Jaz and Jul’s Chocolate House, Angel

On a chilly Saturday morning I walked through the centre of Angel, down a little side street on my way to Jaz and Jul’s new Chocolate House. On one of the coldest days of the year I was positively giddy at the thought of some fresh hot chocolate and cakes to warm the cockles…….

Perhaps a little tricky to find at first, the café is situated at the end of Chapel Market (street), but if you walk down it on a Saturday it’s an exciting place to be. There’s a cute little Saturday market where sellers are honking all sorts of fresh food, home ware, clothing and gadgets. After we managed to meander our way through the market we came to the Chocolate House. This cute little spot that’s only recently opened its first permanent site, after a successful stint as a street food vendor at Broadway Market.

The café itself is bright, light and brand sparkly new, decked out with cool modern fittings, such as a very jazzy light made from several copper coloured shades suspended by rope. On the left of the room shelves sell a multitude of chocoholic friendly products and the counter is covered with home baked treats.

8 types of hot chocolate are sold here and selecting your choice is the stuff of hand-wringing dilemma.  The full list is here,  but it includes Orangeytang (mulled chocolate orange), Chilli con Choccy (no points for guessing here), Gingerbread and Masala Mojo (with 9 spices). My pal and I opted for chocolate orange and mint choc. Both are made from crushed chocolate powder mixed with steam frothed milk. Fortunately, this makes the taste of the chocolate light and delicate without the overwhelmingly thick and rich taste of the ganache type hot chocs. The result, a light, simple warming cup of happiness. The cakes and brownies too were delicious and a wonderful added treat if you want something a bit more slutty.