Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me Café Xocolat
Tue, August 23rd of 2005
2:00 pm
I’m always on the lookout for a good hot chocolate, so when my friend Jay P., commented that I should try Xocolat in Greenhills, that’s where I went that weekend.
First and foremost, Café Xocolat is a coffee shop: you should go there for the hot and cold drinks and even their desserts. Their light meals (i.e. sandwiches and pastas) are there as tummy fillers, but don’t make it your reason for going there. If you’re hungry, go to a restaurant first (or instead!)
I had a full meal when I was there with Boo and my Bin – two kinds of pasta (chorizo and Bolognese – P140 each), as well as a chicken-brie sandwich. I’ve already told you how that didn’t go down so well.
But all previous sins are forgiven, and new ones committed when you taste their hot chocolate. Because Xocolat means chocolate, expect it in several glorious incarnations: Mexican Xocolat (P95) – a cinnamon-chocolate drink made from a traditional Pueblo recipe; Xocolat Chai (P85) – a mint tea infusion with a hint of chocolate; White Xocolat, and for the more health-oriented among us, the Organic Xocolat (P95) – made with soy milk and muscovado sugar.
Those were among the hot chocolate drinks.
Now, if you like your chocolate on the arctic side, there’s the Xocolat Lava (P125) – an old-fashioned malt, which I’m determined to have the next time around. I. Love. Malts; Xoco-Nut Frenzy (P115) – a dark chocolate freeze drenched in creamy peanut butter (I think I gained weight just writing that sentence!); and the Frozen “Hot” Xocolat (P115).
You gotta love their play on that word, “xocolat.”
There are also xocolat extras, including a fondue for two. (Yeah, bring your sweetie over here and after you eat, enjoy chocolate-covered kisses. Hoooey!)
I had Café Xocolat’s signature blend, the Taza de Xocolat (P95), which the menu described as rich and opulent. Upon ordering, the server made sure to tell me that it would take 7-10 minutes to prepare because they’d have to whip it first. (Ooh, sounds naughty.) Okay, no worries. And because too much chocolate is always a good thing, my Bin and I split the Churros con Salsa, the café’s term for “dip”. (P75/2 churros; P135/4 churros). Incidentally, the dip selection is a mixed bag of good ol’ chocolate, dulce de leche, and my favorite, Nutella. Savory dips include chori quezo and goat cheese in olive oil. Eh. Reads out of place here.
My taza de Xocolat arrived, its wisps of steam beckoning. One sip and I thought my head was going to implode in a spasm derived from chocolate joy. This drink was decadent – this drink was … dare I say it? immoral. The earth-brown liquid embraced my tongue and proceeded to glide sensuously, lingeringly down my throat.
So thick was this drink, that on a whim, I took one of the churros and set it upright in the middle of the cup. It stood on its own! I was almost speechless when 
I tasted these little Spanish crullers. Yes, I dare say it: the churros at Café Xocolat are better than the ones at Dulcinea. Crunchy outside and doughy in the middle, eating one of those churros and dipping it deeply into the Nutella, sigh. God’s in His heaven and all is right with the world. Yeah, you could say eating at CaféXocolat is a religiously chocolate experience. (!)
Additional Notes: (last updated Oct. 7, 2005)
Café Xocolat
1/F Promenade
Greenhills Shopping Center
2/F Megamall Bldg. A, near Cook’s Exchange
Eastwood Mall,
Eastwood City,
Libis
Other hot chocolate posts:
tsokolate eh
a lola’s hot chocolate
transforming tsokolate – thin to thick
duman and tsokolate
my search for the best hot choc – Paris
Nana Meng’s tsokolate
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oh i am sooo jealous
that looks delish and it is too far to go get some
[Reply]
Comment by Clare Eats — August 23, 2005 @ 3:11 pm
Ggrgrghaaauagaum mmmmuh msfd!@@!#$lordy
(I’m not sure how to translate that. But I don’t know what my brain sounds like when it wants chocolate.)
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Comment by Robyn — August 23, 2005 @ 3:30 pm
I love that picture of the churro standing in the chocolate! Can’t wait to try it, thanks for the tip
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Comment by ChichaJo — August 24, 2005 @ 1:15 am
The Xocolat gives me an image of the Aztec (or is it Mayan?) culture, where cacao was originally used as a drink.
Maybe the owner has a sense of history? Or maybe, as you said, it’s just a play of letters.
The chocolate looks really good. Now I’m not so sure where to hold our next meet.
