Ok so I lied. In the review of the Butler’s Chocolate Cafe of Dublin post, I said there was nothing like that in the UK. Soon there will be and it looks like it will be even better.
A few weeks ago I was on an emergency mission to Bluewater, Kent when I came across a hoarding saying “Cadbury’s Cocoa House” and went into similar state as Mowgli meeting the snake in The Jungle Book. I contacted their PR company to find out more.
It turns out that a trio of entrepreneurs, under a licensing deal from Cadbury’s, are opening a chain of cafes. Bluewater will be first and no doubt a great success with all those shoppers desperate to put their feet up. Several London openings are scheduled for 2011 with UK wide roll out expected within five years. The creators have backgrounds in Harrods, Starbucks and At Home catering so it would appear that ambitions to bring Cadbury’s Cocoa House to high streets nationwide are serious.
There will be an ice cream bar, chocolate-coloured leather booths studded with faux chocolate buttons and fire places to create a cosy living room vibe. How I hope they include some Dairy Milk purple in the decor! On the menu will be hot and chilled chocolate drinks, knicker bocker glories, cakes, afternoon teas, “choctails” and, get this – champagne.
All produce on the menu is going to be ethically sourced and supplied by British producers. Chef Mark Hix is contributing a dish and a “choctail” of the month to the menu. Music played will take inspiration from the big bands, British tea dance and classics like Putting on the Ritz. “Hot Chocolate” as sung by Tom Hanks in Polar Express will be played on the hour (this will drive the staff nuts).
Cadbury’s may be a less sophisticated choice to chocolate toffs (of which this lover of Wispa Gold is definitely not one) but I’ll always have a soft spot for them as I went to art college in Bournville where the smell of chocolate hung in the air all the time. John Cadbury opened his first cocoa shop in my home town Birmingham in 1824. I shall be skipping straight into the 21st century version soon after it opens at Bluewater on 19th October.
The first 100 people to sign up for the Cadbury’s Cocoa House loyalty scheme will receive £10 credit on their cards so go jump quick before everyone else hears about it.
All images courtesy of Cadbury’s Cocoa House.
Imthemoon67
Actually I think you’ll find that it was cadbury’s I am former worker there and we always used cadbury products whilst I was there even the ice cream was cadburys so whatever waitress told you that was lying and as for torn and dirty menus they get cleaned daily and none of them were torn the whole time I was working there
Michael
The brown pots havent got matching mugs with them! The bigger pot of tea did have matching mugs you just quite clearly did not think about that. And as for it being ‘unhygienic’ it quite clearly wasnt if it passed the health and safety requirements. If anything we had a lot of praise for using the wodden plates because it made it look pretty and presentable. That was one of the main things that we got praised for and small portions its only a snack place we dont do big meals. The chips are cook fresh so unless you left them last to eat then I don’t know what happened there. And again smallportions the scampi and chips we use half a bag of scampi for one portion.
Mark
All staff members of that place were always smiley maybe they was just disinterested in annoying customers that pick at every little thing in sight we have chocolates all around the restuarant so unless your blind you must of not been looking.
D – Are you sure you are talking about the same place, what an attitude no wonder it shut down! your staff are liars? your customers are liars and annoying? good riddance i say
Went in for pudding with friends after a nice meal in Carluccios, expecting a Cadbury extravaganza… after looking at the torn and dirty menu we decided on Chocolate Fudge cake thinking it would come warm with cream or iceceam… nope. So i asked was it Cadburys cake? nope. The waitress informed us that the company owned the right to use the name but not even the hot chocolate was Cadburys! I was so disappointed and much to one friends embarrassment we left without ordering. I felt like id been conned, the nearest this place gets the Cadburys is the odd chocolate bar it uses to garnish its iceream sundaes.
Glad it wasn’t just me who was disappointed. Over priced small portions – Cafe Rouge at Bluewater is far superior. I’m not sure they’ll be there that much longer! They could do so much more!