The One With The Surprising Chocolate Cake At Zelo Bar

Indulge me in this.

It was a quiet afternoon, and you were meeting someone new. Someone you do not know much about, and spoken to only once or twice before. You were meeting up because both of you are craving for companionship, and… to be perfectly honest, you were slightly more than intrigued by this new persona who was, at that moment, a blank canvass to you.

What is the socially acceptable (read: not making yourself to be a complete dork in the process) thing to do in such a situation?

(Photo Credit)

You meet at a coffee joint. A cozy one, of course; one with comfortable seats and open concept, which says we are comfortable enough to enjoy a cuppa together and perhaps trade a few jokes. One that is open in the public which says hey, we are good here, no pressure, no expectations, and nothing too intimate, in case you misunderstood my intention.

The place of choice was Zelo Bar & Restaurant at Pacific Place Mall, where we planned to catch a movie together. The low buzz of chatter was just perfect for us to break the ice slowly. Of course, the tea time set of warm chocolate cake with chocolate gelato and a cup of brewed coffee (at HKD 98) was a the perfect gastronomical sin of choice.

So we talked, and we realised we have quite a lot of common. Naturally we shared more about ourselves and soon the unfamiliarity between us thawed… and a certain warmth feeling begin to grow. I looked at my new friend and realised, hey, we could be buddies, you know? So with an unfamiliar joy singing in my heart, I tucked in into my warm chocolate cake with a gusto.

And… what do you know. The inside of the chocolate cake was actually warm liquid caramel which oozed out, not in an untantalising way. It was sweet and syrupy, and coupled with the warm, slightly bitter cake, the combination was a taste of heaven.

What was I driving at? Oh. You know how Forrest Gump said, life is like a box of chocolate? Well, life can be a slice of warm chocolate cake, too. You thought you know what you asked for, but your order took you completely by surprise.

Just like how my new-found friend took me completely by surprise; on shared traits, history, passions… and life.

I could do with more moments like this.