling of chocolate powder. The flavour was a rich, creamy milk chocolate flavour and the cost was only three dollars.

Hudsons at the Airport

There is a Hudsons cafe near the International Arrivals area of Adelaide Airport. It is the only café in the area unless you want to go through the metal detection gates and look around the rest of the terminal. The café sells the normal Hudons sandwiches and provides coffees and hot chocolate. Unfortunately patrons have to put up with paper cups. Your reviewer has noted this before in airports. Perhaps there is a fear that someone could hijack an airplane using a ceramic cup.

The small hot chocolate costs $3.40 for and came in a paper cup. A marshmallow was offered but was extra. The drink was topped with a creamy froth and was reminiscent of the Belgian flavour of the other Hudsons reviewed here but the flavour was not strong enough and was disappointing compared with the other Hudsons venues.

The Treasury on King William

The Treasury bar and restaurant which shares the old treasury building with the Medina Grand Hotel. The Medina faces onto Flinders Street and the Treasury on King William is, of course on King William Street. Both the bar and restaurant allow patrons to sit in the court yard of the old treasury building which has a running fountain in a garden at its centre. The bar serves a short menu of fairly classy bar food.

The hot chocolate was about $4.50 and came in a white ceramic cup and saucer. It was topped with a white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The flavour was not sufficiently strong to distract your reviewer from the idyllic scenery.

Heavenly Bliss

The Bliss Organic Garden Café has been reviewed before in this blog. It does a variety of hot chocolates and is a regular venue for the Adelaide Fringe.

This time Merkel tried the "Heavenly Hot Chocolate" which was infused with peppermint and sweet lavender. It was served in glass with a wire handle and a saucer. The saucer was garnished with lavender petals. The drink was a welcome variation on the hot chocolate theme and provided a serene sweetness to the drink without being overpowering. This was a good hot chocolate and the knowledge that it was organic and fair trade makes it even better. The cost was $4.50.

Largs Bay Kiosk

The Largs Bay Kiosk is great summer location on the beach at Largs Bay over the road from the Largs Pier Hotel. There is plenty of seating insided and outside. The kiosk serves fish and chips and range of fast foods and employs a beeper system to summon patrons when there meal is ready. The meals come in paper bags and boxes but the hot beverages to eat in are served in proper cups or mugs.

Hot chocolate was server in a glass mug with a handle on a saucer. The saucer had an array of goodies including a cinnamon biscuit and two marshmallows. The drink was topped with white froth and liberal sprinkle of chocolate powder and had chocolate syrup on the inside walls of the glass. The drink was a little insipid and was served too hot but it was still a good effort for such a casual eating place. The cost was $3.80.

Artisan Café, Blackwood

Down a little alleyway near the roundabout at Blackwood is the Artisan Café at 252 Main Road. Merkel and Myrtle visited there on a Sunday afternoon. The Café does breakfast all day, a range of meals for lunch and Tapas on Friday and Saturday nights. There is seating inside the Café and outside in the alleyway.

The hot chocolate was $3.20 and came in a glass mug and saucer with a white froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder on top. In the saucer were provided a white and a pink marshmallow. The consistency was creamy and the milk chocolate flavour was quite acceptable.

Rain Modern Asian Bistro

Rain is one of four restaurants in a row at 125a The Parade, Norwood. There is plenty of seating inside and outside. Table service is fast and friendly and the décor is modern and uncluttered with a couple of artworks hanging on the walls. A huge range of Asian meals is available.

The hot chocolate was a light Swiss style and came in a glass topped with a white forth and a semicircle of chocolate powder on top. The drink cost five dollars which seemed fairly expensive for a fairly ordinary hot choclate.

Steven ter Horst Chocolatier Cafe

A reader alerted me to this Café. It is in a block of shops north of the Cremorne Hotel at 221d Unley Road, Unley. Steven ter Horst has been providing chocolates at the Adelaide Showground Farmers Market and his wholesale business for many years now and in December opened this Café tucked away on Unley Road. The focus of the shop is wonderful chocolates arranged like precious jewellery in glass cabinets, but the shop also provides desserts and coffees. It is open most days including Saturday morning and Thursday night.

