I am chocoholic, hear me roar. Actually, I'm not a proper chocolate fan. I love the sweet fatty relatively cocoa-free "chocolate" that I was raised with, and while a stint in continental Europe did sophistify (it IS a word, 'kay!) my tastebuds somewhat, happiness to me is still a nice bar of Cadbury's.
So having laid all my cards out here, take this review as you may. Myself and Mister Awkward decided to try somewhere new for a cuppa, a sitdown, and a chat. The Sweetest Thing has been opened for several months and I just haven't had a chance to pop in and try it properly; also the window display is very Cadbury's-oriented, which doesn't really exude come-hither vibes, even to a Cadbury's fan like me. After all, I can get the same probably for cheaper in a supermarket if it's Cadbury's I'm after. Anyway it seemed fairer to actually go into the cafe and look at their menu and even try something before passing judgement, so along we trotted.
It's a milkshake bar as well as a chocolate cafe, something which is not evident from the outside. I decided to stick with what I came in to try, and asked for The Sweetest Thing's signature hot chocolate, with marshmallows, cream and flake. Mister Awkward tried the chocolate espresso, which is melted Belgian hot chocolate, with a shot of hazelnut syrup.
I really liked the hot chocolate. There really isn't a whole lot you can do with hot chocolate, but it was very tasty and looked very pretty. Mister Awkward's chocolate espresso was definitely something different, pure and intense and far too good not to be shared, small though it was. Any more would have been a waste!
The decor is suitably chocolate oriented, with old-fashioned Cadbury's signs everywhere. There are individual chocolates for sale in a glass cabinet beside the counter, Bailey's chocolate products, lots of Cadbury's bars, some Green & Blacks and so on. I kind of expected large selections of Lindt and other chocolate brands too but Cadbury's seems to be the dominant brand. There was a tray of broken sample chocolates by the till, which was a nice surprise -the chocolate florentine bit I had was amazing.
It's a nice cafe, nice for tea, a sandwich, hot chocolate, a milkshake. Not quite what I expected, but I'll more than likely be back. read more