Sydney and Melbourne's 15 best chocolate experiences
Despite being described as "food for the gods", chocolate is one of life's earthly pleasures. The fruit of the cacao plant has been cultivated for at least 3000 years, during which time it has evolved from being a ceremonial drink used by Aztec Indians to an ingredient used in everything from cookies and cakes to muffins and macarons. Whether you're after chocolate to tempt or temper, here are a few chocolate experiences that break the mold.
NATIONAL
Chocolate doughnuts, Short Stop
Chocoholics are well served at cult-favourite Short Stop, whether it be the old-school Boston Creme, with a gloss-coating of 85 percent Callebaut dark chocolate countered by Heilala vanilla-laced creme patisserie, or a simple Red Velvet number. For a true sugar shock, try the Snickers-style peanut butter caramel, with a chocolate cake base and milk chocolate glaze with salted peanut caramel filling. Short Stop outlets in Melbourne and Sydney, short-stop.com.au
Vegan cherry ripe gelato, N2 Extreme Gelato
Inspired by the Cherry Ripe chocolate bar, this choc gelato with coconut and cherries is made using liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze gelato that is then dusted with cocoa and finished with freeze-dried cherries and a syringe-spike of vegan chocolate. A bespeckled beauty. N2 Extreme Gelato stores outlets in Melbourne and Sydney, n2extremegelato.com.au
SYDNEY
Vegan Chocolate Popcorn Cake, Black Star Pastry If you think vegan cakes are only saintly, raw food numbers, then this spectacular party-starter busts that myth. Caramelised salted popcorn and freeze-dried raspberries are pressed onto a choc-dense fudge cake that's glazed with cocoa syrup. There's no way to eat this without causing a mess and that's a big part of the fun. Black Star Pastry, outlets in Newtown, Rosebery and Books Kinokuniya, blackstarpastry.com.au.
Anna's Winter Mess, Shangri-La Hotel
The Anna Polyviou dish dubbed Anna's Mess made a cameo during a MasterChef 2016 pressure test. Now, the Shangri-La Hotel executive pastry chef has created a winter version for the hotel's annual Sweet Street event. When the passionfruit curd dome of Anna's Winter Mess is smashed, it reveals shards of roasted chocolate, brownie and caramelised peanuts. As well as being available in the Lobby Lounge, there will be 200 limited edition mini versions of the dessert sold at the July 8 event, which will also celebrate chocolate at stalls from The Thievery, The Bearded Bakers, Black Star Pastry, Makmak Macarons and more. 176 Cumberland St, The Rocks, Sydney, shangri-la.com
The world's rarest chocolate, Port d'Anvers
Belgian-born master chocolatier Igor Van Gerwen, of Anvers Confectionary, bought the exclusive rights to introduce the most sought-after chocolate on the planet, Fortunato No. 4, to the Australian market in 2013. Demand for the full-bodied chocolate made from Pure Nacional cacao – long thought to be extinct – has been rising ever since. Squirrel this high-grade stuff away and savour by the square alongside cognac or coffee. 25-29 Dixon St, Haymarket, (02) 9211 1999, anvers-chocolate.com.au
Tortino al cioccolato, Lucio's Pizzeria
AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) staunchly protects pizza standards across the globe. If there were such strict parameters to authenticate Italian puddings, then Lucio de Falco's tortino al cioccolato would surely get the nod from nonna as well as Naples. Take a freeze frame of the foodgasm moment when the molten centre oozes out. The fresh-baked dessert made from Callebaut Chocolate arrives with a snowstorm of icing sugar and a scoop of Pure Gelato. 2-4 Defries Avenue, Zetland, (02) 9697 3028, luciopizzeria.com.au
Nutella-themed menu, Salt Meats Cheese
Nutella nut-jobs spread the word: Salt Meats Cheese Nutella menu now celebrates the hazelnut spread at both its Broadway and Drummoyne eateries. Start with a marocchino Nutella – espresso with steamed milk, Nutella and cocoa – or go OTT with the Nutella Heaven Cup that runneth over with cookies-and-cream gelato, Ferrero Rocher, Raffaello praline, Kinder Bueno and Nutella sauce. 68 Bay Street, Ultimo; 125 Victoria Rd, Drummoyne, saltmeatscheese.com.au
Chocolate cake, EXP. Restaurant
EXP. Restaurant head chef Frank Fawkner has given the humble chocolate cake a serious upgrade. The chef brews the roasted husks of Daintree Estates-grown cacao pods into a tea so the chocolate sponge cake punches you between the eyes with chocolatey flavour. The cake is topped with macadamia wattle-seed praline, fresh mandarin and marmalade and finished with the ta-dah addition of mandarin custard. 1596 Broke Rd, Pokolbin, (02) 4998 7264, exprestaurant.com.au
