Surely working in a chocolate shop is up there on everyoneâs list of dream jobs? So as soon as I mentioned this, the owners of the Chocolate Café on Deansgate were actually quite happy to let me behind the counter and give it a go. And I have to admit that I was genuinely quite tempted to apply for a job there.
The hot chocolates are a real treat, made from half pure chocolate and half milk, and also come in different types and flavours of choccy. They are so thick they are like a meal replacement - like Slimfast, except they actually taste good, and also donât make you slim. The chocolate is so thick itâs hard to pour it into the jug, but using the cappuccino machine to heat and froth it up is much fun. Good value for £2 for a regular and £2.50 for a large, too.
Originally started in Ramsbottom, the Chocolate Café has branched out into the city centre and there is even talk of opening another, bigger shop in the city centre. Recently the café has changed its opening hours and is now open from 8.30am to 6pm to catch the going-home trade. Needless to say everything in the Chocolate Café only uses the finest ingredients, which is all Fairtrade and organic.
The Labooko chocolate on sale is also a real coup as the Swiss chef who makes it actually vets the people who sells his products too. Wacky flavours include: cheese, walnut and grapes; bacon bits; birds eye chilli; pink grapefruit and cashew kernels; rum and coconut and white poppy with cinnamon and apricot spirit.
The café also offers tea, including 22 flavours of Teapigs, and coffee, and will soon start serving food. Manager Stephen Ryan is a trained chef, and told us he wanted to start serving South American food, with a chocolate influence.
They also serve chocolate pizzas, but these are not dough types, but entirely made of chocolate with white chocolate shavings for cheese, lemon flavour buttons for olives and much more.
Can I just give you a word of advice? Donât try drinking one of their hot chocolates while wearing a tight waist belt. Ouch.
A: Overseas House, Deansgate (on the corner of Quay Street), Manchester
M3 3BB
W: www.chocolate-café.co.uk