Easter or no Easter, as I'm concerned it is always chocolate o'clock so where better to go than Hotel Chocolat's restaurant.

Rabot 1745 is named after the Saint Lucian cacao plantation the company bought and restored and it serves up food inspired by the Caribbean, infused with various forms of chocolate.

Rather than place it in a swanky area of London they chose the bustling Borough Market and created a bar and shop downstairs which attract trendy foodies and young professionals.

Wafts of chocolaty aromas have already seduced one of your senses by the time you climb the stairs to the restaurant which is decorated in rich mahogany and caramel tones with soft golden lighting. The tables are nicely spaced out and the background noise is minimum meaning you can easily hold a conversation and still have some privacy.

We began with cocktails, the stunningly gorgeous Pretty Pink which came with a flower floating on top of it and the deliciously creamy Praline Soother which tasted like Ferrero Rocher.

The Yorkshire pudding starter was a winner, tasty and fluffy and filled with spiced beef and white chocolate mash and served with cacao red wine jus. The seared fish sausage was a bit of a disappointment in comparison as it looked fairly bland and could have done with something crunchy on the plate.

For my main course I we chose the nine-hour braised shin of beef. It was huge portion and while it fell apart nicely I felt it was perhaps a touch dry, although my date disagreed and lavished it with praise. I greatly enjoyed the accompanying cacao beer herb dumplings and tried to make them last as long as possibly, wishing their were more and the winter vegetables (carrots, parsnips and spinach) were cooked perfectly.

The chopped rump steak burger, served in a chocolate studded bun with aged cheddar and cacao beer braised onions was very good indeed and the chips were some of the best I have tasted.

And then it was time for dessert.

Given the portion size of the mains you may have to pace yourself a bit as I was almost too full to contemplate another course. Almost.

I picked The Rabot 1745 Mousse Collection, a trio of pots containing increasingly dark desserts.

The first, a Trinidad 68 per cent milk with malt brittle was incredible, living up to all my expectations and I scraped up every last speck. The Saint Lucia 78 per cent dark with toasted nut crumble was also delicious but with a third pot still to go I failed to finish it. I could only manage a mouthful of the Ecuador 90 per cent dark with roast nibs as by this point I was on chocolate overload. I could happily have eaten it on its own or perhaps the entire trio in isolation but on this occasion it defeated me.

Equally if not more chocolatey was the molten chocolate lava pudding served with the mysterious Rabot ice cream, which was the highlight of the meal for me.

This is a restaurant that seduces the senses from beginning to end and is the perfect spot for a romantic date or just an evening of indulgence with friends.

Details: hotelchocolat.com/uk/restaurants/rabot-1745