Cacao grower in Saint Lucia and cacao roaster in Borough Market Welcome to ‘cacao cuisine’ When we flung open the doors to Rabot 1745 in 2013 it was a grand experiment: was London ready for West Indian cacao cuisine with an eccentric British twist?
Since then our chic wood-panelled eatery, a contemporary take on a Caribbean plantation house, has become an icon in its own right. STARTERS Goat’s Cheese, Black Olive & Sourdough £8 Assiette of Cacao £6 Goat’s cheese, whipped super-smooth with Chocolate balsamic reduction, delicate, lychee-like cacao pulp. Rye and olive cacao pesto, nib butter, freshly crumb and Borough sourdough for crunch, baked sourdough. (V, N) apple purée for tang. Elevated with coconut marmalade, inspired by the flora of our Pulled Pork Piton £8 Caribbean cocoa estate. (V) The Pitons are two astonishingly symmetrical sea mountains in Saint Sea Bass Ceviche £9 Lucia. Rising above a rainforest canopy Cornish sea bass marinated in delicate of foliage, they overlook our island hide- cacao pulp, coconut and lime, with papaya. away and cocoa plantation. Here our Towers of rainbow radish and a punchy pulled pork Piton-style is slow-cooked Our Rabot Estate dates from 1745 – kumquat gel. and tender in apple and potato with a crisp breadcrumb and cacao nib coating. hence the name here. Radish, Pea & Tarragon Cannelloni £7.50 Rainbow radish, paper-thin and wrapped The Rabot Gazpacho £7.50 around pea, tarragon and cacao pulp What other soups want to be when houmous. Cashew sour cream and they grow up. Red peppers, tomatoes, It’s the oldest and most beautiful cocoa beetroot gel. Farewell, pasta! (VE, N) cacao nibs and Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar steeped overnight to intensify estate in Saint Lucia set in a UNESCO Hereford Beef Yorkshire Pudding £9 their flavours. Served with a cacao pulp site of natural beauty. A starter that boasts a roast. Yorkshire pudding sorbet and a cacao guacamole feuille on a velvety cacao and red wine reduction, filled de brick. (V) with white chocolate mash. 24-hour cacao nib marinated Hereford flank beef is seared rare Seared King Scallops, Pea Purée £11 Come and stay at our eco-hotel, for exceptional flavour. (A) Creamy West Country king scallops, flash-seared with crunchy, intense cacao set in the middle of the cocoa. Salmon, Avocado & Watermelon Tartar £9 nibs. Served with a light, comforting pea hotelchocolat.com/Boucan Scottish salmon marinated in lychee-like cacao purée smoothed with cocoa butter. (SF) pulp and lime. Avocado and watermelon with ground cacao nibs. Orange and rocket sorbet. Sharing Platter £24 Zesty, refreshing, unexpected. Pulled Pork Piton, Sea Bass Ceviche, The Rabot Gazpacho.
DIETARY INFORMATION (V) Vegetarian, (VE) Vegan, (A) Contains Alcohol, (SF) Shellfish, (N) Nuts. *This dietary can be removed from some of our dishes.
ALLERGEN INFORMATION For any dietary requirements please ask a member of staff. Ask a member of our team if your are avoiding wheat or gluten. If you have any additional questions or requirements please ask a member of our team. MAINS
Cornish Sea Bass £19 Hereford Beef Chateaubriand: Lobster Tail & Seafood Roasted Cornish sea bass marinated in Cacao Pièce De Résistance £66 Cacao Bouillabaisse £28 lychee-like cacao pulp. Maldon sea salt cuts For two to share (or one to reminisce The silken broth for our much-loved through our pineapple and papaya compote. about). Medium-rare, grass-fed prime bouillabaisse is brimming with cacao nibs, Served with a deep, rich seafood and beef, 24-hour marinated in cacao nibs. fresh tomatoes, herbs and fennel. cacao bisque. (SF, A) Mac and cheese with braised, shredded We spike it with cayenne and saffron featherblade. Bone marrow. Chunky chips. before adding the freshest fish and Salt Marsh Lamb £25 Served with a 70% dark ganache and shellfish and crowning with a whole Our medium-rare masterpiece. Marinated our chef’s secret-recipe plantation sauce. lobster tail. for 24 hours in cacao nibs and topped If you’re going to do it, do it right. (A) (SF, A) with a herb crust, velvety reduced stock and chocolate demi-glace. Delicate white Perfect with a bottle of our vintage red: Slow-cooked Hereford Beef £21 chocolate Chantenay carrot purée. (A*) Chateau Chocolat, £35 Featherblade cut, marinated in cacao nibs We are part of for 24 hours, then slow-cooked. Glaze of Hotel Chocolat, Beet Wellington £15 Vegetarian Trilogy £18.50 beef