chocolate

HOT: Brunetti, 194 – 204 Faraday Street, Carlton

August 31, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

There’s something to be said for revisiting old favourites. Before I moved to Melbourne, every time I visited the city I’d make a pilgrimage to Brunetti. Back then it was only a single store in Carlton, half its current size. I loved the European atmosphere, the mirrored walls and the glass cabinet full of cakes. [...]

HOT: L’atelier de Monsieur Truffe, 351 Lygon St, East Brunswick

August 8, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

Three words to cheer up your Monday. New. Chocolate. Shop! Collingwood favourite Monsieur Truffe has opened bigger and brighter establishment in Brunswick East and it has all of the charm of the original plus more. Thibault Fregoni, the ‘mister’ of Monsieur Truffe, has set up his own old-fashioned cocoa bean roaster and bean press, which [...]

HOT: Anada, 197 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

November 15, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

I have reviewed Anada before, but way before the full-fledged version of MEL: HOT OR NOT when reviews didn’t necessarily contain photos. I have felt for a while that Anada deserved more a few paragraphs of text, so to redress this situation some friends and I organised to have Sunday lunch there. In terms of [...]

HOT: Shocolate Chocolate Appreciation, 3/296 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

September 13, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

How much chocolate can I eat in one sitting? Quite a lot it seems. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights, Fitzroy chocolatier Shocolate holds a chocolate appreciation session for chocolate lovers. Thanks to Scoopon I was able to sate my chocolate appetite for $35 rather than the usual $80 and I spent an hour tasting, [...]

HOT Chat: Philippa Sibley of Il Fornaio

August 6, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

Over a million of us watched Masterchef Australia every night, which means you’re probably familiar with the work of award winning Melbourne-based pastry chef, Philippa Sibley. Being a HUGE dessert fiend, I’ve been a fan of Philippa’s work ever since I moved to Melbourne and she was cooking at three-hatted est est est. Her latest [...]

HOT: Shocolate, 3/296 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

October 31, 2009 ⋅ 12 comments

It appears that Melbourne’s appetite for artisan chocolate just keeps expanding – Shocolate is a shiny new chocolatier that has just opened in my hood, near the corner of Brunswick and Johnston Streets. On a steaming hot Saturday the outdoor tables in the teeny front area where all occupied, but anyway we wanted to escape [...]

HOT: Monsieur Truffe, 90 Smith St, Collingwood

August 16, 2009 ⋅ 10 comments

Today it felt like a big bad wolf was trying to blow my house down. I literally felt myself being lifted off my feet as I struggled my way up gusty Smith Street, so it was a relief to duck mid-trip into the haven of Monsieur Truffe. As soon as I stepped inside this chocolate [...]

HOT: Cacao Fine Chocolates and Patisserie, 52 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

May 28, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

St Kilda’s favourite artisan chocolate shop Cacao has sprouted more branches since I was last in town, which is a happy indicator of Melbourne’s ever-expanding appetite for beautiful handmade chocolate treats – even at $1.95 a mouthful. Cacao’s chocolates are made with the finest Belgium couverture (naturelement) and I like their brightly decorated avant-garde designs. [...]

HOT: Koko Black, Shop 4 Royal Arcade, 335 Bourke St, Melbourne

April 23, 2009 ⋅ One comment

In need of a chocolate boost, I ducked into the artisan chocolatier Koko Black and discovered that they’ve developed a product which taps into a lucrative market – students. I remember that as a uni student, I would regularly take a Fruit ‘n’ Nut into lectures, as it helped me to stay awake under a [...]

HOT: Ganache Chocolate Lounge, 250 Toorak Rd, South Yarra

April 19, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

The master chocolatier from Koko Black has defected to South Yarra to open his own chocolate store and cafe, Ganache Chocolate Lounge. The cafe tables and leather sofa make a cosy retreat from the South Yarra shopping strips and the selection of handmade chocolates and gelatos are a nice alternative to a restaurant dessert. For [...]