A Vancouverite in Parisian Clothing

It is in the height of summer heat that Vancouver falls asleep. These West Coast dwellers, accustomed to autumn rains and mountain breezes, scamper into their air-conditioned caves and dare not leave their doorstep until nightfall. But not this House. So long as there is hot chocolate to try, whether fire rains down from Heaven and seeks to scald me on the pavement, this House must and shall indubitably trudge towards a café.

On one such sunny day, I took the train towards a café I had never indulged in: Merci Boulangerie on Commercial Drive. Quite evidently marketed as having the same magic as a Parisian café, I was eager to judge the hot chocolate they had to offer. They had only one, which, quite unhelpfully, can be either good or bad. Good, because it could mean they take this one hot chocolate quite seriously. Bad, because it could render them like every basic café in Vancouver that never seeks to innovate. Oddly, I think Merci Boulangerie fell somewhat into both camps.

The hot chocolate I was served was à la mode of Vancouver: steamed milk with powdered chocolate sprinkles on top. Surely it is widely known amongst my dear readers how frightened this arrangement makes me. Still, I had my glass of water and sampled my chocolate with all objectivity, and I was not disappointed.

True, this drink was not quite innovative in its form, but it was done well for what it was. It had a pleasant sweetness and vanilla flavouring that was strangely enticing. The milk was fluffy and excellently steamed, carrying the delicate flavour onto my palate in a soft cloud. I appreciated how the chocolate shavings—which tasted very good in their own right—blended with the drink itself and added a strong chocolate flavour. Certainly the drink was not French, but it was Vancouverite, and it was a good representation at that.

Yes, I wish the drink was more heavyset with chocolate. Yes, I prefer my cocoas thicker. Yes, I have never thought steamed milk hot chocolates very elegant. However, Merci Boulangerie managed to craft a hot chocolate that was worth the trudge on a hot summer day. For this, it belongs in Heaven. I recommend it without shame.