The hot chocolate came in a black ceramic cup and saucer. It was topped with a thin froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The chocolate flavour was a good dark Belgian chocolate and was not too sweet. The consistency was more watery than I am used to. After discussions with Steven and his staff it is clear they are putting some serious time into developing the recipe for a good hot chocolate to please their patrons and I look forward to returning to see the results of their efforts. The cost of the hot chocolate was $4.50.

Goodwood Park Hotel

"The Goody" is at 75 Goodwood Road. Although the road is pretty busy there is plenty of parking around the back of the hotel. The Bistro is spacious with a good décor and serves a range of hotel meals.

The hot chocolate comes in a red ceramic mug with a small biscuit in the saucer. It is topped with a white froth and a cross pattern of chocolate powder. The taste was fairly milky with not enough chocolate flavour to satisfy your reviewer. The cost was four dollars.

BreadTop, Grote Street

There are two BreadTop venues now. A new one recently has been started on King William Street but Merkel went to the original one at 65 Grote Street. BreadTop has everthing conceivable baked into bread. There is a selection of sweet, savory and fishy things in small buns, rolls and cakes. There is a strong takeaway trade but also tables inside.

The hot chocolate came in a ceramic mug and saucer and cost $3.20. The mug had the Grinders Coffee logo on both sides of the mug. The drink was finished with plenty of white froth and sprinkle of chocolate on top. The taste was a creamy with a milk chocolate flavour.

Wilson's Organics has Moved

Wilson's Organics has moved around the corner from its location in Gouger Street to 11 Market Street. The new location is brighter and more polished than the old venue and still displays artworks on its walls. It still has a Café and does healthy organic meals.

The hot choclate this time came in a mug with non-matching saucer and an elegant tea-spoon. It was topped with plenty of white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The froth was piled above the level for the mug. Your reviewer lowered the level of the drink before taking the photo. The drink was not too sweet which seems to be and advantage of organic Cafes. The flavour was richer and tastier than the previous visit. The cost was $4.50.

QC on Angas

Your review returned to QC on Angas at 3 Angas Street. It is in the Courts building with a few of the fountains outside the door which is quite pleasant. There is seating inside and outside.

The hot chocolate was in a ceramic cup and finished with a white froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. It was better presented this time and not as sweet which made it a good hot chocolate. The cost was still $3.70.

Ken's & Tasty Northern Chinese Restaurant

This is a confusing restaurant name and a confusing location. The address is 6/85 Grote Street but the shop faces onto Moonta Street, a couple of doors down from the corner of Grote and Moonta Streets. The restaurant provides tasty and inexpensive chinese food.

The menu offered a choice of chocolate drinks. I could have had Milo or Horlicks. Since I was not particularly fond of either of these, I asked the waitress what she could do and she suggested the iced chocolate. The iced chocolate was chocolate milk, served in a large plastic cup and topped with ice cubes. It was a milky drink but not that bad for a warm day and only cost $1.60.

Dolci, Irish Cream

Merkel and Myrtle return to Dolci recently to take in a quick meal before seeing a movie. The hot chocolate and iced chocolate have both been reviewed in this blog previously, but Merkel spotted something different on the liqueur coffee menu. The "Cioccolata" was not a coffee at all, but a hot chocolate with Baileys Irish Cream. Having sampled excellent similar drinks at Spats and the Chocolate Bean, Merkel was keen to try this one. It was an intoxicating, creamy drink but the chocolate flavour was weak. It came in a glass with a good froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder on top. The cost was $8.50. The drink put Merkel into a good frame of mind to watch the excellent "Kings Speech" movie.

The Greek Mezze

Mezze is a fine table service restaurant at 108 Gouger Street next to the Talbot Hotel. The restaurant has a light, airy, mediteranean feel and the service is friendly. The menu provides a good selection of Greek cuisine. Merkel and Mytrle shared to the "Tour of Greece" platter that had a good selection of tasty food.

The hot chocolate came in a fancy stemmed glass with a handle. There was plenty of froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder on top. The drink was not quite rich enough for Merkel's taste but was not too sweet. The cost was $4.20.

