The Chocolate Heaven – The Name Says It All

A pretty corner café in a surprisingly hustle-free part of Chennai, The Chocolate Heaven, Alwarpet, got us more curious than ever with its very tempting name. The glass walls facing the streets were a definite give-away to its smart décor and snazzy furniture with brightly colored cushions that fortunately aren’t garish. The pleasant ambiance with a backdrop of peppy music interspersed with sounds of laughter sets up the mood for a hearty meal.

The Chocolate Heaven is a cafe chain with outlets in a few other cities in the country including Bengaluru and Mumbai and they plan to open a couple more in Chennai as well. We quickly make our order and prop ourselves on the cushions in wait for the meal.

The bruschetta that we ordered came neatly lined in a simple yet elegant fashion and tasted delicious. Crispy at the edges, chewy on the inside and loaded with diced and tossed tomatoes and cheese, the bruschetta was tangy and cheesy and the garlic bread made it all the more perfect. Light and fresh, the dish was everything you’d want your starter to be.

The Chocolate Heaven’s signature dish, the Blooming Bread is a dish unlike any other. Spongy bread that’s cut up into a flower-like pattern and covered with a topping of our choice, in our case mushrooms in a creamy pesto sauce, garlic butter, and cheese, is a must-try. The grated and tossed mushrooms give the dish a nice texture. If you’re someone who would love a dash of spiciness to your meal, there’s a hot Mexican salsa on the side that will keep you happy.

Our pizza arrives next, the Pizza Arrabiata, a spicy pizza topped with pasta cooked in arrabbiata sauce that is a combination of two of our favorite dishes. The pizza gives a new definition to thin-crust pizzas – it’s so thin it’s barely there, which definitely is a plus. With generous drizzles of mayo and oodles of cheese, the pizza becomes an instant favorite.

How can the place promise to be a chocolate heaven without getting us high on chocolate? That’s exactly what the next two dishes did. The first was the classic Belgian Chocolate Waffle, a divine dessert that comes with slices of fresh fruit (ours had apples), dark, white and milk chocolate drizzles and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. One can get the waffles made soft and airy or dense and crunchy like ours was. The white chocolate brings out the chocolatey taste and the fruits gave a fresh flavor to the waffles.

We ended our meal with the Chocolate Mud Pot, a crowd favorite from their Wagon Freakshakes collection. Thick chocolate milkshake that comes in a jar decorated with chocolate ganache and crispy balls, towering with whipped cream that’s decorated with choco sticks, Belgian waffles, and chocolate drizzle, the shake was every chocolate lover’s dream come true. The Chocolate Mud Pot tastes as good as it looks and that’s saying something.

The Chocolate Heaven is a perfect place to hang out with friends over some good music, delicious food and of course, lots and lots of drool-worthy desserts.