Cacao 70

Ruth and I had a date at Cacao 70 in late April 2013. I had heard so much from this chocolate joint compared to Juliette et Chocolat. There was a long line on a Friday night but we were lucky to only wait around 30 to 40 minutes.

Despite the cold outside, I didn’t want to drink a hot chocolate. Our waitress suggested I try a milkshake since I was craving something sweet and light. I ordered a large Milk Chocolate milkshake made with vanilla ice cream and homemade milk chocolate base. It was impossible for me that a milkshake could be light but this one was. I had one sip and I was surprised at how light it tasted.

I was very hungry as I didn’t have dinner. I was still going to order a chocolate dessert after so Ruth suggested we share our meals. I suggested a salty crepe and we agreed to order the House Special crepe. It was a French crepe stuffed with grilled chicken, mayonnaise, parsley, baby spinach and white cheddar cheese. It was really good, especially the mix of melted cheese and chicken. It was a good salty crepe that fills up.

We then ordered the Triple Chocolate Pizza. It comes in a full or half size and since we were a bit full due to the salty crepe, we smartly opted for the half size. Melted dark, milk and white chocolate chunks cover a pizza crust. The pizza is served with warm white chocolate sauce, strawberries and bananas. It was the most delicious pizza that I have ever tasted in my life. Whether you prefer only one chocolate, you will definitely enjoy this pizza. The chocolate sauce was heavenly. I remember wishing that we had more fruits or pizza crust to just dip in the sauce.

It gets a grade of 9/10. The service was nice and efficient, the food was delicious but the wait was not fun. I hate waiting to eat even if the food is worth the wait. It cost us just under than 45 dollars with taxes and tips included for two. I definitely recommend Cacao 70 to everyone who loves chocolate. I personally preferred it to Juliette et Chocolat. This would be a nice place for a date, extra points if it’s the first date. It’s even fun to go among friends and did I mention they have brunch?

I need to return to try their fondues and other meals. I did return to try a milkshake to go. It was the Diving Icing Mint Chocolate Milkshake with mint chocolate ice cream and homemade dark chocolate base. It was a nice refreshing drink on a hot day of summer. It was heavier than the milk chocolate one and I had trouble finishing the large size.

Large mint chocolate milkshake

Me holding the heaviest bar of chocolate I’ve seen.

 

Cacao 70 (2 locations)

Downtown 

2087 Sainte-Catherine West, Montreal, QC

H3H 1M6 514-933-1688

Village

1310 Sainte-Catherine East , Montreal, QC

H2L 2H5 514-528-6161

Les Givrés

Ru and I were heading to Square Louis after eating our poutine. We walked on Saint-Denis street when we passed in front of Les Givrés, an ice cream place that I’ve heard a lot about but never tried. Our curiosity led us in and we were in awe when we went down the stairs. The first thing we noticed is the counter full of pastries and muffins.

There were some seats and lots of space inside where you could actually enjoy your treats. Definitely a plus factor as Ripples was extremely narrow. They had so many flavours with ingredients from the province of Quebec. Everything is handmade in Les Givrés, even the cones.

I chose two light flavours, strawberry-rhubarb from Quebec’s grounds and the big melon from St-Eustache. The cashier was really cute. When I hesitated to take a cup as I was still full from the poutine, she told me that I had to try the cone! It’s homemade and it tastes good, she reassured me. They also have chocolate flavored cones but I picked the regular. She put so many scoops; I was wondering why she was taking so long to hand it to me. It was about 5 dollars with taxes for 2 humongous scoops.

You can also make a crazy sundae with 2 flavours, whipped cream and 3 toppings of your sauce. They are open year long, so I might try it soon or next summer. They had lots of different sauces and even an ice cream that was called “the camper” which contained marshmallows, brownies, whipped cream, caramel, crumble and choux pastry. Just thinking about it, makes me drool.

For students, they offer a special every day of the week. Between 11am to 6pm, you get 10% off any product consumed in store. They also have wi-fi access so you can study there while eating sweets. I love this concept!

You should definitely check out their website. They have tasting workshops, that you must absolutely reserve and it costs 12.25 dollars + taxes.

 

Les Givrés

3807 Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC

H2W 2M4 514-373-7558

Ripples

After having dinner at Mazurka, we (read “Mike and I”) decided to go to Ripples to taste their homemade ice cream. I had already mentionned it to Mike once but we didn’t get a chance to go and this time, we weren’t missing it. The three others followed us but didn’t order anything, they are too cheap. Of course the ice cream is expensive, it’s HOMEMADE so it tastes better!!!

I’ve passed by the store so many times in years and this was the moment where I could finally taste their ice cream. They have many different flavours of ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt. I was all giddy like a cild and didn’t know what flavours I wanted to try. It takes me forever to make a choice, especially when it comes to treats!

Mike had raspberry cheesecake ice cream and chocolate 6x ice cream on a cone. The chocolate is concentrated 6 times so if you don’t like chocolate, don’t even think about getting it. I tasted both of them and I almost had a heart attack with the chocolate. I had never tasted anything this heavy and creamy at the same time . The cheesecake was good too but heavy. He finished all of it and yes, this guy is crazy.

A bit blurry

I was not as suicidal as Mike as I took two flavours in a cup. The last time I took ice cream in a cone after eating a meal, I had trouble finishing it. I choose mojito sorbet and raspberry sorbet. Mojito was wonderful, very minty, tasted like the drink but sweeter. There isn’t too much alcohol, so a child could have some but I doubt he/she would like it. After a couple of spoonfuls, it was getting sour. The raspberry one was fruity and light, no superficial taste. I was happy that it was on the bottom so I finished with something sweet and good.

I definitely recommend trying Ripples at least once. They’re presently closed as summer is over, but they should be open in mid-April.

 

Ripples 
3880 Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC
 H2W 1Y2 514-842-1697