Help
well, if you are looking for quality chocolate - no need to rush... but if you are a sugar addict, read on!
first impression - very mainstream, very sweet, very concept-driven. some cute ideas, e.g. make your own popsicles but some of it becomes just too much work (to burn calories?
). stir it here, pour it over there, dip and be careful it's hot. some interaction with my dessert is fine but too much activity makes it really all about the activity and novelty factor - not about taste or quality for which it makes up. the tagline "stop it Max, this is already too much" on the walls, the menu, everywhere... branding gone haywire: Max food, Max sweets, Max-style danish, decorative cases from "Max Island"... indeed, stop it Max!Sat. afternoon - we waited a few minutes for a table so we had a chance to take a look at the offerings, taste a sample of strawberry white choc smoothie (cloying) and look around. the front is a bit of a mess, tables don't get cleared or set fast enough, resulting in unnecessary wait. there is no host or even a sign to wait to be seated so there is a glut of ppl crowding the area. once you sit down though, the staff is pretty fast and our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu, well trained and attentive.
we went to try chocolate so ignored the savory menu of sandwiches, salads and, ahem, "reduced calorie food (only reduced dishes list calories). the desserts looked and sounded extremely sweet - lots of hot chocolate drinks, frozen choc frappes, crepes, waffles, pizza, pastries, cookies... but also fruit shakes. (loose leaf tea a plus.) two of us shared a choc drink and dessert:
dark choc suckao - an "espresso" of hot chocolate (available in dark, milk and white). served in a special contraption that heats up the milk with a side of chopped dark chocolate you can add to taste and extra milk. a metal shovel/straw to work it too, all served on a wooden board with "hot stuff" warning (it arrived lukewarm but grew hotter). the dark choc was too sweet for me. a lot of stirring to get it right. luckily, the portion was small enough for two to share and not end up in a sugar coma.
waffles topped with strawberries with sides of toffee bananas (best part), whipped cream sprinkled with something and chocolate sauce in a little flask. again, good to share but a lot for one person. the waffles were cold, would have been nicer warm. nice but not memorable.
looked at the gift store but not inspired to try any chocolates - although the one with orchid oil sounded intriguing
someone (on CH?) called it "the Applebee's of chocolate" - doesn't seem too far off