stock, red wine, 70% dark chocolate Beet not beef. Borough beetroot marinated Beet Wellington, ‘Inside-out’ and balsamic. (A*) the British luxury in cacao nibs, pomegranate molasses and Aubergine Curry, The Rabot Gazpacho. apple. Baked with a mushroom, spinach and Why choose? Borough beetroot with a Mac & Cheese £14 chocolatiers, and cacao nib duxelle in puff pastry. Market baby mushroom, spinach and cacao duxelle in London’s best mac and cheese, reborn. vegetables and cashew sour cream. (VE, N) puff pastry. Spiced aubergine with coconut We heighten flavour with a hint of it was co-founders yoghurt in a sundried tomato concasse. mushroom in creamy, melted mature Angus Thirlwell Seared Cornish Hake £18 Red pepper and cacao nib gazpacho Cheddar. So moreish, you’ll want to eat Succulent, with a fresh herb and cacao nib with cacao pulp sorbet and cacao the bowl – which you can, it’s puff pastry and Peter Harris crust. Served on a bed of green beans, with guacamole feuille de brick. A veritable kneaded with cacao nibs. Served with bell pepper coulis and coconut and lime vegetarian feast. (N) a whirl of smoked paprika coleslaw. (V) who discovered reduction. Recalls the swaying coconut trees of our Saint Lucian cocoa estate. 12-hour Marinated ‘Bois Bandé’ The King of Burgers £15 Rabot Estate. Chicken £16.50 - Add bacon £1.50 ‘Inside-out’ Aubergine Curry £13.50 Bois Bandé (pronounced Bwah Bonday) Aged Cheddar, triple-cooked chips, Delicately spiced aubergine with coconut or West Indian ‘bush magic’ rum has cacao Creole chutney, 70% ganache. yoghurt and sundried tomato concasse. been loved for centuries by the local It took us a long time to create our Crowned with market vegetables punctuated communities around our cocoa estate. A signature burger. We settled on chopped with carta di musica: amazingly thin, crisp riot of spice and sweetness, with notes of rump steak, with only a smattering of sheets of unleavened bread. A towering cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg and one other ingredients and side of our melting tribute. (V, VE) special ingredient – the bark of tropical 70% dark chocolate ganache. tree Richeria grandis. Works so well with - Add chicken £6 We think we’ve nailed it. chicken. Sweet potato served two ways - Add monkfish £10 (A*) and a rum peppercorn jus. (A) SIDES £4.50 White Chocolate Mash Shouldn’t work, but it does. Addictive. (V)
Heirloom Tomato Salad A riot of colour and flavour, plucked from heritage vines. Crumbled with feta, dressed with cacao pesto. (V, N)
Caribbean Sweet Potato With cacao barbecue sauce. (V, VE)
Sautéed Market Spinach With cacao nib butter. (V)
Potato Chips With cacao ketchup. (V, VE)
Engaged Ethics is the name we coined for our Borough Vegetables Green beans, mangetout and petit pois. direct programme to create sustainable cocoa From the Market to your table. (V*) growing. It’s a roll-up-the-sleeves, take risks, long-term approach, which has led to SALADS a remarkable set of results so far. Avocado, Tomato & Zesty Lime £7 / £12 Spiced lime-cacao dressing, red onions, cherry tomatoes. (V, VE)
Superfood Seeded Salad £7 / 12 Earthy, crunchy, packed full of the good things – quinoa, cacao nibs, saffron-poached fennel, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, cranberries. Moreishly good. Sensational when teamed with our secret-recipe orange tahini dressing. Fly solo or order as a table sharer. (V, VE)
Cacao Caesar £12 - Add cacao crust chicken breast £6 - Add cacao pulp marinated monkfish £10 With roast sweet potato, soft-boiled egg, cacao nib croutons. DESSERTS BAFTA Light White Raspberry Crumbly Rhubarb Tartlet £9 & Blueberry Crémeux £10 A triple-layer threat. Grated coconut and As served at the legendary British Academy almond frangipane. Baked rhubarb with Film Awards dinner. Honduras Mayan a hint of dark chocolate. Classic crumble Red 65% Supermilk mousse, white topping lifted with dense strawberry coulis. chocolate blueberry and raspberry Finished with tangy rhubarb sorbet and a crémeux, seed granola. chocolate lattice. Only things missing? Dairy and wheat. (VE, N) Supermilk: our revolutionary chocolate genre. Robust cocoa depth, creamy milk, less Chocolat Cream Liqueur Crémeux £9 sugar than a typical dark. Our own Chocolat Cream Liqueur creates a luxuriant crémeux with a tingle of warmth. The cacao tree has The Avant-Garden £8.50 Salted caramel chocolate brownie and If Dalí did desserts. Punchy