28 February 2017
Sydneysiders and Melbournians are constantly fuelling the friendly rivalry that exists between Australia’s top two cities. Sporting prowess, football codes, liveability and housing affordability are frequently debated, as are fashion, shopping, food and coffee. Spurred on by this friendly rivalry and my growing curiosity of the Melbourne chocolate scene, I’ve decided to throw chocolate into the debate. And to heighten the experience, I’ve set myself the challenge of exploring the city’s top chocolate attractions in a day – my version of the “Amazing Race”, involving chocolates.
Hubby has kindly agreed to join me on this challenge, strategically mapping out the tram routes in advance. Bless him? So, at the ungodly hour of 5am on a Saturday morning, we set off for the first flight out.
Our first stop is the hip suburb of East Brunswick, to unmask the secrets behind the red door that is East Elevation. A cafe at first glance, bright and airy with a blend of original features including the high vaulted ceilings, concrete floors and unmasked brickwork, until one walks through and sees the antique cocoa press and roaster through the custom built glass walls.
East Elevation cafe is also home to the Monsieur Truffe chocolate factory and a small retail section of its bean to bar creations. If you time your visit well, you can enjoy a meal, sip on custom-made hot chocolate and shop for artisanal single origin and flavoured Monsieur Truffe chocolate bars while witnessing its production in real time – a one-stop chocolate destination.
I’d recommend the 80% dark single origin Dominican Republic hot chocolate for the connoisseurs out there, enjoyed with a single origin bar like the limited edition Samoan 67% cacao.
Next up, we go in search of a hidden gem amongst the many fruit, vegetable, poultry, meat and flowers stalls, in the Prahran markets. Cioccolato Lombardo is a tiny, unassuming chocolate destination that has evolved from a cart to a stand-alone shop within the market.
Tad, its owner and chocolatier, has developed a loyal following of his handcrafted ganaches, pralines, rochers and truffles, made in the minute on-site kitchen using Felchin Swiss couverture chocolate. The chocolate sourdough bar, with inclusions of crisp sourdough bread and available in milk and dark, is also a crowd pleaser. There’s sadly a no photo policy within the shop so I can’t share the extent of the chocolate range here.
Our next destination is best described as a modern day Hansel and Gretel candy “house”. At Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio, this fairy tale is brought to life courtesy of Darren and his team. With interiors bathed in pastel pink and white, and decked out in cakes, tarts, chocolates, biscuits, spreads and ice cream as far as the eye can see, it’s no wonder that Burch & Purchese is a revered sweet tooths’ destination. Why, even the walls are decorated with edible art made of chocolate and intricate sugar work.
If you’re here for chocolate, although it’s easy to be swayed by the tantilising array of other sweet offerings, check out the vibrant bars like matcha green tea in white chocolate with raspberries, explosive raspberry popping candy in white chocolate and single origin 66% Madagascan dark chocolate flavoured with tonka bean and pieces of dried pineapple and banana chips.
There’s no mistaking the purpose of our visit to Xocolatl (Mayan for chocolate). I’ve read about the handcrafted beauties here and am keen to get my hands on them. The retail outlet cum cafe in Toorak is one of three and the newest for this family owned chocolate business built on passion for creating ganaches, pralines, truffles and gianduja, made from fair trade Belgian couverture chocolate.
The most difficult decisions that one has to make are simply which flavours and how many to purchase. They all look equally as tasty with inventive flavour combinations like botrytis jelly, cardamon, mascarpone and raspberry, basil and champagne, and olive oil and sea salt.
It’s over to South Melbourne next to feast my eyes on jewel-like sweet creations. Bibelot, meaning trinkets or ornaments in French, is most befitting a name for this establishment featuring Chez Dre’s sugar mastery. One can’t help but be mesmerised by the perfectly tempered, glossy chocolate ganaches and pralines, colourful macaroons and impeccable sheen on the cakes and tarts, all glinting like gems beneath the squeaky clean glass display cases.
The chocolate creations here extend to tablettes or bars in white, milk or dark, bite sized chocolate treats, chocolate fudge and house-made gelato ready to be drizzled with dark or milk chocolate from the perpetually running chocolate taps. A true haven for the chocoholic.
The last stop that we manage to fit in, in this “Race” against time, is a purveyor of artisan hot chocolate. Located in North Melbourne, Mork Chocolate Brew House processes and blends imported cocoa beans on-site to produce cacao liquor and cacao powder, the starting materials for their exclusive range of hot chocolates, chocolate ganaches as well as small treats of cakes and tarts.
There’s even a house-made cocoa flavoured soft drink. The Cacao Cold Brew is both light and freshening. Plus, the young at heart chocolate connoisseurs may be interest to hear about the new limited release 60% dark chocolate milk, a twist on the childhood treat with a touch of decadence.
