Above, under & beyond the rainbow: Food Review: Give Me My CHO*LATE!

We always hear of companies giving support to the local market industry or an establishment that was formed in honor of his/her family or uses his/her family recipe to promote his/her food store. But it is rare that you have all three factors in one establishment; such is the case of Cholate Bar.

Cholate or CholateBarPH is located at One Cristina Place, Gloria Diaz St., BF Resort Village Las Pinas. It was established last November 2014, this place was formed due to the desire to have a dessert place that offers a not that sweet place for those who loves treats but not the sugar shock. The logo is an image of a curly man holding/embracing a chocolate bar and a glass of cold chocolate drink. You may think of this as one of the staff but in reality, this is the image of the owner's dad and the reason as to why it is called Cholate. Cholate is his way of saying this treat when he is making lambing to his wife - as stated by Lei (his daughter and owner of Cholate)

Cholate is a cafe that makes use of a local treat that is not commonly used which is tablea.

Tabléas (or tableyas) are pure cacao beans that are dried, roasted, ground and then formed into tablets traditionally used in the Philippines to make hot chocolate.
-www.tablea.com.ph

What they offer are drinks, both in hot or in cold form, and cakes that make use of the local chocolate coming from Davao. How different is this from other cafe's? Besides the fact that they make use of tablea and home proven and enjoyed cakes, they also make use of other local treats such as chocnut - yes chocnut! That local choco bar treat that disappears in a flash when you open one bag and you are with friends. (Try to open one pack while you are at work or with friends and offer it, I bet you will be shocked if you get to find a piece left for you to enjoy.)

The place is simple in terms of design and color, with framed chocolate sayings and facts. No elaborate design or strong colors to draw you in, simply a place for pure hang-out and relaxation. For Lei (the owner), the place is somehow an extension of her room, a place where she can play and decorate as she please - based on the season; which explains the art work that you would see as you enter the place. All the staff are well informed with the product/items that they have and will give you a short but knowledgeable description of each food entry and offering. They would even recommend you entries that are truly worth your time and taste. Even the owner is charming that she will give time to chat with each customer as order is taken and waiting to be served. Some of you may say that it is expected and it is possible that those are family friends ordering, since the place is located inside a village but from the 5 hours that I have been there, she has been consistent in the personal approach that she gives to all who enters her place.
From cakes to pasta, from hot concoctions to cold, everything is personally created - either a family recipe or something that she has came-up with.

I have tried some of their personal concoctions and enjoyed it. TRULY ENJOYED IT! - and this is coming from someone who is not a chocolate lover. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy chocolates but I am not one of those who would take it whenever is possible.

Let me start the Cholate experience with my first offering - Trio Los Amigos.

Left (with chili), Middle (with sea salt), Right (Scotch-glazed)

TRIO LOS AMIGOS
It is three cups of chocolate servings with 3 distinct chocolate enhancement - chili, sea salt and scotch glaze. Each flavor added was carefully thought out and added in right ratio to truly give you a good tablea experience. You will be enchanted as you wait for this drink be served infront of you because the place will smell of tablea being cooked. That sweet aromatic smell coming from their kitchen will truly make you wait.

How to drink this:
- Start of with the one with the chili.

The heat coming from the melted tablea and the chili will stimulate your taste buds for what to come. The chili is not overpowering that you will be hesitant to drink it. Normal tablea drinker would take this in one gulp but you can do sips or take it in two gulps. Something that a non-normal tablea drinker could do.

- Follow it though with the one with sea salt.

The sea salt will make the tablea sweet. Something that you will not expect since salt was place but this is true. The natural sweetness of the tablea has risen and helped in removing the left-over heat that you may still have from the first cup.

- Finish it with the scotch-glazed tablea drink.

This cup has a light scotch-glaze that will help clean your palate and leave you with just pure chocolate pinoy goodness. Who won't have a buzz since it is simply a light glaze. Trust me.

After this I followed it up with their Slumber Party Sandwich. It is toasted bread with melted marshmallow and drizzled with chocnut sauce. It is not that sweet and gooey at the same time. You see the white and yellow color of marshmallow melted at the right consistency, giving that image of melted cheese. The sauce drizzled is made out from melted curly tops (my favorite local choco when I was a kid and up to now - Hehehe!). Be ready to lick your fingers as you eat this. This is one sandwich that got me even if it doesn't have cheese or egg in it. For me, this is what I would call a feel-good sandwich!

Their Tuna Pasta de Lei, is a light tomato based pasta with green olives. The serving that they give is good for 2 already! It is that much! Noodles were cooked al dente and the sauce is seasoned right. The olives were not strong that you would avoid it; it actually help cut the fishy taste of the tuna. Though it is a bit watery for me, it is still a good pasta dish.

Now if you want a cold drink treat and have that true tablea flavor, then you have to try their True Blue Pinoy.

True Blue Pinoy is a cold drink concoction made out of tablea and chocnut crumbles with sea salt in it. This is a true chocolate bomb! For true chocolate lovers, I encourage you to try this drink! You have that chocolate taste coming from the tablea, then it would shift to the chocnut taste. Two (2) flavors so distinct that you will think how is that so. The answer is the sea salt added in it. The sea salt made it possible for you to taste both separately and truly satisfy that chocolate craving that you may have.

The drink that got my taste is their Snow Angel. It is non-chocolate based, not that sweet, and THICK. Yes it is thick that it reminds me of the shakes that was introduced in the country during the early 80's. It is creamy and mixed with their homemade caramel sauce, the drink is truly comforting and satisfying at the same time. Yum yum yum! (Get your own glass for I will not share mine. It is that good!)

What makes them stand out is the personalization that they put on each cold treat served. Quotes are written on each cup served. It will make you ponder and inspire you at the same time as you enjoy your cold drink.

I wasn't able to taste their cakes at that time but looking it, I would say it is keeping true to what they offer, plus it is a family cake recipe. I would say it is a deadly cake treat.

As a whole, I would say this place shows promise in a good way. Despite the earliness of their expansion (they will have a kiosk at Robinson's Las Pinas), which is a daring move for a food place that is only months old, it only proves that they have something worth offering and that the people will love.

Cholate Bar is here to offer you new ways to enjoy tablea. Something that I will look at for new things to come and sink my teeth on. Add to that the titillation their offerings will give to my taste buds.

Come and visit Cholate Bar at One Cristina Place in BF Resorts Village or when they open their kiosk at Robinson's Las Pinas. Follow them also via IG (@cholatebarph) and Facebook page. It is worth your time, taste and mind!

Photos:
(All photos were personally taken by me during my visit)