For ages, hot chocolate sips have been part of Christmas reverie. From Filipinos celebrating the family meal with this decadent drink to Peruvians relishing it on Christmas Eve, there is a treasure trove of stories that tell how they are part of the festive traditions. Closer home, we were invited to devour this delicious drink at the city’s top café — Roastery Coffee House.
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With the house completing a fantastic fiveyear run this year serving people with artisanal coffees, beverages and continental, American and Italian delicacies — there was no way we could turn down this offer. As we entered the heritage bungalow turned-cafe, we found that its open courtyard, checkered floorings, patio, and dainty furniture were all decked up as per the Christmas theme. A dazzling X’mas tree at the entrance and fairy lights all around chimed that celebrations are almost here!
We spoke to the café’s founder Nishant Sinha, a graduate of the Institute of Hotel Management, about their Christmas special menu. “Christmas invokes such happy energy and we love to celebrate it with our patrons. Every year, the café is decorated and we add Christmas specials to our menu too. Our Hot Chocolate, made with Colocal — single estate Indian origin chocolate, served with toasted marshmallows — is a crowd favourite. Besides this, we have the Classic Chocolate Fondue platter in keeping with the true spirit of Christmas! It’s designed to be shared and eaten.”
In no time, the Hot Chocolate arrived. We loved the bitter-sweet drink for its thick, silky and luxurious flavour. We tasted it with pillowsoft marshmallows for a heightened delight. On cue came the Classic Chocolate Fondue Platter that left us amazed with its presentation – molten dark chocolate placed in a threestoreyed bowl with a tea light candle at the bottom. We dipped house-made dark brownies, white marshmallows, and sliced strawberries and bananas into the molten chocolate and were instantly transported to a realm of joy.
While tasting the saccharine delights, we also wanted to have something savoury. We went for their bestseller Chicken Pepperoni Pizza from their regular menu. We gorged on this slice of Italy that came loaded with pepperoni and scrumptious cheese spread over its thin crust. Together, that made a happy Christmas meal!
Rs.1,200 for two. At Banjara Hills.
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