Hairy Bungot and the Chamber of Chocolates

It was Hermione Go-ranger who spotted this on the walls of the corridors of Pigwarts School of Pigging Out and Chowing Down (where Hermione Go-ranger is top in her class; she is not nicknamed Babe for Food for nothing!):

The Chamber of Chocolates has opened. Wallet of the Hair...beware.

Of course Hermione Go-ranger had to tell Hairy Bungot whom she was sure the message was for. Upon hearing this, brave Hairy Bungot convinced his best friend, Ron Beastly, to go with him to the Chamber of Chocolates, aka The Chocolate Chamber.

When Hairy Bungot and Ron Beastly entered The Chocolate Chamber, the interiors gave them a feeling of apprehension. Not because it looked scary. It looked expensive.

 

The Chocolate Chamber is  filled with jars of chocolate peanut butter, jars of cookie butter, packets and canisters of powdered chocolate drinks, and chocolates by box or by weight.

The menu confirmed that feeling. It was indeed expensive. A cup of hot chocolate for Php150 up to Php185. A slice of cake for Php100 up to Php150. High tea for Php550. Hairy Bungot had to check his trembling wallet.

Click to enlarge menu

The best friends, Hairy Bungot and Ron Beastly, scared of the guardian of the chamber (the manager) and not wanting to be embarrassed,  swallowed the lump in their throat and ordered:

 Hot strawberry chocolate

 

Tablea Old Fashioned cake (top) and Blueberry with cream cheese (bottom)

The guardian of the chamber threw in two pieces of truffles (those two lumps on the center plate in the above photo) and some tidbits about the number on their logo: 1521.

Why 1521? It was the year 1521 when cacao was introduced by Magellan. (Go back to the previous sentence. This time sing it to the tune of the Magellan song.) I made that up, but, fact is, it was a Spaniard who brought cacao to the Philippines.

Count the hot chocolate options on the menu. Is it 21? The Chocolate Chamber offers 21 flavors of hot chocolate. Why 21 flavors? 1521 theme.

Praline buffet

High tea is served at 1521 hours (3:21 PM up to 5:21PM). Why at such an odd time? Yes, still on the 1521 theme.

Hairy and Ron were wanting to try the chocolate drink and cakes they had in front of them, but before they could dig in, the guardian gave one last tidbit: The Chocolate Chamber serves tepid water. For if one drinks cold water with their chocolates it will coagulate in one's mouth.

The best friends thanked the guardian for the pieces of The Chocolate Chamber facts and commenced their eating. Hairy found the Tablea Old Fashioned cake too dry. The blueberry with cream cheese too strong (Hairy is not a fan of cream cheese). And the hot strawberry chocolate delicious. But the free truffles were the best.

The cakes they chose made Hairy Bungot regret that he did not go for the praline buffet instead. The praline buffet was on that day. Sure, it would have cost him Php250 to stuff himself with pralines, but he was sure it would have been better than those cakes. (The praline buffet is not a regular occurrence at the Chamber. One must call ahead and inquire when the next buffet is.)

Hairy Bungot and Ron Beastly left The Chocolate Chamber with a rich chocolate feeling filling in the stomach. The Chamber of Chocolates wasn't so scary, but true to the warning on the wall, it was a threat to the wallet.

The Chocolate Chamber
Quirino St. corner Magsaysay St.,
Mabolo, Cebu City
(0917) 628 7661
Mondays to Saturdays 8AM-12NN and 2PM-8PM



How the Chamber of Chocolates scared the money off Hairy and Ron:
Hot strawberry chocolate Php 150
Tablea old fashioned cake Php 150
Blueberry with cream cheese Php 150