Six chocolate destinations later, we are both exhausted but exhilarated. Did we triumph in this “Amazing Race”? Having covered six shops in six different suburbs spread across Melbourne, by tram and on foot, and making it back to the airport in time for our flight home, I certainly think so!
Now, more importantly, which city do I think reigns supreme in the chocolate arena? Sydney, as much as I love you, your chocolates, more predictable weather and world class beaches, I’m afraid I have to hand this one to Melbourne…..for now!
The brainchild of its namesake creator, 
At this point, some of you may be wondering – is it free of flavour too? I had my doubts so decided to pay a visit to the single Sydney store, located in the industrial-turned-hip suburb of Alexandria. In hindsight, perhaps I could have picked a better day – extreme summer conditions with the mercury hovering around the high 30s to low 40s degrees Celsius and a malfunctioning freezer. Nonetheless, I persist. It’s quiet when I arrive. There’s the familiar sight of the signature raw chocolate bars. On top of this, there’s also a tantalising selection of raw chocolate cake slices, ganaches, pralines, rochers and chocolate squares. It’s too early for cake so I settle on a small selection of ganaches, in particular the Caramel Lava Drop, Turkish Rose, Coconut Barrel and Lavender Heart.
I’m truly amazed by how good they taste! Thumbs up for the Coconut Barrel – a generous centre of dessicated coconut, enrobed in dark raw chocolate. The savouriness of the coconut pairs very well with the dark chocolate, and balances the overall sweetness. The Turkish Rose, far from Pana’s take on the Turkish delight, is in fact pure essential rose oil infused raw chocolate ganache. It’s pleasant on the palate, with just the right amount of sweetness. The Lavender Heart, a perfect Valentine’s Day treat for a loved one, comprises a layer of lavender infused white chocolate, sitting atop dark raw chocolate. It’s rich, smooth, has accents of lavender, a hint of salt and subtle sweetness that just pulls the whole combination together beautifully. The Caramel Lava Drop is dark raw chocolate with a dollop of molten caramel – I like the ooziness of the caramel but this combination is a tad sweet for me.
I’ve also tried several of 
I can’t get enough of the Raw 70% Salt and Nibs bar. The cacao nibs and sea salt granules are a play on textures in this rich and smooth bar, sweetened with coconut sugar.
The Raw 85% bar is intensely earthy, both in aroma and flavour. It’s also slightly bitter, mildly acidic and with a lengthy finish of lemons, skins and all. Strongly recommended for the cacao enthusiast.
The chocolate is made bean to bar from cacao beans sourced directly from farmers in Papua New Guinea and available as 77% dark, 40% milk and 37% white cacao chocolate. The added attraction is the freshness of the chocolates – apparently “made from scratch in the last 72 hours” in their factory in Noosa. My top seasonal picks are the chocolate baby strawberries (they’re actually not that small!), chocolate cherries and the Bowen mango macadamia.
If you drop by their cafe and retail outlet, “The Dark Chocolatier”, just five doors down from their flagship store, do try their hot or iced chocolates. I had the 73% dark cacao skinny iced chocolate and it was delish!
Brownies are brownies…..until you sink your teeth into 
Phoebe, the owner’s daughter, tells me that the Luxury Classic is the original flavour and their most popular, and offers me a sample. It’s decadent, rich, chocolatey and very moorish. I can definitely appreciate its appeal and end up with several brownies to take home with me, based on Phoebe’s recommendation. Aside from the brownies, 
Murielle takes inspiration from several sources in creating her flavours, including her Swiss heritage (The Matterhorn) and suggestions/ requests by her regular clientele (Alexandria’s Mint).
Another destination worthy of a mention is 
The 
Re-discovered in the Maranon Canyon in Peru less than 10 years ago, the Fortunato No. 4 derives its name from the owner of the property from which the “mother tree” was found – Don Fortunato and the number of the sample tested and verified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be genetically Pure Nacional cacao.
The Pure Nacional cacao yields a unique mixture of white and pale purple beans, generally in a 40:60 ratio. This is as opposed to the other varieties that typically produce either 100% of white or pale purple beans. This unique mixture is thought to contribute to the exquisite aromas and flavours of the resultant chocolate.
I recently purchased a bar of the 
The packaging has earthy tones, reflective of the habitat of the cacao, and colourful motifs resembling leaves of the cacao trees but also the pods. Simple but meaningful. There are two small bars per pack, vacuum sealed in a separate inner packaging.
As soon as I tear open the inner packaging, I am immediately greeted by the inviting aroma of fruits, reminiscent of ripe plums. I break off a piece; the chocolate has a good snap. The initial flavours are intensely fruity, like a medley of sweet stone fruits with hints of lychee. This is followed by lengthy notes of toastiness, think roasted cashews. There is an ever so slight bitterness on the tongue as the chocolate melts, which lingers after all the chocolate has disappeared. My palate is left fresh, despite this.