Choco-naught: The dipped fruit provided the only chocolate at Moroco's patio opening (Photo by Karon Liu)
We expected an evening of mocha-fuelled madness at the opening of Yorkville’s Moroco Chocolat’s patio last week. Instead we were served mini-drumsticks, gooey ham and cheese sandwiches, and goat cheese topped with raspberries. Delicious? Sure—comfort food is always in vogue. But those looking for a free sample of the café’s famous macaroons and truffles were sorely disappointed.
Surf and turf: The literal is alive and well at Moroco
Still, the crowd remained lively and chatty over Moroco’s new summer cocktails: the Kiwi Kraze (Belvedere vodka, kiwi juice and a chocolate-dipped kiwi garnish) and the Cha Cha (a raspberry liqueur and Chandon mixture topped with a chocolate-dipped raspberry). The kiwi cocktail turned watery within minutes due to over-icing, but its ruby counterpart remained sweet and bubbly. Sadly, the garnishes were the only chocolate offerings that night.
Moroco’s patio is in a rather peculiar place. Set in front of the store and half hidden by the magazine shop, the terrace is only semi-private. Those familiar with Moroco’s furnishings will be happy to know that the aesthetic spills outside with giant white Victorian-style chairs and monogrammed lavender pillows. The decor plays on the space’s front yard–like location with apple green shag carpets, stools in the shape of toads (toadstools!) and white garden gnomes. The look, which is how we imagine Teatro Verde would tackle the set of Alice in Wonderland, is complete with an Astroturf hedge, perhaps to keep its VIPs from playing on the street.
Among those spotted (after we played a rousing game of “Shoot, what’s his name?” with reps from Flare and the Toronto Sun) were makeup artist and occasional Canada’s Next Top Model judge Paul Venoit, Sun TV food critic Marty Galin and OMNI TV host Pay Chen.
I definitely would not recommend this place for lunch. Awfully expensive, I know, I know, it is Yorkville, but they cannot give you a separate bill. There were 6 of us and a few did not drink. The patio looks fabulous but, would definitely not recomment this place for lunch or dinner, chocolates??? yes, if you want to spend a fortune!!!!! There are many other places in Yorkville better than that. I know!!!!
August 19, 2009 at 8:59 pm | by Mireilleand it should not even be called a restaurant!!! Chocolate place??? perhaps. I was very, very disappointed. The food was OK but…. $5.00 for a coffee???? There are many places in Yorkville I’ll go to but never, and I mean NEVER again, Moroco!!!!
August 19, 2009 at 9:02 pm | by MireilleThis place is clearly run by someone with more money than taste – both for the food, the decor, and the service.
Moroco Chocolat is a total waste of time and money.
I give it lest than one more year, assuming there are some deep pockets involved to keep it afloat that long.
August 24, 2009 at 9:02 am | by Moroco Chocolat - NO THANKS!I had afternoon tea with 4 of my friends and we all found the food and service astoundingly horrible.
For 55 bucks, there was barely enough to feed an 11 year old and their sandwiches and macaroons were stale. For a so-called chocolatier, they should be ashamed of the quality of their chocolates, which were beyond sub-par. Their dark cocoa sipping chocolate was similarly disappointing – it was grainy, bitter and way too thick to drink.
With regards to the service, the waitress was completely clueless – she didn’t know we could substitute sipping chocolate for the tea and after we had all decided on the sipping chocolate, she kept telling us she would bring us our tea…
Furthermore, they charged us an 18.5% gratuity for what the manager called “exceptional service”. I found nothing exceptional about the place other than their rude and condescending attitude to their customers. This place is overrated and ridiculously overpriced, I wouldn’t even recommend it to my worst enemy.
December 27, 2009 at 9:54 pm | by Terrible, terribleWe went here for high tea on a Sunday afternoon and I was appalled at the terrible service and quality of what this entailed. It ended up costing about $75/person for sipping chocolate, 3 mini sandwiches, 3 scones and about 3-4 truffles (that tasted terrible btw). This included an 18.5% gratuity which they are legally not entitled to enforce. The service was terrible and the waitress had no idea what high tea was and kept having to “check” about our options.
WHen we asked for the manager and asked about the automatic 18.5% gratuity he gave us attitude and said something along the lines of “if that’s how you feel, I guess I understand since it is Christmas and all” implying that we were broke or could not pay the full tip. After he went to the back to remove the tip, he came back and decided that since it was written on the menu, we had essentially agreed to the 18.5% regardless of the quality of service and turned away and hid from us the rest of the time we were there.
Overall, hated the food, hated the service, and especially hated the attitude of the manager. I would never recommend this place to anyone.
December 28, 2009 at 12:12 pm | by Disgusted