Lyrics Piano Bar, Festival Theatre

The Marmaduke family went to see West Side Story at the Festival Theatre recently. The musical was a great success. It played to a full house and featured some vibrant dancing and songs that have stood the test of time and fashion. The Leonard Bernstein score is magnificent and Josh Pieterman shows an amazing vocal ability as Tony.

Merkel used the occasion to sample the hot chocolate in the stylish Lyrics Restaurant piano bar. The drink came in white ceramic cup and saucer topped with a white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink was bit weak and cost $3.50.

Hog's Breath Café

There are three Hog's Breath Café's in Adelaide. They are generally big venues with plenty of memorabilia from the US adorning the walls. Merkel and Mytrle visited the one at 127 Gouger Street a few doors West of Paul's and Passatempo.

The hot chocolate looked decorative in a glass with a handle. It had a froth with a sprinkle of chocolate on top and some chocolate syrup on the inside of the glass. It was served on saucer with a marshmallow. The taste was not too sweet but not particularly rich. The cost was $4.50.

Cocoa Camino

It is the festive season and a couple of his relatives gave Merkel hot chocolate mixes for Christmas. Cocoa Camino is an organic fair-trade hot chocolate powder made in Canada which comes in a resealable can. Merkel received the Chilli & Spice variety of the drink which includes chilli, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. This made a nice warming combination with a good chocolate flavour.

The Talbot Hotel

The Talbot is an old city hotel in Gouger Street, with a number of different tables inside and outside. Merkel and Myrtle chose on of the booths in the Sports bar. The décor of the bar included classic dark wooden shelving. They served a short menu of basic pub meals.

The hot chocolate was three dollars and came in a tall glass with a handle. There was plenty of froth and sprinkling of chocolate on top. The drink was creamy and tasted of good milk chocolate.

Cocolat, Rundle Chilli

Cocolat in Rundle Street is one of Merkel's favourite places to enjoy a hot chocolate. There also Cocolat Cafes in Balhannah and Adelaide Airport. Merkel and Myrtle visited their recently for a hot chocolate and a dessert.

Merkel chose the Chilli Hot Chocolate this time. He had also had this at the Balhannah Cocolat but this one was a more subtle taste. Where the Balhannah drink was strong on chilli and comparatively weak on chocolate, the Rundle Street drink was more in balance and had the subtlety of a cinnamon flavour as well. The drink was impeccably presented with a white froth and shavings of chocolate on top. It was served in a tall glass with a handle with a saucer containing a marshmallow. The cost was $4.50 and drink went very well with a Cocolat Jaffa dessert.

Indochina, Unley

Indochina at 153 Unley Road, Unley has a big eating area inside and three tables on the footpath. It also does takeaway with an order form on the web. There is not much in common with the Indochina restaurant in The Lobby on Waymouth Street. The Unley restaurant has a good asian menu and plenty of space with a relaxing décor.

The hot chocolate came in a glass with a handle and a saucer. The saucer contained a big marhsmallow. The drink was well presented with chocolate syrup adorning the sides of the glass. On top was plenty of white froth with a sprinkle of chocolate powder. It had a good chocolate flavour but not rich enough and too sweet. It cost $3.90.

Blefari Caffe & Cucina

Blefari har recently opened at the North East corner Victoria Square Adelaide (ie the corner of the Square that does not have The Central Market Arcade, nor One Ate Five, nor Funk Coffee). It is an Italian Cafe selling a range of light meals, focaccias and Paninis. The big windows take advantage of the view of the square and the church over the other side of Flinders Street. There is plenty of seating inside and some outside.

The hot chocolate was $3.20 and in black ceramic cup and saucer. It was topped with a dark brown froth and blob of white froth with some excess chocolate powder on top. It had a good dark chocolate taste.

Paparazzi, Iced

Merkel and Myrtle returned to Paparazzi but Myrtle felt the hot summer day was a good occasion to try the Iced chocolate. This was served in a tall glass with about three scoops of vanilla gelati. There was plenty of chocolate powder but no cream. The result was an impressive looking drink. The gelati made the drink fun and cold but not particularly chocolaty. The cost was $6.00.