Italian hot chocolate, Cremeria de Luca
This is the place to go for a cup of the dark and serious beverage known in Italian as cioccolata calda. The Five Dock shop is run by Luigi de Luca and family, who, as well as staying true to the age-old family recipe, give the drink a kick-along with inventive flavours such as chilli pepper. 84 Ramsay Rd, Five Dock, (02) 9712 4606, cremeria-deluca.com
MELBOURNE
Chocolate lamington jaffle, Bad FrankieWe hate to tell you Melbourne, no-one does the chocolate cocktail well. It's just a sad fact of life. But Fitzroy's Australian spirits specialist gives you the best of dark sweets and liquored excellence another way. Behold the dessert jaffle: two slabs of chocolate-soaked sponge filled with hot jam and rolled in coconut. You'll want a Fitz Roy with that: Starward whisky stirred down with sweet Maidenii vermouth and bitters. 141 Greeves Street, Fitzroy, 03 9078 3866, badfrankie.com
Campfire hot chocolate at Mork Chocolate Bar
There's nothing about Mork Chocolate's brew bar in North Melbourne that's not going to hit your buttons. It's insane coco pops - entire bowls of chocolate crackle clusters and cinnamon meringues in a deluge of chocolate milk; riedel glasses wafting smoke to give their campfire hot chocolate (replete with toasted marshmallow on a stick) its edge, and chocolate truffles containing actual Tasmanian truffle. You don't know hedonism 'til you know Mork. They even sell titanium-plated gold milk jugs. 150 Errol Street, North Melbourne, 03 9328 1386, morkchocolate.com.au
Chocolate Decadence Afternoon Tea at Hotel WindsorTo celebrate World Chocolate Day The Hotel Windsor will be presenting an afternoon tea with three-tiered stands topped with treats such as a chocolate earl grey tart, chocolate macaron and chocolate banana cake. Get your pinkie fingers at the ready for the weekends of July 9 and July 16, when the hotel's chocolate dessert buffet will include chocolate panna cotta, white chocolate mousse with pistachio and rose, chocolate vacherin and earl grey creme diplomat. One Eleven Spring St Dining Room, The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, (03) 9633 6004, thehotelwindsor.com.au
The Seven Sins of Chocolate High Tea, Mamor Chocolates Szalon
All chocolates are handmade on the premises at Collingwood's stalwart dessert salon, a creative bolthole that's all Marie Antoinette velvet, gilt, lace and cut crystal glassware. High teas are their bread and butter and we like this one due to its balance of parmesan shortbread and finger sandwich savouries that keep the verrines (multi-layered mousse desserts), opera cakes and the daily selection of handmade, often eccentric chocolates in check. 153 Johnston St, Collingwood, 03 9419 3869, mamorchocolates.com
Chocolate eclair, Gontran Cherrier
World-famous Parisian boulanger-patissier Gontran Cherrier opened his first boulangerie and cafe in Melbourne last month. Francophiles know all about Gontran's legendary pain au chocolat and cacao bread. But it's his Gianduja milk chocolat and hazelnut eclair that we have a hankering for. Magnifique! 140 Smith St, Collingwood, 03 9416 3609, gontrancherrier.com.au
Cacao pod at Restaurant Lume So you have to prefix this insane piece of work with LUme's high end degustation, but the hand-painted cacao pod made of Papua New Guinea chocolate, which you smash open to find a bounty of chocolates, caramelised green bananas, tobacco powder (the most polarising addition) served with a fresh whipped cacao nib ice cream, is definitely the most show stopping use of the dark stuff we've seen in a restaurant this year. 226 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, 03 9690 0185, www.restaurantlume.com
Chocolate-coated Oreos, Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar New York
Surrender to the sweet seduction of a dark chocolate brownie slathered in chocolate and topped with Oreos at the flagship Australian store of this international chocolate shop chain. Conceptualised by native New Yorker Alison Nelson, the salon-style candy store style steers away from the saccharine in favour of New York street cred. CBD Emporium Complex, Level 1, Shop 36, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Londsdale St, Melbourne, chocolatebarnyc.com
To celebrate World Chocolate Day on July 7, head to the Sweet Addiction exhibition at The Calyx in the Botanical Gardens. A veritable feast for the eyes and senses, it is a chocolate experience like no other!
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