Taste Test: The Viral Triple Chocolate Champorado
In which we delve into the decidedly decadent meryenda that's garnered long lines.
(SPOT.ph) God knows I’ve made one too many bad decisions in my life... and I was almost certain that going to The Bistro Rooftop by LeBlanc, on a payday weekend nonetheless, would be the newest entry to my extremely long and growing list of life regrets. I knew there was going to be a line, I knew that I’d have to be extra patient, and I knew how to manage my expectations of food trends.
After I noticed their playlist of acoustic pop songs went on a loop, and after the nth time checking the time on my watch, the trending Triple Chocolate Champorado was finally served on my table. It took roughly two hours of waiting, and well, I consumed everything that I ordered for less than half the time I waited.
I know, I know, that is not indicative of how much I love or hate the food, so here’s the latest Taste Test entry on the viral champorado that’s taking over social media by storm—and we're not exaggerating—a quick search of "Triple Chocolate Champorado" on TikTok and it will show you several videos with thousands to millions of views.
Also read:
The Viral Champorado By The Bistro by LeBlanc, Explained
The Best Champorado You Can Order for Delivery
A review of the Triple Chocolate Champorado by The Bistro by LeBlanc
I'm sure you've seen the TikToks of people lining up and gobbling down the decidedly decadent treat that is the Triple Chocolate Champorado. The restaurant behind it has two branches. One is located within the Antipolo-based hotel and resort; the other, called The Bistro Rooftop by LeBlanc, is located on a building's rooftop in the Kapitolyo neighborhood.
The long queues of curious cats are most likely there for one thing: The distinctive and 100% Instagrammable champorado, which in Gen Z lingo, is best described as "not like other girls" in the context of Filipino chocolate rice porridge.
What is This Triple Chocolate Champorado, Anyway?
The Triple Chocolate Champorado, which I really think should have been named champoradeux instead, is listed as a "rice porridge with powdered milk, covered with a semi-sweet milk chocolate dome, and [with] evaporated milk [poured over]." It uses a triple- (technically quadruple-) chocolate combination of cocoa, dark and semi-sweet chocolates, and Risa Chocolates' 70% South Cotobato Chocolate.
The way this is presented is that it comes in a wide, shallow bowl with a chocolate dome covering it, served with a gooseneck kettle filled with warm milk and a side of crispy dried fish in a separate bowl. The "Instagrammable" moment comes in when the warm milk is swirled on the center top of the chocolate dome to slowly melt it, revealing the champorado with powdered milk in the bowl.
While this chocolate shell trend is not new, we all know that trends always come and go. I mean, we're already seeing more low-rise jeans on racks and digital cameras that now have a higher value as these are now considered "vintage."
What does the Triple Chocolate Champorado taste like?
There’s some psychology that come into play when it comes to trends, especially when it comes to food, in that the more that it’s being talked about, the higher the expectations become. But I knew better than to let my expectations ramp up.
Still, I do admit I was already suspicious and ready to throw this trend under the bus only because all the videos I'd seen of it looked like the champorado was drowning in milk, even when mixed. In Filipino humor, this translates to “gatas na may konting champorado" than the other way around.
What a pleasant surprise that it actually works, milk and all.
Despite that the Triple Chocolate Champorado had way too much evaporated milk, and the surprising realization that the champorado itself wasn't chocolatey enough post-milk action, the chocolate dome's sweetness makes up for both the surplus and deficiency. It tastes great once you've mixed all the components—the evaporated milk, powdered milk, chocolate dome, and the champorado base.
But once the magic has fizzled out, a.k.a. the chocolate dome is completely melted, the champorado bowl looks like your typical homemade version cooked on a rainy day. Comforting and nostalgic still, as champorado should always be.
Final verdict: Is the Triple Chocolate Champorado worth it?
The Triple Chocolate Champorado is all about the theatrics and the drama that comes with melting the chocolate dome. If this is the kind of drama that you want in your life, best believe I would not be one to judge. I'd take it over any life drama, given the chance.
I do think the Triple Chocolate Champorado is worth trying and worth the price of P299, but—there is a but—I suggest letting the hype die down because it's not that special for anyone to wait more than an hour for. I regard myself as a patient person, but if it were my mom or brother, who I hope aren't reading this, they would have definitely walked out the door long before the one-hour waiting mark.
But I won't stop you if you want to hop on the trend and try it while it's trending—you've gotta scratch the itch, you know? So, if you have decided to go, see below my tips:
- Eat a small meal before you go to The Bistro Rooftop by LeBlanc.
- Be extra, extra, extra, (extra) patient. The kitchen, specifically the one at Kapitolyo, is small and it is understandably hard to meet the high demand.
- Best to order in one go than to add an order along the way, since that's another round of waiting.
- Order The Bistro Rooftop by LeBlanc's other bestseller, i.e. the Bacon Slab. It looks unassuming but it's satisfyingly smoky and tender. No regrets.
The Bistro Rooftop by LeBlanc Kapitolyo is open from 11 a.m. to 12 midnight, Monday to Thursday; and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Friday to Sunday.
The Bistro Rooftop by LeBlanc Kapitolyo is at 7/F Hallare Building, 10 E Capitol Drive, Pasig City.
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