Mink Chocolates has a cafe in Vancouver (863 Hastings Street West, Vancouver BC, Canada). By chance I passed the cafe one late evening and decided to visit the cafe the next morning. I was very much surprized by the creative chocolate products Mink is producing: fine chocolate bars (solid and filled), bon bons, and gift boxes. They are using chocolate from Callebaut (Belgium) for making their products. In the cafe you can also buy high quality coffee.
What about a dark chocolate bar filled with lime in white chocolate ganache? Or chocolate filled with burnt caramel with salt and rosemary? (The flavor of this one is fantastic!)
My visit opened a new world of flavor combinations. I absolutely recommend a visit to Mink Chocolate Cafe if you happen to be in Vancouver!
[Photos: Hal]
Hal Chocolate brands, Chocolate cafes, Chocolate tasting, Chocolatieres, Specialty chocolates canada
Death by Chocolate is a chain of chocolate cafes primarily located in Canada, but also one in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The concept was originally conceived and established in New Zealand in 1991, but purchased by an investment company in 1995. It is now a frenchise business.
Today “Death by Chocolate” offer 30 “designer desserts” with chocolate.
I looked for three of their restaurants when I visited Vancouver in August 2007; I found the addresses on their website. One was closed, another was being refurbished, while the third one called “Death by Chocolate Express” at International Village, #2025 West Pender, Vancouver, was open.
On the internet their menu seemed exciting. When I visited the cafe I decided to try a small portion of the “Chocolate Ecstacy” which I expected should be an explosion of chocolate flavor.
Unfortunately it was not very impressive. Just an ordinary brownie with ordinary chocolate ice cream, strawberry sauce, and a couple of strawberries.
I also bought a small box of chocolate truffles to bring home.
They had been stored too long and had shrunk significantly.
To me this visit was a disappointment.
If someone has better experience with “Death by Chocolate Cafe” in Vancouver or somewhere else in Canada, please leave a comment here!
[Photos: Hal]
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