The Governor Hindmarsh

Merkel and Myrtle visited The Gov recently to pit their wits against some of the finest Scrabble players in South Australia. This is one of Adelaide's older hotels and a great spot for live music. The dining room is spacious and decorative and adjoins the dance and stage area. Not unexpectedly the SA State Champion (501) defeated Merkel (237).

The hot chocolate came in a big glass mug with plenty of bubbly froth and chocolate powder on top. The drink was good and chocolaty and not too sweet. There was plenty of it for $3.40.

Stella

Stella must have one of the best locations in Adelaide. It is in Henley Square and its big windows overlook the sea and the Jetty near Bacchus Bar. It is open for meals all day. Merkel and Myrtle visited for breakfast. There is plenty of seating inside, under the verandah or under the umbrellas outside. This is a table service restaurant.

The hot chocolate was $3.40 and came in a decorative glass and saucer. It was made with chocolate syrup and showed the syrup on the inside of the glass. A pink and a white marshmallow were provided in the saucer. The drink was creamy but unfortunately far too sweet as is often the case with hot chocolates made with syrup.

Hot Can

Merkel got a self-heating can of hot chocolate for Christmas. This was a great present for someone on the leading-edge of hot chocolate drinking. The can was made by the hot-can company and is distributed through BP Reliance, IGA, Foodworks, Lucky Seven and Freedom fuels. This can however, was purchased from a specialty shop in Hahndorf.

The can heats up using an exothermic reaction in an inner chamber of the can. The drinker pushes a button on the bottom of the can which breaks a barrier between two chemicals inside the can and shakes up the can. It gets hot in about 3 minutes. A temperature setting on the outside of the can indicates when it is hot enough. To see this in action you can see the marketing video or a more true-to-life You Tube video. All this technology makes this an expensive drink for the serving of 210ml.

The chocolate is hot and the can comes with a plastic top so you can drink the hot chocolate straight out of the can without burning your lips. The drink however is too sweet and made with non-dairy creamer which makes it taste similar to the hot chocolates in the USA. There is no frothing of this hot chocolate. The can is great technology but the drink is a disappointment for a hot chocolate connoisseur.

Carrington Café, Iced

Merkel and Myrtle ventured back to the Carrington Café for lunch in the week before Christmas. The Café was busy but the service was still friendly. Merkel ordered the Iced Chocolate which came in a tall glass and saucer with two large straws. The drink cost five dollars and was topped with vanilla icecream and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. An after dinner mint was provided in the saucer. The drink was cool and creamy but not particularly chocolaty. A spoon was not provided but the straws were strong enough to handle the icecream chop-stick style. In a kind Christmas gesture Merkel and Myrtle were given an additional after dinner mint.

Chocolate Bean, Macadamia

Your review has his phone fixed so off he went to take a photo of a mug of hot chocolate at the Chocolate Bean. It was the usual creamy dark Belgian hot chocolate for which the café is renowned. This time it was the macadamia flavour which gave it a subtle nutty taste. Chocolate Bean has some new chairs and tables which made the seating a more comfortable.

Gillberries

Merkel & Myrtle returned to Gillberries in Dulwich for breakfast recently. The hot chocolate is a good unsweetened Dutch-style hot chocolate. It is served in a glass and saucer with a pink and a white marshmallow. The cost is $3.80 and the table service is friendly.

Regular readers will notice the lack of photos in recent posts. The phone/camera is on the blink and will be taking pictures of hot chocolates again shortly.

Manga Manga

Manga Manga has been a stall in the Citi Centre Arcade off Hindmarsh Square for many years. They have sold good pizza and pasta for the lunch crowds consistently all this time.  The stall can be found between King of Sandwich and Yiros & Health Food.

Merkel recently noticed and espresso machine in the shop and so felt obliged to try the hot chocolate. The mug of hot chocolate cost $3.20 and was topped with a thin brown froth. It was too weak and watery for Merkel's taste. The cannelloni however was good.

Delish, Cinnamon

I returned to Delish on Victoria Square recently and discovered they had added another hot chocolate flavour to their list. Previously I have reviewed their Golden Rough, Mint, Jaffa and Cherry flavour hot chocolates. Now they do a cinnamon flavour. I think this was probably their best flavour. It was the usual creamy rich chocolate for $3.40, served by the friendly staff.

Yum Delicious Organic

Merkel returned to the Myer Centre food hall for some Christmas shopping but stopped at the Yum Delicious café off Rundle Mall at the base of the escalators for a bit to eat. He noticed that Organic Hot Chocolate had been added to the menu. This was serverd in a ceramic cup with a white froth and a liberal sprinkling of chocolate powder. The drink was creamy and rich and was not overly sweet. The cost was $3.60 for the organic hot chocolate and $3.30 for the standard hot chocolate.

Cibo Burnside Village

Since my original review of a number of seven Cibo outlets the chain has continued to grow. The new outlet in the rebuilt Burnside Village is very impressive. It is located under a huge gum tree. The arcade seems to be built around and over this tree. There is plenty of comfortable seating around this tree.

Unfortunately the Cioccolato Italiana was not available at this outlet and I had to settle for the standard hot chocolate. It was topped with a white froth and a dumping of chocolate powder on top. This was reasonbly rich but not as thick as the Italian hot chocolate. The cost of the standard hot chocolate was $3.40

Funk with the Police

The newest addition to the Funk Coffee chain is hidden away inside the new Police building at 100 Angas Street. This is another case of Café Foyerism with the Funk tucked away in the corner of the huge and fairly impressive Police headquarters foyer. There are only three small tables in the Funk corner but there is lounge seating as well in the foyer. This is a comfortable place for the public to eat if you don't mind waiting in line behind members of the constabulary. Unfortunately Funk they only serves takeaway here, so you have to eat and drink in paper bags and cups. However they do offer to fill up mugs if you bring them along.

The hot chocolate was a reasonable standard topped with a white froth. The cost was $3.40 but paper cups are not to Merkel's liking.

Chocolate Bean, Aniseed

The Chocolate Bean in Union Street of Rundle Street is like a second home for Merkel. The creamy hot Belgian chocolate is always an attraction and there are so many varieties to choose from. You can find reviews on this blog of flavours such as Butterscotch, Caramel, Cherry, Ginger Bread, Irish Cream, Jasmin and Orange. This time Merkel sat upstairs and tried the Aniseed flavour which a subtle but distinct enhancement to the creamy hot chocolate. The mug, as usual came topped with a white froth, a sprinkle of chocolate powder and dollop of cream. The cost was $4.80.

Brown Dog Chilli

As promised, Merkel returned to Brown Dog Café on Goodwood Road to try the Chilli hot chocolate. After the rather insipid hot chocolate last week, I specified that I wanted more chocolate in my hot chocolate. The drink came with in the Veneziano coffee cup topped with a white froth a semicircle of chocolate powder and a line of chilli powder between the white froth and the chocolate powder. A chocolate coated coffee bean was provided in the saucer. The drink was more chocolaty this time and the chilli packed a punch. This was a much better drink than was provided the week before.