Roast + Conch, Hotel Chocolat, Covent Garden

Hotel Chocolat, Seven Dials Jasmine Tea
Roast + ConchHotel Chocolat, Monmouth Street is easy to find; simply follow your nose and outside no. 4 you will perceive a sweet aroma in the air.

Peer in the window, and the source of the smell, a metallic contraption, is roasting cocoa beans in preparation for making chocolate.

Inside, the shelves are laden with chocolate; slabs, blocks and truffles, all manner of shapes and flavours.

Descend the wrought-iron spiral staircase to Roast + Conch where the beans are ‘conched‘ to make small batches of chocolate.

The decor – trendy zinc-topped tables, exposed brick and pipes – works well in a cellar and with the chocolate making machinery, which you can see at the end of the counter. Booths and banquette create intimate niches, and there are plenty of places to sit.

Roast + Conch use only whole leaf tea, including English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Assam, peppermint, and green tea.

I chose jasmine tea and a scone filled with ganache from the patisserie display; a chocolate version of a traditional cream tea.

Tea leaves are brewed in an individual paper filter. The tea was excellent, despite being served in a paper cup.

My scone was dry – either stale, or perhaps better described as a biscuit. The chocolatey bit was good however, and when no one was looking, I dunked it in my tea, which made it very nice indeed.

R + C also offer a choice of sandwiches and soups, with optional chocolate-based condiments – cacao aioli, pesto, infusion etc., all containing chocolate made on the premises.