After ditching initial plans to go to Flirtease (ughhhh), my sisters-in-law and I headed to The Chocolate Room as we've always wanted to go.
We're all big lovers of all things dessert, chocolate or hot chocolate so this seemed like a guaranteed positive experience.
We walked in at about 8:45 or 9 and the place was empty. DEAD. No one but us but a bunch of tables still waiting to be bussed - not a good sign. If people are coming in, make sure your tables are clean.
Everything else was spotless. It's a large space with free wireless internet, good for the end of the night or a break from Starbucks and Costa if you want to sit in and get some work done. The menu is large - there is everything from chocolate fondue, to dozens of types of hot chocolate, to imported chocolates and truffles and hot and cold desserts (frappes, tea pigs, etc).
We seated ourselves, put in our orders (I ordered a Belgian waffle with strawberries, chocolate and a scoop of pistachio ice cream), my sister-in-law ordered a hot chocolate (vanilla) and my other sister-in-law ordered a brownie sundae.
Here are my problems with the orders:
When I asked the waitress (who I gathered by the end of the evening was new due to the lack of time she spent making sure we were okay and comfortable but getting trained instead) if the ice cream was made in house, where the chocolates were from, etc she had no answers. Know your stuff, girl! I have expectations!
Everything at The Chocolate Room seems to come from somewhere else. My waffle wasn't cooked in-house, much to my disappointment. It was a packet opened, warmed up and then covered in chocolate sauce (which wasn't hot, but luke-warm and weird) and very presentable but quite disappointing. The ice cream is brought in from another location, the chocolates are brought in from somewhere else...come on. If you're a dessert bar, try to make as much of your own stuff as possible. What a disappointment.
We were left to our own devices for a lot of our evening which gave us a chance to talk but left much to be desired in terms of making the ambiance a warm and friendly one - speaking of warmth, it was on the chilly side in there for a mid-winter evening...warm it up!
I'll go back because I'd like to give it another shot and figure out just WHAT they make there. I like my desserts with some flair and made fresh - if I wanted pre-packaged dessert, I'd go to Baskin Robbins.
Really nice staff, big place, wireless, ample seating, good location and diverse menu. Check it out. I have to go back before weighing in 100% on this place but while I'm smitten, I'm not quite in love. read more