It’s all about the dips. Chocolats Flavoris offers 15 different dips for its soft ice cream cones and sundaes. I won’t list them all, but some include Cookies and Cream, Dulce de Leche, and Carmel Pecan. I opted for the Hazelnut Crunch, which is a dark chocolate dip laced with crushed hazelnuts.
The Chocolats Flavoris experience begins with a choice of soft or hard ice cream. Not wanting to detract from the dip on my first visit, I opted for the usual soft serve vanilla. Chocolate and orange soft serve were also available, though I was told that the chocolate soft-serve does not dip well and is served only as a sundae. The vanilla soft serve is exactly like all other vanilla soft-serves everywhere else. The cones too are the typical, old-style cake cones. As I said, it’s all about the dip.
I should also mention something about the choice of sizes. There are five: baby, mini, small, medium and large. I ordered medium. Big mistake, though not the massive mistake that a large would have been. The medium stands at least four, maybe five, inches above the rim of the cone, which gives plenty of room for a mass of dip, which covers not just the ice cream, but also a portion of the cone.
Let me describe what that dip is not. It is not a shatteringly thin crust. It is a thick coat. If you want it to be hard, you will need to wait several minutes to give it time to solidify. If you cannot wait—as I could not wait—your first few bites will mush the dip and ice cream together. The mass of chocolate on a medium is enough to allow one cone to serve as lunch, if you are so inclined. If you’re curious, the large is insane, with at least six or seven inches of ice-cream above the rim of the cone.
Small, medium or large, it is impossible to eat without smearing your nose, chin and all around your mouth with chocolaty goodness, so please avail yourself of several napkins — your roving tongue will not suffice. You will wipe after every bite.
Now that I have described the difficulties (or should I say the tactile beauty of Chocolats Flavoris, by which you will enjoy your ice cream as if you were a child again), let me assure you this is the most magnificent dipped cone that I have ever eaten. The dark chocolate sauce was rich and there was no scrimping on the hazelnut crumb. You can opt for a cone without dip, but why would you? I’ll say it one more time: It’s all about the dip. In fact, perhaps the best thing about Chocolats Flavoris, is that you can purchase the dips separately, take them home, and use them to make your own sundaes or, perhaps, fondues.
Chocolats Flavoris also sells a selection of chocolates, including one variety, named Apple Pie, that look intriguingly like mini red-green apples. Perhaps I’ll try those on my next visit.
1010 Government Street, Victoria, B.C.
chocolatsfavoris.com
By Allan Reid