European Cafe

Merkel and Myrtle stopped by the European Café at 219 The Parade, Norwood one evening.  This is a well-established Italian restaurant on of Adelaide's best restaurant strips.  We shared an apple and strawberry crumble which was delicious except that it was made with raspberries and seemed to have no strawberries.

The hot chocolate was served in ceramic cup and saucer advertising “64” which is a blend of Rio coffee.  The chocolate was a bit week and I discovered that most of the chocolate had coagulated in the teaspoon that had been served already in the cup.  The hot chocolate was served with a light froth with slight latte art pattern.  The hot chocolate was four dollars.

Delish Iced

Delish seems to have changed hands since they used to put their flavours of hot chocolate on the sandwich board outside this Café on Victoria Square. The hot chocolates are still available although not in the exotic flavours.  This time Merkel tried and iced chocolate and the reasonable price of $4.60. It was sweet and creamy but not that chocolaty. Still it was cooling drink on a hot day.

Big Coffee and Food

Lizzie’s has now been replaced by Big Coffee and Food on Unley Road. There has been a significant change in décor with a lime green theme, a kid’s corner and a some original artwork. The menu has changed as well. Merkel and Myrtle visited for lunch. This is still a nice location for meal despite the venue change hands a couple of times over the last few years. The service was attentive and friendly.

To Merkel’s delight there was a Belgian hot chocolate on the drinks menu. This cost $4.30 for a good sized stylish cup. This was topped with a light froth. The taste was sweet but had an excellent Belgian chocolate flavour.

Howard Winery

I recently went a tour of the Adelaide hills with some friends from the UK. We visited a number of wineries and the Melba chocolate factory but the venue of most interest for hot chocolate lovers was the Howard Vineyard. We had a pleasant lunch overlooking the lawns and the grape vines, consisting of platters of various dips and nibbles.

The hot chocolate was served in a glass mug and saucer. It was rich and dark and was topped with a white froth and sprinkle of chocolate powder. The cost was four dollars.

St Georges Bakehouse

Merkel and Myrtle visited the St George’s Bakehouse at 476 Portrush Road recently. This was a well-stocked bakery sporting a number of awards for it production of meat pies. The coffee was Grinders Organic Blend. The hot chocolate was good and rich but was more expensive than the coffees at four dollars. The hot chocolate was served in a ceramic cup and saucer and topped with a white froth.

Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante

Amalfi, at 29 Frome Street, has been established in Adelaide for many years. Merkel met there recently with old friends who had first dined together at the Italian restaurant more than twenty years ago. Amalfi has a good menu of pizzas, pasta and other Italian dishes. The service was excellent as exemplified by Nicholas, our attentive waiter.

The hot chocolate came in a brown ceramic cup and saucer. It was topped with white froth and liberal sprinkle of chocolate powder. The flavour was rich, dark and not too sweet.

Perfect Blend

The Perfect Blend coffee shop takes replaced Crust ‘n Crumbs in Cumberland Park shopping centre on the corner of Goodwood Road and Cross Road. This is a little bakery and coffee shop. It has been tastefully redecorated since it was Crust ‘n Crumbs.

The hot chocolate was $3.50 and came in a glass with a metal handle on a saucer. The hot chocolate was topped with forth and a sprinkle of chocolate powder it was richer and tastier than the one provide at Crust ‘n Crumbs.