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Burnaby cafes to check out during this year’s Hot Chocolate Festival
Burnaby Beacon Staff
January 10, 2023
Hot chocolate lovers, rejoice!
The Greater Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival is returning this month and several Burnaby cafes and dessert spots are serving up some wildly creative and delicious drinks.
From a Harry Potter-themed drink to creations made with pineapple, passionfruit, chilli powder and more, these are the handcrafted gourmet offerings to check out in Burnaby during Hot Chocolate Festival, which runs from Jan. 14 to Feb. 14.
Chez Christophe’s Canadian Winter With A Kick (available from Jan. 14 to 27) is made of a smooth and creamy 41% Swiss milk chocolate with an added kick of cayenne pepper and chili powder and a hint of sweetness with cinnamon and maple syrup. The drink is paired with a small and spicy bacon pull-apart.
For all of you Harry Potter fans, The Sorting Hat (available from Jan. 28 to Feb. 11) is a “butter-beer,” made with 34% cocoa white chocolate infused with butterscotch and butter-flavoured popcorn milk. This concoction is paired with a “mystery” lollipop filled with four different fillings that—when you take a bite—will reveal what wizard house you have been assigned to.
Address: 4717 Hastings St.Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Sunday/Monday
Burnaby’s much-loved retro ice cream spot is offering two hot chocolate drinks during the festival.
Adventures in Strawberryland is a Callebaut ruby chocolate-based hot chocolate infused with strawberry flavouring. It’s topped with strawberry whipped cream and a mini scoop of strawberry shortcake ice cream.
True Blue Friend is a Callebaut white chocolate made with notes of blueberry and lemon. The drink is topped with whipped cream and served with a small school of Glenburn’s Blueberry Muffin ice cream.
Both drinks are available from Jan. 14 to Feb. 14.
Address: 4090 Hastings St.Hours: 6 to 9pm Tuesday to Thursday/3 to 10pm Friday and Saturday/3 to 9pm Sunday/Closed Monday
Burnaby’s Caffe Artigiano location is serving up two specialty hot chocolate flavours this month.
Cookies & Creme is a blend of dark and white chocolate sauce with house-made syrup, dark chocolate cookie crumbles, topped with fresh whipped cream. It comes with a chocolate cookie made with white and dark chocolate chips.
The Passionfruit Hot Chocolate is a blend of decadent dark chocolate and house-made passionfruit syrup combined with oat milk and a passionfruit cheesecake whipped cream.
Both drinks are available from Jan. 14 to Feb. 14.
Address:4359 East Hastings St.Hours: 6am to 6pm every day
Mon Paris offers some deliciously decadent hot chocolate creations, that take on the theme of movies for this year’s festival.
“Charlie Chaplin – back to silent film,” is made with Mon Paris’ very own 72% chocolate brand, which it describes as a “dark and simple” chocolate with flavours of red fruits and a floral aroma. It is accompanied by a dark chocolate bonbon shaped like a hat, and a cane-shaped vanilla cookie, making for a perfect black-and-white ode to Charlie Chaplin.
“AVATAR – 21st-century sci-fi,” pays homage to the blockbuster Avatar series, which saw the release of its second installment in December 2022.
The drink is a blue chocolate flavoured drink made with passionfruit and coconut. It’s topped with coconut whipped cream and a chocolate Avatar medallion and comes with a seaweed shortbread cookie on the side.
Both drinks are available from Jan. 14 to Feb. 13.
Address: 4396 Beresford St.Hours: 9 am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday.
A new participant this year, Peaked Pies is serving up two hot chocolate creations, inspired by the land down under.
Pineapple Lumps takes after the popular treat from New Zealand and is made from dark chocolate and pineapple juice, topped with whipped cream and house-made chocolate-dipped pineapple lumps.
The Iced Vovo takes after the Australian biscuit. It is made with white chocolate, coconut, and raspberry and topped with whipped cream and served with a house-made iced Vovo biscuit.
Address: 4114 Hastings St.
Hours: 8am to 9pm daily
Chatto has two drinks on the menu for this year's festival. Pandan de Coco-a , which is inspired by the Malaysian traditional "kuih" — bite-size cake. The drink consists of hot chocolate with a fragrant pandan extract sauce and coconut puree, topped with shredded coconut flakes for a hint of nuttiness.
The Muddy Piggy is an aromatic, sweet, and savoury drink. It contains real, slow-cooked, bacon in brown sugar syrup, blended with dark chocolate. It's topped with sea salt milk foam and served with a crispy bacon strip.
Both drinks are available until Feb. 14.
Address: 5325 Lane St.
Hours: Noon to 9 pm, Mon - Thurs/ 11 am to 11 pm Fri - Sunday
The Pie Hole has two drinks on its menu until Feb. 14.
The DDD Raspberry Cream is inspired by The Pie Hole's best-selling Raspberry Cream Crumble, which was featured on the popular Food Network Show, Diners Drive-Ins and Drives.
The drink is made with white Callebaut chocolate, cream cheese and house-made raspberry coulis, topped off with fresh whipped cream and buttery pie crumbles. It's served with a mini Raspberry Cream Crumble Pie.
Drink Your Feelings is made with Cacao Berry's 70% Fluer de Cao and housemade espresso caramel. It's topped with whipped cream and The Pie Hole's Eat Your Feelings bar.
Address: 7832 6th St.
Hours: Noon to 6pm, daily