During the holiday season, that kind of just passed, I could not escape IG reels that romanticized…read morethe power of hot chocolate. Apparently, it can be so rich and thick (European Style) that it is part healing warmth and the other part just wildly delicious. So I decided to go ahead and find a cup of thick, and rich cocoa to hit me with holiday splendor, the kind that can re-assemble Frosty after his final melt. My friend Conrad and I were the duo who ventured to ChocoVivo to try chocolate, on chocolate, on chocolate, with some water on the side.
ChocoVivo is in Culver City. The place itself is on Washington Blvd amidst some bars, and eateries. This place lends itself to be a dessert spot, an experience for chocolate lovers and those who are not, and anyone who just wants to experience the taste of chocolate in-depth and in odd luxury.
As soon, as I entered, I made a beeline for the counter. I was overwhelmed with all the chocolatey choices: pastries, drinks, squares, with the list continuing exhaustively, it even included a chocolate skull that might serve better as decoration than a treat. I excused myself and went to use the restroom, I dared not ask questions to understand my options, when my bladder was full. I might make rash decisions, due to my inability to focus. And with so many options in front of me, I wanted to sample what was right and balanced for me. I wanted to sample chocolate, I just did not just want to taste chocolate.
My trip to the facilities was a small adventure in itself. I passed a room with a man working on his laptop. But the room, seemed to be, like a Sultan's rest-room. It had pillows, hanging lamps, and a cream like colored that reminded me of sun-kissed sand. I clipped the room. There is a Minion (from Illumination fame) chilling in one of the couches. Another picture shows, a fishing net (maybe) with make-shift clouds pouring out of it, also leafs and butterflies. It seemed to be the remains of a shipwreck but it also held decorations that could have made the space more beautiful. I believe, and I could be wrong, of course, that this room used to be functional. A place to lounge, and see beauty, while enjoying chocolate. Now it was a forgotten room, whose purpose never fulfilled, and thus had stuff scattered around. I am sure, everyone can relate to that feeling, of getting stuff for an imagined room that never quite materializes and thus the room becomes storage, more than anything. Kondo deliver us!
After, I came to the cashier, I ordered a hot chocolate. Conrad made a point, that the hot chocolate I ordered was not the European sipping hot chocolate that I had talked about on our car ride there. He then. made a point, that I should read a menu and then ask questions. I ask questions, as I read the menu.
I eventually, ordered two hot chocolates, (one for him and one for me) and then we sampled 12 chocolate squares--- a sampler. The total was close to 60.00 dollars so this is an experience that is not going to the local mart and buying a Hershey's bar. The 12 chocolate samples were just great and enough, there were bigger samples, which I considered buying, but the price deterred me. The one that I got was super appropriate for both of us, by the end I was enjoying slightly by force, I mustered the strength to finish the half marathon. The full marathon would have tapped me out.
The samples came with a card. Conrad was the one who was consulting the card, so we could not what chocolate we ate. It was truly fun, to be with someone who read of the information of the card, and then we tried to identify the taste as the card described. I wish I would have taken a picture of the card, but honestly, I am more of a determine by taste taster than a person who wants to be informed of what he is tasting, to know what he is tasting. I do remember the worst tasting chocolate we tasted--- it had black tea infused into it, I do not remember its cacao percentage, each chocolate had a cacao percentage. The hire the percentage, the sweeter the chocolate. The black tea had this earthy and tea taste that was profound. I guess imagine tasting. a black tea without sugar that is kind of the taste I struggled with. I am glad I tasted this chocolate, however, because it was part of the whole experience. I did not drive to the beach and endure a pothole, I drove to the beach and was both intrigued and jolted by the bounce that the pothole produced.
Some chocolates I really enjoyed, the hot chocolate was goodness in a cup. The chocolate sampler also came with an espresso that was split into two cups. I was provided a knife to cut each chocolate. I put the knife in the center with one arm, and use the other hand to pierce the chocolate. My halfs were not perfect. Sometimes Conrad got the bigger half square, sometimes I did. I annotate all this so one knows that when you visit ChocoVivo you will need to work, if you want to split those chocolates, but the work was part of the fun!