The ideal hot chocolate is made with the finest cocoa powder or solid chocolate or both. The resulting beverage should be neither too thin for serious satisfaction nor too thick to refresh; neither too bitter to produce the childlike enjoyment we seek, nor so sweet and simple as to insult the intellect. The harsh flavour and gritty texture of cocoa powder and the soft fattiness of solid chocolate should be blended so that neither can be distinguished. As a general rule, one’s first swallow should induce a long interlude of silence.
~ Jeffrey Steingarten in It Must Have Been Something I Ate
Hot chocolate is one of those things which I mentally file under ‘Comfort food’ or perhaps more accurately ‘Comfort drink’. It’s best enjoyed on a cold winter’s day or at a time when you need a sugar rush. You can also somehow convince yourself that it’s healthy ‘cos hey, it’s milk after all, and milk is supposed to be healthy, right? But perhaps that reasoning can only be applied to hot chocolate that is more English- or American-style.
The hot chocolate that you find in Italy and Spain is like molten chocolate. It’s thick and viscous and flows down your throat like molten lava. I like this version when I’m feeling I need something REALLY sinful. It’s rather heavy-going and I know some people who can’t fathom how anyone could gulp down something so thick and viscous. They can’t, but DSD can!!!
In Singapore, I haven’t found a place which does hot chocolate Italian or Spanish style. Admittedly, I haven’t tried ordering it in an Italian or Spanish restaurant here. OK, I shall make that my next mission the next time I go to one. But if any of you know of any place which serves it that way, please let me know. Just don’t tell me to go to a chocolate fountain at some buffet, ‘cos that just ain’t the real McCoy.
As for the normal hot chocolate, I like the one served in Canele. So far, it’s the best one I’ve had in Singapore. Other recommendations are welcomed!