strawberry refreshing cacao pulp sorbet. Raspberry (deservedly) the mousse and white chocolate-lime curd. two ways: Chantilly and fresh. (A, N) best ever name in Smooth basil notes and refreshing fromage blanc sorbet. All on a Trio of Island Sorbets £7 the plant kingdom: beautifully crisp shortbread. (V, N) Our pièce de refreshment. Delicate cacao pulp, gently juicy guava, caramelised and literally “Food The Story Of Chocolat, In Ice £8 roasted pineapple. Ground cocoa nibs, The story of chocolate in three scoops, as for crunch. (VE) of the Gods” served in Saint Lucia next door to our cocoa (Theobroma Cacao) plantation. First, floral citrus cacao pulp as a Mousse Seduction £10 sorbet. Next, finely ground cocoa nibs infuse Trio of smooth, intense mousse quenelles: our Rabot ice cream. To finish, chocolate 65% Supermilk, 70% dark, 90% dark. ice cream made distinctive with 70% dark. Beautifully crisp sablé, nibbly pumpkin seed Sun-ripened, shade- Chocolate evolution on ice, artfully told. (N) crumble, sticky caramelised Nigella and sesame seeds. Lose yourself. (V, N) grown, sustainable Molten Chocolate Lava £9 - Make it tipsy. Its perfect match: supercrop. Your cake runneth over with intense 70% Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, dark. Served with a sesame and Nigella seed 50ml £6 tuile and house cocoa nib ice cream, gently infused over 24 hours. (V) - Make it tipsy. Its perfect match: La Hechicera rum, 50ml £6 THE ANATOMY OF COCOA
Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Whole Cocoa Pod Cut Cocoa Pod Cocoa Bean
Fig. 2.1 Fig. 3.1 The Pulp The Shell Flavours of: lychee/sweet elderflower Flavours of: toast, umami. We use for: sorbets, cocktails We use for: tea infusion drinks, & marinades. cooking stock and spice mixes.
Cacao Other chocolate makers discard everything but the cocoa nibs. We use it all.
Fig. 3.2 The Nib Flavours of: cocoa, oak and tannins. Fig. 2.2 We use for: marinades, sauce The Bean enriching, crusts and grinding Needs to be fermented up to make chocolate and and sun dried, then chocolate drinks. delicious. Fig. 2.3 See fig.3 The Husk We use for: organic composting. Afternoon Tea of the Gods Cocoa... worshipped by Mayans. Theobroma Cacao translates as ‘food of the gods’. Discover why.
Available Tuesday to Saturday, 1pm — 5pm Afternoon tea for two with a glass of Prosecco Superiore DOCG: £35 each, £30 without. Rare & Vintage Vegan, gluten-free, special dietary requirements? Simply let us know ahead at time of booking. Twenty degrees plus or minus the Want to know more? Read our blog: hotelchocolat.com/afternoonteagods equator is where cocoa grows best. Our grocery? Our neighbours, the Market. Free-range: we insist on it. From egg to chicken. Pastry chef: Fabrice. Known for his taste-testing par excellence... As well as growing our own in Saint Lucia, we work with growers in Ghana, Colombia, Sandwiches Cakes & Scones Ecuador, Vietnam, Honduras and more. Marinated beef and white Strawberry and vanilla cheesecake chocolate horseradish Forget tradition. Cheesecake reimagined as a A rare cut above. Grass-fed Hereford beef, light, airy mousse made with fragrant Madagascan The flavour of the beans varies with 24-hour marinated with treacle and parkin vanilla and all-natural strawberry gel purée. the geography, gene type and harvest spices. Fiery wasabi horseradish tempered Cocoa nib crunch in the biscuit base. (V) in our high-cocoa butter white. year. Explore our Rare & Vintage range Chocolate and cherry opera gateau Creole chicken with Opulent layers of light chocolate mousse, in our chocolate shop downstairs. pumpkin mayonnaise cherry purée and Madagascan vanilla sponge. Heat of warm, smoky Saint Lucian spices Topped with a kirsch soaked cherry and 70% and cayenne pepper, tamed in pumpkin dark ganache. (V, A) purée mayonnaise. Fresh baked sultana scone and Egg mayonnaise brioche cinnamon scone Aroma of fresh baked brioche? We make Lavish your way. Strawberry jam, clotted cream our own to create that ‘just right’ bite, the or 70% chocolate ganache first? perfect hold for egg and chive mayonnaise with a malty edge of cacao nibs. (V) Tasting chocolates Made from cocoa beans, including those grown Pea and tarragon mousse on on our estate in Saint Lucia. (V, N) rye sourdough Made with chickpea, lychee-like cacao pulp Please ask about today’s selection. and fresh lemon juice. Pea shoots and radish thinly sliced. (V, DF)