Yiros and Health Food

This is a stall in food court of the Citi Centre arcade off Rundle Mall. Yiros and Health Food is few stalls south of Donut King. Yiros is available from the traditional vertical meat cookers which always look tempting. As well there is a range of healthy foods and sandwiches.

The hot chocolate came in a decorative ceramic mug and saucer with a napkin and paper spoon. The drink was topped with a white froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The drink was creamy but not particular rich, but was reasonable value for only three dollars.

Mulot's Patisserie

Mulot's is a French patisserie at 143 King William Road, Hyde Park, south of Jones the Grocer. It does takeaway cakes and pastries but also runs cooking classes. This is a small shop with a couple of table inside and a couple outsided. Merkel and Myrtle were on King William Road for the closing function of SALA 2011 where many works were on display from various SALA artists.

The hot chocolate came in a glass with a wire handle and a brown froth and sprinkle of dark chocolate powder on top. The cup was served in a saucer with a paper doily.  The drink was a good rich dark flavour. The beverage is cheaper with a cake or croissant but individually costs $4.15.

Kibbies

Your reviewer returned to Kibbies on King William Road recently. He was hoping for one the the luxurious Fraus hot chocolates, but alas, they no longer serve them at Kibbies. The standard hot chocolate was nowhere near as impressive. It was served in a glass mug and saucer and was topped with a white forth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. The cost was $3.20.

There is a word puzzle on the blackboard at Kibbie's offering a glass of wine for the winner. The answer is five five-letter words. I would not want to give the secret away but if you readd an egger to an agile delta, your dream may come true.

American Candy Stand Cupcake Café

Merkel and Myrtle visited the American Candy Stand recently on Norwood Parade. It was hard to imagine what be included in an Amercian themed Café as the US culture seems to have infused itself so much into our everyday life. However this café did a good job. Frank Sinatra was singing on the TV screen and there were flavours like oreo cookie, cherry cola and peanut butter & jelly. Fudge and brownies were there but also more standard types of cake and biscuits were available.

There were six small works for SALA 2011 festival. The works by Ben Nicholls and Victoria Highet were decorative without making any statement or pushing any boundaries.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a peculiarly American confectionery. They have peanut butter inside with a thick covering of chocolate. The American Candy Stand offer a Reese's hot chocolate which of course has a strong peanut flavour. It was served in a tall glass and was topped with froth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder. The peanut flavour was good but fairly overpowering. This was probably consistent with the Reese's recipe. The listed price was $5.90. The Café also had a standard hot chocolate and the Lindt hot chocolate on the menu like Just Tickled Pink.

The Real Hot Chocolate

Anyone claiming to be The Real Hot Chocolate will attract the attention of Merkel Marmaduke. A friend found these instant hot chocolates at Wheel & Barrow in Norwood. They are simply a block of chocolate on the end of a spoon much like the concept of Chau Colat. You just warm up the milk and put your chocolate on a stick, or a spoon in this case, in the milk and wait for it melt.

The Real Hot Chocolate is made in New South Wales and available in flavours of milk, lime, dark, white, orange, caramel and strawberry. I went for the Dark which produced a good flavoured dark hot chocolate. The chocolate softens and mixes reasonably quickly but some restraint is required to avoid eating the chocolate off the end of the spoon before it has fully melted.

Other places that apparently stock "The Real Hot Chocolate" are Jones the Grocer, Alfonso's Continental, Wild Thyme, Shankers Authentic Indian Cuisine and Udder Delights Cheese Cellar in Hahndorf.

Dragonfly

Merkel and Myrtle visited Dragonfly on Victoria Square again today. It is another SALA 2011 exhibitor. This time it was the vivid and imaginative oils of Greta Laundy. These were large brightly coloured works with a theme of nature and complexity.

The hot chocolate was served in the same chunky glass as last time with a marshmallow in the saucer. The hot chocolate had a good dark flavour and cost four dollars.

Muffin Break, City Cross

Muffin Break is now at six locations in South Australia and many more in the rest of Australia. Your reviewer has been to Muffin Break outlets at Marion and Golden Grove shopping centres and today ventured to the new outlet at City Cross. Muffin Break provides a large variety of muffins, some savory meals and hot beverages.

The hot chocolate came in a ceramic mug with the Muffin Break logo on both sides and the saucer. The mug was topped with a creamy froth and a sprinkle of cocoa. The chocolate was creamy, but not particularly rich and was lightly flavoured with cinnamon or coconut. The cost should have been $3.60 for the standard drink plus 50 cents for the larger size but your reviewer was charged $4.30. The proprieter tried to explain that this was because it was a hot chocolate but all hot beverages were listed at the same price. I am not sure whether he accepted my point or just did not want to waste time arguing, but he returned the 20 cents.