Take a coffee shop break

The chocolate room is a refreshing departure from the coffee shop overkill, with sinful milkshakes and veggie snacks within spacious interior

Take a coffee shop break

The chocolate room is a refreshing departure from the coffee shop overkill, with sinful milkshakes and veggie snacks within spacious interior

Forget the 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 steer away from the hustle and bustle of most coffee shops, as we discovered.

Lindt Milk Chocolate

It's an open secret that milkshakes have been around since the 1800s. Although today, these chilled delights can be made with blenders and milkshake machines, 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 rather seriously. If you're a chocolate lover, plumb for the Lindt Milk Chocolate (Rs 229). This bad boy has lots of milk and Lindt chocolate that's well blended into the milkshake 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 place by ordering the Cheesy Garlic Bread (Rs 89). In the past, we've often had misadventures with this simple snack, biting into nothing but buttered toast. Not this oneu00a0-- the fresh garlic flavour emerged rather nicely.

The generous helpings of cheese on top added to the taste. With a crunchy bite in its crisp crust, this version expertly did the balancing act between the butter, garlic, and bread. The only downer was that we didn't find a special sauce on the side that could've made all the difference between good and great. Also, they don't offer brown or white bread options, which might put off health freaks.

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 is 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. Also, 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 to buy chocolates. The Strawberry Belgian Chocolate (Rs 29) we bought 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% VAT.

At North Avenue Lane, near Arya Samaj, Santacruz (W); Call 26619494, 26619797, 26619898
The Chocolate Room didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals

The chocolate room
Food: good
Service: excellent
Ambience: great