Kelli S.
Yelp
Mink Chocolates is famous for its high-quality chocolates and chocolate drinks. During our first trip to Vancouver, we stopped by the store. I'm not sure what area we were exactly in, but this was not far from the "Fly Over Canada" ride and the restaurants along the waterfront.
We knew Mink Chocolates were pretty expensive, so we didn't think we would buy lots of treats to take home from here. I ended up buying a few chocolate bars and getting one of their chocolate drinks to enjoy then and there.
The store is pristine and beautiful, with both indoor and outdoor seating. It can be hard to see the chocolate selection, as you basically have to peruse and get in line at the same time. I felt really rushed looking at the chocolate bars because of the extensive selection. By the time I got up to the counter to pay (even though there may be a line, it moves), I still didn't know what to order for my drink ... I didn't even have time to look at the drink menu. I ended up getting something I knew would be good.
Since there were other customers, we waited a short while for our drinks to be prepared, and half of our group sat at a table while the other half sat at the counter. This was one of the most luxurious chocolate experiences I've had to date. Highly recommend at least visiting (for the chocolate drinks) if you love chocolate and are in Vancouver.
Here's what we got:
Mocha: After much indecisiveness and contemplation while in line, I ordered a small hot mocha with soy milk. Even though I was still full from lunch, I was not about to miss out on this delicious chocolate I had heard so much about. I took my time sipping my hot mocha; it took me a while to finish (even though it was the smallest size), and I was definitely full afterwards. The chocolate was definitely decadent, but still less sweet than the drinking chocolate (more on that later). I have a high sweets tolerance, and this was the perfect blend of coffee meets chocolate ... but more emphasis on the chocolate. I savored every sip and would gladly order it again (especially if the weather were cooler).
Blended Iced Mocha: Of all the drinks our group ordered, this had to be my favorite. It tasted better than my hot version. I refrained from getting the ice blended because I thought it would be like a Frappuccino (and I didn't want lots of ice chunks in my drink). But, I experienced quite the contrary. This was rich, velvety and smooth, really easy to go down. The minute I had a sip of it, I regretted not getting it! I think it tasted even more refreshing because it was so hot outside. If you're looking for a cold drink and you like coffee, this is the way to go.
Blended Iced Chocolate: A non-coffee drinker in our group got this, and this is the perfect cold drink if you just want something chocolaty and refreshing. I had a sip of this one too - it was delicious and tasted really similar to the blended iced mocha ... just without the coffee aspect. Same velvety texture and consistency.
Hot Chocolate: One of our group members (who doesn't like coffee) opted for hot chocolate, because you cannot go to a chocolate store and not get hot chocolate! This immediately brought me back to memories of indulging in hot chocolate once the weather turns colder around Christmas. It reminded me a lot of my mocha, but of course, sans coffee.
Drinking Chocolate: Two members of our group ordered drinking chocolate with espresso. At 10 oz., it was a decently sized cup. I tasted drinking chocolate at a bakery before, but it was a much smaller cup because of how rich the concoction is. I was surprised that this cup was so large ... and man, was the chocolate flavor intense. Even though I have a high tolerance for sweets, I could only take a few sips of this drinking chocolate and I had enough. Maybe it's because I was already full from my drink, and this option has espresso in there as well. It's definitely worth indulging in, but you might want to share with someone (I can't speak on behalf of the plain drinking chocolate; I only got to try a version that included espresso). It really did taste like a rich chocolate bar that had been melted down, as if you were drinking straight-up fudge. Delicious and decadent, but I couldn't handle too much of it.
"Greetings from Canada" bar: This chocolate bar is one of the most popular items, even though everything came to me highly recommended. It featured caramelized pecans in maple syrup and chocolate ganache. I bought several of these bars and it got great reviews. The pecans give it extra crunch and texture, while the sweetness comes from the maple syrup (sticky factor) and chocolate ganache. What a great combination of flavors; it even has a slight saltiness from the caramel. I highly recommend this one; I didn't buy too many bars because they were pretty pricy (I think around $4.50/$5 for one).