Blog Post: A Chocolate Lover's Paradise in Westlake Village

If you're craving crepes smothered with Nutella, organic chocolate truffles filled with lavender, an amazing chocolate drink such as a creamy iced chocolate or just plain, delicious hot chocolate then Chocolatine French Pastries Tea Room is the place for you.

Chocolatine is a special little French cafe that not only offers unique chocolate items but also wonderful French food in a sweet, adorable atmosphere filled with display cases of chocolates, pastries and cookies. There are intimate tables, beautiful photos and cute decorations covering the walls. The owners are Hugo and Sabrina Barthe who add to the French charm of this lovely café.

In order to get the full French experience be prepared to order a bit of everything even if it means ordering a chocolate drink with your main course and then a special pastry for dessert. I started off with the soup de jour, which was a cup of a sweet carrot soup that had substance in it even without a trace of cream. The soup had a little sweetness but not too much to take away from the other wonderful favors in it.

There are so many great entrees to choose from. I just needed to get the full taste of each. I ordered Salmon Quiche, Chicken Crepes and the Croquet Monsieur. Well each of these dishes were delicious, but my favorite was the Chicken Crepes.

Remember the Magic Pan restaurant in the Valley? This restaurant was famous for their large variety of crepes. Their chicken crepes, in my opinion, were their signature dish. For years, after the Magic Pan closed, I use to crave their crepes and now Chocolatine offers this delicious crepe on their menu. And its taste surpasses the Pan's version of this special dish. A creamy sauce with fresh chicken that is as soft as the chicken from chicken soup.

The Salmon Quiche was also good. Very light and perfect with their basic green salad that accompanies it. Even the dressing on the salad stands out with a delectable taste. The Croquet Monsieur is more than your ordinary grilled cheese and ham. It's served on their delicious grilled bread and it just makes every bite taste exceptional. I would order either of these dishes again and again.

Now it's time for the ultimate dessert experience. How can anyone just order one dessert? Not at Chocolatine! Luckily, my sons were with me, so we got to indulge in a chocolate feast.

We ordered the Crepe with Nutella, French Macaroons with pistachio and also with vanilla, and a Chocolate Éclair. The crepe with Nutella was light and not too sweet. The French Macaroons were my absolute favorite. The creamy centers melted in your mouth along with the sweet meringue. The vanilla tasted as if it came straight from the vanilla bean.

We were quite stuffed and content but still needed to sample the eclair. Unfortunately, it wasn't among my favorites. The eclair shell and the chocolate topping were good but I prefer vanilla custard filling. This filling was chocolate and a bit on the stiff side.

Even with the satisfactory eclair, Chocolatine is truly an exceptional find for great French food.