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Comment by Eric — August 24, 2005 @ 6:38 am
hey LORI (as i have read). I just happen to visit your page. I was looking for a site of Estrel’s since we already ordered from there and your page came up in the search results of Google. I enjoyed your page so much. I would visit this site regularly, I am fond of cooking and trying out new restaurants. It’s one of my passion – food!
hehe!:) Keep on posting!:)
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Comment by confused and dazed — August 24, 2005 @ 11:17 am
hi, lori. holy tokwa: the chocolate’s actually that thick?!? ‘maryosep! where has this shop been all my life! now i can’t wait for the cafe xocolat branch at sm megamall to open… — midge
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Comment by Midge — August 24, 2005 @ 3:06 pm
Wowey! That looks so decadent! And yummy!:-)
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Comment by Zarah Maria — August 24, 2005 @ 3:23 pm
hello! stumbled upon your site while searching for reviews (and prices) of lolo dad’s. must say, love the site!
on cafe xocolat: my hun and i made the mistake of ordering a cookies and cream iced shake –ugh. horrible. we’ve been wanting to try their churros and now i think we will!
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Comment by meekerz — August 25, 2005 @ 10:07 am
Great pics Lori! Yum! Looks real good! Passed by SM Megamall and Xocolat there is open na. Looks pretty posh, can’t wait to try the churros and taza!
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Comment by Anonymous — September 3, 2005 @ 12:41 pm
I LOVE food, especially Chocolate!!! And I must admit that I am beginning to love your blog as much as I love chocolate! Keep it up, Lori! Great to bump into you in the gym (For a food lover, you sure are fit! You dance really well, too! Kaka-inspire!). Do naman a feature on garlic one of these days. I love that, too!
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Comment by Pam — October 4, 2005 @ 6:14 pm
The frozen Xoco-Nut is LOVE. Every time I order it, I go into a catatonic state of pure bliss.
Great photo of the churro by the way. Now I’m super hungry.
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Comment by travelkage — May 24, 2006 @ 12:58 pm
okay, that looks absoulutely incredible! so much that i am heading there now! thank you for the tip!
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Comment by cat-ing-ka — May 24, 2006 @ 1:01 pm
went to xocalat megamall last monday after i read your blog and a pstar write up…
the mocha lava and choco lava were FANTASTIC!!! even orgasmic hehehe…i would never buy starbucks, gloria jeans after that again after tasting frappe heaven!!
also tried the taza de xocolat, it was so decadent and creamy and chocolatey esp when it was hot, but i wasnt able to finish it…and that was a first for me…when it got cold, felt i was drinking chocolate ganache/icing …had iknown that one drink would satisfy all my chocolate craving for the month i wouldnt have ordered mocha lava and 4 pcs churros with nutella and xocolate dip anymore…i shouldnt have been such a glutton..
my sis and i were both not able to finish our other bec we already felt a tonsilitis setting in…
next time will pace our glutonny hehe
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Comment by sunshine — June 22, 2006 @ 4:37 pm
Yehey! Casa Xocolat is now open near Katipunan at the Benitez Street I think where the Citibank branch is. It’s nice and cozy! Great place to hang out.
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Comment by Anonymous — October 2, 2006 @ 6:55 pm
yes, cafe xocolat has opened a branch in the katipunan area. i just had their taza de xocolat this afternoon and i nearly fainted when i tasted the thick, bittersweet liquid. did i say thick? after savoring the drink for almost an hour (you can’t simply gulp it down because it clings to your insides), i was having palpitations. what a rush.
just a tip: if you find your drink getting “cold” and too thick, just ask the server to reheat it for you.=)
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Comment by singkitgirl — October 8, 2006 @ 1:36 am
I just reviewed one of their HOT Chocolate selections on my blog. I will link this article to it as well? Hope you can check out my little article http://adventuresofabeautyqueen.wordpress.com
When I go to Xocolat, I usually just order the Aztec but after checking out your article here, I think I will try out other selections! Thanks
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Comment by Joyce — May 27, 2009 @ 11:53 am
Lori! I’m sure you know this already, but this place is owned by one of our ex-pat friends & a JIS-alum… Edgar & I hung out with her last time we were in Manila (the time I saw you at the wedding in Tagaytay, actually), and she took us here for lunch. That taza is SOOOOO delicious!!! I love your photo of the churro, too.
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Comment by Chamina — September 27, 2009 @ 11:27 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Gibby Gorres, Gibby Gorres. Gibby Gorres said: Tomorrow, I will say: HELLO CAFE XOCOLAT! http://bit.ly/bRTpG9 [...]
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