Chocoatl and Chocolat

I love food; Vancouver loves food. I love chocolate; Vancouver loves chocolate.

There's this really awesome chocolate boutique / coffee and tea shop in Yaletown that I read about in the paper last year (props for 'Arts&Life' in the Vancouver Sun) that I tell everyone about because it's so fabulous. It's called Chocoatl, and it's owned and run by a Mexican family so all of the food and drinks are authentically Mexican which I think is really great.

From what I remember, the article said that the family has most of their relatives in Mexico, and they have cocoa bean fields there. That means that instead of ordering mass-produced chocolate ingredients from the typical corporations and food wholesalers, Chocoatl gets all of their supplies directly from people they know down south. To top it off, everything is made right in the store - there are no middle men involved in any part of the production process. I've never ordered the chocolate or snacks there, but they look amazing - like how the chocolates look in the film Chocolat (with Juliette Binoche). But I have had the hot chocolate and it's definatly worth the money - it's a little pricier than Starbucks, with a cup of hot chocolate hitting about $4.50 - because they make it right there and the enviroment and service are great. Plus, you can sit on their little patio and people watch in Yaletown, which is always good, clean, classy fun.

I've ordered two kinds of hot chocolate: the first was milk chocolate infused with hazelnut (it was sweet and nice and had whipped cream), and the second was dark chocolate infused with chili (which obviously was richer and had a nice bite). Both were amazing and I was so impressed so if you ever get the chance, it's worth the 15 minute walk from Granville Station. Plus, it's nice to actually act like a Vancouver local and get a great drink sometimes, rather than getting the same thing everyone else buys at Starbucks or Esquires.

The address is 1127 Mainland St., Vancouver. Get on it.



Also, now that I've mentioned it, go rent Chocolat. It's brilliantly done, beautifully shot, believably acted, etc. Juliette Binoche is gorgeous and captivating, Judy Dench never fails, and Johnny Depp is a fox.


"If you are what you eat, in my case I'd be sweet..." - Jason Mraz