Cocoa dreams laced with stringy cheese

Forget cricket rivalry for a while. This Australian connect seems to have worked its charm with the sweet toothed crowd.

The Chocolate Room
At: Santacruz (W)
Call: 26619494
Cuisine: Snacks
Verdict: Noteworthy

Lindt Milk Chocolate Shake. Pics/ Prathik Panchamia

Forget cricket rivalry for a while. This Australian connect seems to have worked its charm with the sweet toothed crowd. The Chocolate Room in Santacruz is an Australian master franchise that attempts to stay clear of the hustle and bustle of coffee shops.

While milkshakes have been around since the 1800s, these chilled delights can be made with blenders today. But the versions that really bring all the boys to the yard are those that are made with the right smattering of chocolate ingredients.

The Chocolate Room takes their milkshakes seriously. If you are a cocoa lover, plumb for the Lindt Milk Chocolate (Rs 229). This bad boy has lots of milk and Lindt chocolate that's blended along with a healthy dose of chocolate ice cream. It is served chilled with a smidgen of cocoa and cream. Yum.

We started off at this all-vegetarian eatery with Cheesy Garlic Bread (Rs 89). In the past, we've had misadventures with this simple snack, biting into nothing but buttered toast. Not this oneu00a0-- the fresh garlic flavour danced on our palate rather well. The generous helpings of cheese added to the taste. With a crunchy bite in its crisp crust, this version did an expert balancing act between the butter, garlic, and bread.

The only downer: we didn't find a special sauce accompaniment that could've made all the difference between good and great. And could we have a brown bread option, please? Finally, the French Croque (Rs 149) arrived with an authentic dressing, like the typically French offing, Croque Monsieuru00a0-- in a desi cheese-toasted sandwich version.

The twist is the cheese was on the outside. Tempted? Sadly, this one looked better than it tasted. You could see the grilled cheese on the outside, which was particularly tasty, but on the inside, it didn't offer an international tang. For the price, the quantity was poor. To compensate, the service was excellent throughout our time at the Room.

The Chocolate Room has a store that retails chocolates. The Strawberry Belgian Chocolate (Rs 29) tasted bland. The original Lindt version (available across the city), on the other hand, will make your strawberry dreams come true. Watch out for a whopping 20 per cent VAT, though.

The Chocolate Room didn't know we were there. The GUIDE reviews anonymously and pays for meals