Chocolate bliss at Café Xocolat

The Spaniards are credited for bringing chocolate to the world. On the fourth and final voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1502, the Spanish fleet captured a Mayan canoe near the island of Guanaja near Honduras. The trading canoe carried cacao beans, which the Mayans used as currency. Columbus called the beans "almonds" and brought these back to Spain. He died four years later without knowing why the "almonds" were so prized by the Mayans.

The scientific name of cacao, from which chocolate is made, is Theobroma cacao. In Greek, theobroma means "food of the gods," and Montezuma, king of the Aztecs who was believed to be a descendant of the gods, favored a bitter brew made from cacao beans before visiting his numerous wives. The chocolate was believed to increase vigor, and Bernal Diaz del Castillo, one of Cortes’ men, wrote that the Aztec king drank copious quantities of chocolate from chalices made of pure gold.

It was Hernando Cortes who brought the first chocolate drink to Spain. Upon arriving from the New World in 1528 with a shipment of cacao, he ground up the beans, added hot water, and served hot chocolate to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in Toledo, Spain. This was the beginning of the worldwide passion for chocolate. Ironically, although the Holy Roman Emperor enjoyed the drink, chocolate was forbidden in certain monasteries during the seventeenth century because it was believed to cause sexual arousal. But then again, in an era where suffering and abstinence were considered virtues, sexual arousal may not have been the main issue against chocolate. Perhaps, the pleasure brought about by the delicious chocolate is what have been deemed sinful.

The obsession for chocolate has since endured. Scientific studies today have shown that chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, both stimulants, and phenylethylamine whose effect is said to resemble that of being in love. Moreover, the sense of well-being that chocolate gives may be enhanced by anandamide, which is a naturally occurring chemical in our brain. Anandamide is believed to cause a feeling of bliss that "mimics the effect of smoking or eating marijuana or hashish."

A friend who doesn’t quite understand my partiality to chocolate once commented that my dependence on chocolate is akin to the need of an addict for a psychoactive drug. To him I say: One has to consume the equivalent of at least 15 kilos of pure chocolate to experience bliss from its anandamide content.

However, it is true that I cannot let a day pass by without having my daily fix. Thus, discovering an outlet that serves good chocolate is always cause for delight.

Café Xocolat at the second floor of SM Megamall A (overlooking the skating rink) serves one of the thickest and smoothest chocolate drinks in Metro Manila. The concoction called taza de xocolat (P115) is like a chocolate soup because it is best eaten with a spoon. Alternatively it is also perfect for dunking churros, the deep-fried pastry that, in Café Xocolat, has a consistency of the authentic recipe, a welcome change from the airy, light and extremely sweet variant that is commonly served. I imagine that because of its richness, taza de xocolat is also suitable as a fondue for dipping various fresh fruit.

Why am I partial to this specific chocolate drink? Remember how the dregs at the bottom make you feel like you are drinking soil at the end of an otherwise delicious cupful of chocolate? The best part about the taza de xocolat is that it is smooth and consistently good to the last drop. One unconventional tip: The chocolate is served with a bright green sprig of mint, which you should definitely eat. Chocolate covered mint leaves are delicious, similar to the delicate chocolate mints that are placed on your pillow at ritzy European hotels.

The same taza de xocolat can be enjoyed cold as frozen hot chocolate where frozen balls of the chocolate mixture melt in your mouth like exquisitely smooth and cold chocolate candy. In a tropical country such as ours, this is a refreshing way to serve chocolate.

For those who prefer a lighter concoction, xocolat chai, or a mint tea infusion with chocolate, would be refreshing choice. However, what I most enjoyed on the day of my visit fell under the heading "Elixirs."

Bewitching (P125) was what a triple treat of rum, Cointreau and Bailey’s "xoco shooters" was called. The drinks were attractively served in shot glasses lodged in the rings of a unique wrought iron contraption. Liqueurs in chocolate are always irresistible, and a chocolate cordial after a meal is always a welcome alternative to the usual desserts.

The other choices listed under "Elixir" seemed equally promising and I resolved to try these on future visits. These included: Refreshing, a fruity xoco sampler flavored with kiwi, coconut and mango; Balancing, a yin and yang mint amaretto mixed with dark and white xoco; Rejuvenating, fresh fruit and virgin daiquiri sprinkled with chocolate ribbons; and a martini-chocolate drink called Intoxicating.

"Caprichos" is the Spanish word for caprice or whimsy. It is also the heading for a list of cold concoctions (all P125) like xocolat lava (malt with premium vanilla ice cream), vanilla mudslide (with Oreo cookies, vanilla ice cream and Bailey’s), mocha loca (chocolate espresso with caramel drizzle), and others are equally tempting.

Café Xocolat Inc. is owned by four enterprising young women. Rina Avecilla, Val Lopez, Pinky Yap-Ortiz, and Trish Malvar – all chocolate lovers – felt a need for a "home-grown yet world-class café with a laid-back" appeal. Their combined discriminating tastes were set as the yardstick, and they conceptualized and taste-tested Café Xocolat’s menu. They recreated the best chocolate experiences from their extensive travels, proving, once again, that the taste buds do not easily forget.

Paninis, salads, pasta dishes and cakes are available at the cafe. To go with the churros are a variety of sweet (xocolat, dulce de leche, and Nutella) and savory (chori-quezo, chili con carne, goat cheese in olive oil, and palm heart) dips. (Four big churros and a choice of two dips go for P145.) For me, the vinegar-tinged palm heart dip is a novel way of serving banana heart and could be regarded as our native variant of an artichoke dip. It is the guilt-free choice to countermand the unease from eating deep-fried food.

Certainly, however, the main attraction of Café Xocolat for chocolate lovers is the assortment of chocolate combinations.

At this point, one may wonder why chocolate is spelled "xocolat." The spelling is not merely whimsical or witty. Rather it is derived from the ancient word for chocolate, which is "xocoalatl." The method for turning cacao into chocolate is attributed to the Olmec people of Mexico, and after them came the Mayans and Aztecs who made innovations on it.

Intriguing items in the Café Xocolat menu were "Mexican," touted as a "traditional pueblo recipe," and "Aztec – a dark brew overwhelming with spice." The Mayans and Aztecs flavored their chocolate with native flowers and chili peppers. Are the Mexican and Aztec drinks at Café Xocolat equally unusual? But then, I resolutely quelled the urge to try even more chocolate blends, saving the anticipation and pleasure of discovery for yet another day.

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Café Xocolat has branches at SM Megamall A, The Promenade in Greenhills, and Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City.