Healthy Hot Chocolate Revisited

“The superiority of chocolate [hot chocolate], both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain..." Thomas Jefferson (1785) in a Letter to John Adams

I doubt that Thomas Jefferson's prediction on America's hot beverage preferences will come to fruition however his advice on the health benefits of Hot Chocolate seem prophetic.

It has been shown that hot chocolate has a higher antioxidant concentration than tea and red wine. This backs up the statement made on the Youtube video featured on my earlier post.

More information about the health benefits of chocolate can be found at the links below:

http://www.zippy-health.com/scrumptious-ways-to-healthier-chocoholics/
http://www.lifeclinic.com/fullpage.aspx?prid=531257&type=1

Kappy's Café Tea and Coffee House

Kappy's, formerly known as Kappy and Wright's, has had a long history in Adelaide extending back to 1932. It has had a number of owners and locations but it has always had a fine reputation for coffees and teas. This is evident when you go into the Café at 53 Flinders St and see the canisters of tea and coffee along the wall.

I have had a number of good hot chocolates at Kappy's. They traditionally serve it in a long stemmed glass with a couple of marshmallows. More recently they have been providing drinks to patrons in a mug but they are still happy to do it in the glass.

The hot chocolate cost $4.40. It had plenty of froth with a sprinkle of chocolate at its centre. The drink was rich and creamy from top to bottom. With the help of one of the marshmallows it was the perfect sweetness.

Arkaba Hotel

Merkel Marmaduke pitted his wits against the Mensa intellects at the Arkaba Hotel quiz night this evening. His team dropped to third after we got William Shakespeare's birth date wrong by one year. The hot chocolate was quite drinkable although a little bitter. It was presented in a tall glass with a handle but otherwise lacked some pizzazz in the presentation. The staff members were friendly and the evening entertaining.

Bracegirdles

Bracegirdle's House of Fine Chocolate is somewhere that all hot chocolate connoisseurs should visit. Bracegirdles have Cafes at Glenelg, Toorak Gardens and their new location at Mclaren Vale. I visited the Toorak Gardens outlet with a mission to have their hot dark Belgian chocolate with Chilli. I could have had my choice of white chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Another delicacy special to Bracegirdle's is the Chocolate Sipper which is warmed chocolate sipped through a straw, where the chocolate is kept warm with a candle.

The hot chocolate came in a generous mug with a brown froth and a chocolate sprinkling shaped to look like a chilli. A marshmallow was included with the mug. The taste of the chilli and cinnamon in the chocolate was great and the chocolate was creamy, rich but not overpowering. This was a great hot chocolate for a rainy day and the best your reviewer can remember. It was well worth the $6 and I look forward to returning to sample the chocolate sipper.

Café a Go Go

Merkel Marmaduke and the junior Marmadukes enjoy going to watch the local football. Nothing is better on a cold day watching the footy enjoying it with a good hot chocolate. Sometimes a good hot chocolate is hard to find though.

With some trepidation I approached the Café a Go Go van. I was glad to see they went to a bit of trouble with their hot chocolate providing stirring sticks and optional marshmallows. The froth looked good but was a little tasteless and the chocolate was not as rich or creamy as I would have liked but it still went down well. The local team won on the day which made it all a good experience.

Italian Hot Chocolate

After his pleasurable experience sampling Italian hot chocolate your reviewer thought some research was in order to study where else to get such a treat in Adelaide.

I can recommend the Adelaide Coffee Bar from the earlier review. Other locations serving this delicacy in Adelaide are:
Al Fresco East End, Adelaide
Swiss Glory, Victoria Square Entrance to the Adelaide Central Market
Caffe L'Incontro, Gays Arcade, Adelaide
Bocelli
How Sweet It Is
Cibo Espresso (Various Outlets)
Caffe Buongiorno (Norwood Outlet)
A Cafe Etc, Brighton
The Mac Factory, Adelaide
The Grind@Central

The East coast of Australia seems to be better served with Italian Hot Chocolate places as discussed in Kokopop's Search for Italian Hot Chocolate. "Glutton Dressed as Lamb" on the West coast has resorted to making his own.

P.S.
After some time searching for Italian Hot Chocolate places, your reviewer can verify that those venues listed above provide an Italian Hot Chocolate. Swiss Glory only does it in colder weather. Your reviewer heard that Martini's at Norwood server an Italian Hot Chocolate in the evenings but your reviewer has not been able to verify this.

An excellent source of Italian Hot Chocolates is the Cibo Espresso chain. Some Cibo outlets do not provided these in the hotter weather. The outlets on Rundle Street, Gouger Street, Hutt Street and Hyde Park all provided a thick Italian hot chocolate when reviewed.

P.P.S.
Your reviewer has come across a category of rich hot chocolates that he classes as almost in the Italian hot chocolate but not quite. These are generally hot chocolates from powders that are not quite the thick consistency of good Italian hot chocolate. These are Ciocatto at Cafe Bravo, Coconat at Viva Espresso, the Ciocolatto Italiano and La Piazza Cafe and the hot chocolate at Chianti Classico.

Return to the Adelaide Coffee Bar

After a pleasurable visit to the Adelaide Coffee Bar last week I returned to sample the Italian Hot Chocolate that was being promoted there. The drink came in a small ceramic cup topped with large dollop of cream and sprinkled with chocolate. The chocolate was rich and thick and tasted a little like a chocolate mousse. The cream was a bit heavy and excessive for my taste and presented a problem about how to drink the delicious chocolate beneath. This is one of those drinks that you drink and eat making the spoon an essential tool. At $4.50 it was well worth the experience.