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.