"You all know Hotel Chocolat, right? Those little stores, stocked floor to ceiling with chocolatey treats that seem to catch your nose and draw you in like a pig to a truffle*. But did any of you actually notice when the shop opened? Or when you first went to a Hotel Chocolat? No, me either. They all just seem to have been there for, well, a while part of our retail landscape. Like the well trained journalist that I am, I headed straight to Wiki to find out more. Turns out Hotel Chocolat began life in 1988 although it was another 15 years before they got to their current name. And, since 2006 they’ve even owned their own cocoa plantation, the Rabot Estate in St Lucia, making them the only chocolatier in the UK to do so. They even opened a hotel and restaurant there well, you would, wouldn’t you. The Rabot name is what I’m interested in right now as the penny has only recently dropped that Borough Market’s Rabot 1745, from where I’ve enjoyed many takeaway coffees, is actually Hotel Chocolat’s first and only London eatery. And while the chocolate frames everything they do, there is certainly more to this place than the humble cacao bean. Arriving an hour early and excessively overdressed on a drizzly Saturday morning, we were shown to our first floor table, overlooking Bedale Street and the famous old Globe tavern (that you may recognise as the pub above which Bridget Jones lives . Waiting in a shallow bowl were cacao beans, roasted on site and ready to be husked and eaten as a very appropriate amuse bouche. Think all of the chocolate taste but with none of the sweetness or smoothness. These bitter and granular bullets are certainly not to everyone’s taste (shown clearly by the fact I ate 2 ¾ of the three beans on the table . But a crisp, dry, nose fizzing Prosecco was on hand to wash that intense bitterness away so all was well! And then came the Plantation Brunch menu. The temptation was to ask for one of everything, but true British reserve had us focusing on just one dish each. Owing to too much drink and Disney on Ice the evening before, full breakfasts were quickly ordered, one meaty and one vegetarian, as well as a starter of the most deliciously plump, juicy and ripe fruit I can remember seeing. The Full Plantation Breakfast was the more traditional of the two plates, with bacon, sausage, egg, mushroom and tomatoes all present. The Plantation Garden Breakfast was a little bit more racy, with avocado, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and fragrantly spices lentils all making the team sheet. Both breakfasts came with sourdough toast (doesn’t sourdough just make the most epically wonderful toast?? and butter spiked with cocoa nibs...well, it wouldn’t be right without a bit of chocolate! What we had here were great ingredients, simply prepared and presented why does that seem such a rarity these days? I have to admit perhaps feeling a little regretful at not being a bit more bullish at brunch and going for something more adventurous like the nib roast pork belly, shredded ham and cacao bubble and squeak, crispy bacon and creole chutney; or the smoked haddock nib cake, cacao gin cured salmon, poached egg, white chocolate and horseradish cream. Sounds good right?! Just as we were feeling pretty stuffed, we were persuaded (pretty easily to finish with something sweet perhaps a brownie or some banana bread...we ended up with both oops! Both were dense and delicious and they defeated us. The food definitely won! For tea, we were similarly reserved although in my defence I never drink any tea other than good old builders. But if you do like your tea fancy, why not go the cocoa shell infusion or the peppermint and cocoa shell. I’m not going to beat around the bush or potter around the plantation here, I really, properly enjoyed brunch here. Everything felt, and tasted, just right. Through its Rabot 1745 restaurant, Hotel Chocolat is channelling its effortless cool in a way few chain shops or restaurants can achieve. I loved being the guest of Hotel Chocolat for brunch it’s always a joy to be treated but right now I will hand on heart promise I will go back to spend my own hard earned cash on this little gem. That’s easily the most ringing endorsement I can give... *I’m not saying any of you are like pigs"
