Am I expecting too much, or it just wasn’t good enough?
This came to mind after taking a bite of the Arriba chocolate pizza, the latest offering at Heavenly Chocolates, a simple nook along Roces Avenue in Quezon City.
The 6.5-inch diameter pizza, priced at P150, had all the good stuff – warm bittersweet chocolate, sliced almonds, shallot bits and fried anchovies.
With all these things on a crust that strongly reminded me of Pop Tarts (as in the breakfast treat), my taste buds should be jumping for joy. But they weren’t.
Don't get me wrong, though -- the Arriba chocolate pizza is actually good if we're only talking about the chocolate. But since the dish lacked the intense flavor of anchovies, it was easily overpowered by the shallots, which came in huge chunks.
The restaurant’s overall look didn’t help, either. Small, bare and poorly lit, it failed to match the “heavenly” experience it promised to give its customers.
In the end, I felt like I was eating chocolate-flavored bread in a dark study hall.
Hoping to improve my mood, I tried eating Heavenly Chocolates’ bacon brownies, also said to be one of the restaurant’s specialty items.
The brownies didn’t taste anything like bacon. Instead, I got regular brownies filled with rubbery pieces of meat. Another letdown.
Even with all these, however, I’m still willing to give Heavenly Chocolates another chance. After all, I’ve yet to try the hot and ice-blended drinks, as well as the famed Montezuma chocolate pasta.
Who knows? Maybe the Arriba chocolate pizza (and even the bacon brownie) is much better the second time around.
HEAVENLY CHOCOLATES
127 Roces Avenue corner Tomas Morato
Quezon City
Philippines
Philippines
For reservations, call (632) 666-2208
