Who doesn't like chocolates? Even those who don't have a sweet tooth have their own favorite chocolate flavor: dark, bitter sweet, milk, white chocolate and down to the percentage of dark and milk. I've read about chocolates in Melbourne and who sells the best around the city.
The first on my list was Haigh's. Unfortunately, the chocolate tasted too sweet for me, even for the dark chocolate. Haigh's was also one of the first chocolate brands that I've tried in Melbourne, since it is easily accessible along Swanston Street.
The next chocolate experience I've had was with a chocolate store called Ganache along Toorak Road. I immediately fell in love with the chocolate covered orangettes and wonder when will be the next time I'll pass by again.
Another experience I've had was those with Monsieur Truffe, along Smith Street. Monsieur Truffe proved to be a good choice for handmade dark chocolates. They were smooth and bold in fruit flavors. I've tried their raspberry and passionfruit truffles, as well as their orangettes. Needless to say, it is one of the better chocolates I've had so far.
The most popular one and the one most people are raving about is none other than Koko Black. It sets the bar pretty high with regards to quality, texture and flavors of their handmade chocolates. I always wanted to try their hot chocolate but everytime I pass by their shop at the Royal Arcade, its always full and people are queueing up outside just to get seats. Today, I made it a point to get there early at 11am and try a cuppa as well as some truffles.
I ordered a light hot chocolate, which was smooth and, considering that it's made with skinny milk, is still rich. Imagine if its full cream milk made with the chocolate in a cup, you will definitely be drinking melted chocolate. It certainly feels right to have a cup of hot chocolate on a cold Sunday morning.
While waiting for my hot chocolate to arrive, I wandered to their truffle/handmade chocolates section and chose some to try. Even though I haven't heard raves about their chocolates other than their drinks, I wanted to try some just to see for myself and compare. It's all for experiment's sake :)
Dark Pistachio - This has a dark chocolate coating with pistachio marzipan. Dark chocolate was smooth in texture but I didn't like the marzipan too much. Maybe it's supposed to be grainy but I'd like it more fine.
Champagne Truffle - This tasted very much like a bavarian filled donut to me. Though not extremely rich, the creamy center was light and almost "airy". It also has a nice chocolate base to hold the champagne cream in.
Raspberry Ganache - This is the one I liked best. It's milk chocolate with a smooth raspberry ganache. Not too sweet but there is a bit of the citrusy taste from the raspberry.
I can feel that I'm getting a bit dizzy from the sugar-high so I walked along Bourke Street for a while. My last stop for the day is Cacao at the GPO. I can't particularly remember how I stumbled upon Cacao, but what attracted me the most is how beautifully crafted their chocolates are. I like the idea of well-thought out combinations and designs, where you can see the craft rather than just horking down chocolates without as much as a thought.
The Cacao booth at the GPO is small for me but I might try and stop by their larger store along Little Collins Street. The size of the stall was able to carry I think almost all of the flavors I've seen on the website and I've already had my mind set on which one to have.
I had the one called Spark, which is described as "Dark and milk praline with caramel ganache enrobed in dark chocolate with an explosive finish." I think this is the best piece of chocolate I've had in my life. Seriously. It's smooth and creamy but the caramel wasn't overpowering at all. It didn't ooze out as what I've expected but it's more of a caramel ganache. When I bit into it, there were two layers distinctively, one wth the caramel ganache and a layer of praline. The explosive finish refers to the crunch from the praline, that when you chew, it crunches consecutively, creating that "explosive" feel.
The first on my list was Haigh's. Unfortunately, the chocolate tasted too sweet for me, even for the dark chocolate. Haigh's was also one of the first chocolate brands that I've tried in Melbourne, since it is easily accessible along Swanston Street.
The next chocolate experience I've had was with a chocolate store called Ganache along Toorak Road. I immediately fell in love with the chocolate covered orangettes and wonder when will be the next time I'll pass by again.
Another experience I've had was those with Monsieur Truffe, along Smith Street. Monsieur Truffe proved to be a good choice for handmade dark chocolates. They were smooth and bold in fruit flavors. I've tried their raspberry and passionfruit truffles, as well as their orangettes. Needless to say, it is one of the better chocolates I've had so far.
The most popular one and the one most people are raving about is none other than Koko Black. It sets the bar pretty high with regards to quality, texture and flavors of their handmade chocolates. I always wanted to try their hot chocolate but everytime I pass by their shop at the Royal Arcade, its always full and people are queueing up outside just to get seats. Today, I made it a point to get there early at 11am and try a cuppa as well as some truffles.
I ordered a light hot chocolate, which was smooth and, considering that it's made with skinny milk, is still rich. Imagine if its full cream milk made with the chocolate in a cup, you will definitely be drinking melted chocolate. It certainly feels right to have a cup of hot chocolate on a cold Sunday morning.While waiting for my hot chocolate to arrive, I wandered to their truffle/handmade chocolates section and chose some to try. Even though I haven't heard raves about their chocolates other than their drinks, I wanted to try some just to see for myself and compare. It's all for experiment's sake :)
Dark Pistachio - This has a dark chocolate coating with pistachio marzipan. Dark chocolate was smooth in texture but I didn't like the marzipan too much. Maybe it's supposed to be grainy but I'd like it more fine.
Champagne Truffle - This tasted very much like a bavarian filled donut to me. Though not extremely rich, the creamy center was light and almost "airy". It also has a nice chocolate base to hold the champagne cream in. Raspberry Ganache - This is the one I liked best. It's milk chocolate with a smooth raspberry ganache. Not too sweet but there is a bit of the citrusy taste from the raspberry. I can feel that I'm getting a bit dizzy from the sugar-high so I walked along Bourke Street for a while. My last stop for the day is Cacao at the GPO. I can't particularly remember how I stumbled upon Cacao, but what attracted me the most is how beautifully crafted their chocolates are. I like the idea of well-thought out combinations and designs, where you can see the craft rather than just horking down chocolates without as much as a thought.The Cacao booth at the GPO is small for me but I might try and stop by their larger store along Little Collins Street. The size of the stall was able to carry I think almost all of the flavors I've seen on the website and I've already had my mind set on which one to have.
I had the one called Spark, which is described as "Dark and milk praline with caramel ganache enrobed in dark chocolate with an explosive finish." I think this is the best piece of chocolate I've had in my life. Seriously. It's smooth and creamy but the caramel wasn't overpowering at all. It didn't ooze out as what I've expected but it's more of a caramel ganache. When I bit into it, there were two layers distinctively, one wth the caramel ganache and a layer of praline. The explosive finish refers to the crunch from the praline, that when you chew, it crunches consecutively, creating that "explosive" feel.
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