The combination of a mid-week day off with The Boy and an unused Groupon* voucher could only mean one thing...a sporadic trip to previously uncharted territory...this time to cutesy café/bar MeMe Chocolat. Situated in the heart of Clifton Village, this venue offers a range of sweet treats as well as some pretty substantial savouries, (such as breakfasts, sandwiches, paninis, salads and soups) and even a small selection of beers, ciders, wines and spirits. However, on this occasion, I had come with the intention of indulging in a serious chocolate fix....
Date and Time: Wednesday 1st June 2011, 11:45
Name of Establishment: MeMe Chocolat Café/Bar*
Location: 19 The Mall, Clifton Village, Bristol
Reason for Visit: Mid-week day off/unused Groupon voucher
If there was ever a café ideally suited to it's surroundings, it's MeMe Chocolat! Encompassing all that's quaint and quirky about Clifton village, this venue provides soothing relief for chocoholics. Within a lovely grade II listed building, it is effortlessly comfortable and perfect for a spot of people watching or for chilling with the available reading material or free Wi-Fi. What's more, service is prompt, efficient and above all, friendly. I've been told that there are a couple of servers who can be overly aloof but this was certainly not the case during this particular visit as the chap who served The Boy and I was more than happy to assist us with our selections, recommending suitable chocolates for our taster plate, (more of that later!)
Drinks arrived well-prepared and presented. The Boy had opted for a large cappuccino made with skimmed milk (£2.80) and I had chosen (inclusive of my voucher), a regular 'house' hot chocolate which had been made with 53% cocoa milk chocolate, (usually £2.90). Admittedly, this wasn't the best hot chocolate I've tasted due to its slightly grainy texture and yet, it proved an appropriate warm-up to the indulgent morsels to come...
...and just like that, brunch was served! The Boy's tuna melt panini was generously portioned alongside an attractive-looking side-salad. He reported that the panini itself was crisp and the fillings (moist flakes of tuna and mature cheddar cheese) were flavoursome and provided in well-balanced quantities. I went for the somewhat less conventional option and, as bestowed to me by said Groupon voucher, consequently devoured what can only be described as a slab of chocolate brownie. This was accompanied by a scoop of good-quality ice cream – I chose vanilla (although tempted by either strawberry or chocolate) as I figured that the decadent nature of the brownie would speak for itself...I certainly wasn't wrong! This was probably the highlight of the visit for me as this dish was a chocolate-lovers heaven; gooey in all the right places, rich and warmed-through, thus further accentuating the chocolaty hit. The Boy enjoyed the fact that the brownie was adorned with white chocolate chips as opposed to nuts meaning that he could share – not that I was in any way keen to part with even one mouthful of this intensely perfect pud!
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| Chocolate Brownie Heaven! |
We concluded our visit with the taster plate of chocolates (usually £1.80 for four but amazingly, also included in the aforementioned Groupon voucher) and yet, we did have to admit defeat and have these bagged up to take home. When eventually these were sampled, the Noisette Heart was the pick of the bunch for me with it's subtle nuttiness and delicate burnt-sugar after-taste. The Boy, on the other hand, favoured the coffee cup as a result of it's punchy richness and bitter-sweet aroma.
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| Chocolate Taster Plate -(clockwise from bottom) Noisette Heart, Caramel Cup, Coffee Cup and Salted Caramel Truffle |
And now for the second opinion...
The Boy gave MeMe Chocolat a rating of 8/10 and in three words described it as, 'cocoa infused indulgence'.
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