282C63C6 10AC 470F B69C 357B6EFA9DF5

Caffe Artigiano, Hot Chocolate Festival 2022

You have one more week to take advantage of Vancouver’s annual hot chocolate festival. The foodie event that invites dessert fans on a tour around the Lower Mainland to visit cafes, ice cream parlours, and restaurants of various kinds; to try their limited edition, speciality, hot chocolate creations.

With so many options and at least a couple to try at each location, it is hard to choose where to go for your cheat treat or decadent indulgence. So here is two more to consider that is highly accessible, available at any of Caffe Artigiano’s multiple locations. We made one of the three in downtown Vancouver our destination. Opting for a nice patio that would be soaked in sun.

I took this opportunity to download and try the Artigiano app. Like many other cafe ordering apps, the idea is that you save time lining up and paying, and it makes pick up and take out all that much easier. And if you decide to dine in, you can simply tell the clerks that your order just went through, but you rather have it on actual dishware, then take out in paper bags. That is exactly what we did this day.

We made our hot chocolates into brunch by ordering a handful from their food and baked goods menu. What is typically behind glass, makes for much easier ordering on the app.

We enjoyed our hot chocolate under the heat of the sun, and as a result they have deflated a little.

The FLUFFERNUTTER HOT CHOCOLATE is made featuring their handcrafted chocolate peanut syrup, topped with whipped marshmallow and shaved chocolate. Served alongside a matching Fluffernutter cookie, prepared with the same ingredients: peanut butter, marshmallow, and chocolate chips. This was the sweeter of the two. Originally I liked this one more than their other option (below). The first sip was the best sip, but we then found ourselves finishing the following hot chocolate first, whereas the last few sips of this peanut butter forward one became too much of this milky beverage.

The SALTED MISO HOT CHOCOLATE was the perfect balance of salty and sweet. It features salted chocolate syrup, miso powder, Vancouver Island salt, Callebaut pearls, and caramel sugar. What sounds overwhelming in sugar was more for visual effect. The saltiness of the miso is what comes through and helps to mellow out the other ingredients. The first sip won’t convince you, but the more you have, the more you savour what you have. It is easy drinking, and as I mentioned earlier, a beverage we did not let go to waste. Like the pairing above, this too has its matching taste cookie: a salted dark chocolate chip with white miso, Maldon salt, cocoa, and chocolate chips.

Since this was lunch, we ordered the heaviest item on the menu, which read like the Chicken & Brie Sandwich. A gourmet reading assembly of spiced pear & onion jam, brie cheese, confit garlic aioli, herb roasted breast, and arugula, on sourdough. Premade and kept on chill behind glass, it does get a good press to toast and reheat, but it looks like something you have whipped up for your lunch at work. But taste-wise, it was all quality ingredients; which you were able to make out with the tenderness chicken, the spicy notes of the cheese, and the slightly sweet jam for added contrast. It was a great sandwich.

And if you are going to order a sandwich for lunch, you have to pair it with a soup, for the classic soup and sandwich combo. There was only 1 option, but if given another I always go for the tangy tomato soup anyways, as it pairs with any sandwich like a dip. This San Marzano tomato soup was a hearty soup that drank heavy. It was more spicy than tangy, very herbaceous and as anticipated, a great way to change the tastes of our two sandwiches.

Because if you are going to order tomato soup, you have to have the traditional pairing of grilled cheese and tomato soup. This just happened to be the gourmet adult version. In it the various types of cheese became a melted hybrid. It didn’t really have much flavour, you got its stringy chew and the crisp of the toasted bread, but no sharp cheese flavour. Just as well, as we didn’t take a bite without a dip in soup or a spoonful slurp after, anyways.

Having had the Brie and jam combo above, I still wanted more when I read that one of their organic croissants can come with brie and fig jam as a filling too. I could have used more of said jam for a 1:1 ratio with the cheese. But the buttery and flaky (even after a squish in the press) croissant was definitely the star of this dish.

And for a sweet takeaway we added on the Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie. I was intrigued by the cornflake and my curiosity was not wasted. The flakes added a unique crisp throughout the cookie, and when paired with the extra chewy portions of marshmallow it was the perfect bite. Although despite how much I enjoyed the nature’s path organic cornflakes, marshmallow fluff, and dark chocolate combo, it did get overly sweet and I did struggle to finish, not wanting to waste it.

As far as Cafe options go, Artigiano is a good one, and there is a reason why downtown Vancouver has 3 to choose from. A great stop for coffee and small eats, with a heartier and more thoughtful selections. Be sure to try their hot chocolates before February 14th, when they are discontinued.

Caffe Artigiano
763 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2P4
(604) 694-7737
caffeartigiano.com

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top