6 November 2016
Oh yay! What a week it has been……Week long birthday celebrations, lots of feasting and chocolates of course?. And, to top it off, I’ve finally made it to Oh Boo!
Located in Barangaroo, Sydney’s newest business and entertainment precinct, the shop occupies a cosy retail space amongst classy cafes and restaurants, and skyscrapers of new offices and apartments. The perfect location, I think, to showcase Fanny’s premium selection of European-inspired, vegan and kosher artisanal chocolates.
The decor is chic, like the chocolates. Dainty and ornate ganaches and truffles, displayed under glass cloches, are the centre piece and main attraction. According to Fanny, the Belgian trained chocolatier and co-owner, the flavours are inspired by local and seasonal Australian ingredients. This is clearly reflected in the selection on offer including the Australian lavender, honey and rose ganache, ginger and mandarin ganache, strawberry jelly and mint ganache, and the blood orange caramel with pomegranate truffle.
The strawberry jelly and mint ganache is a pleasant surprise. I was expecting punchy mint flavours but instead, the strawberry jelly shines in this combination. The thin layer of jelly complements the smoothness of the dark chocolate ganache, with the mint playing an ever so subtle supporting act. The blood orange and pomegranate infused thick caramel milk truffle is refreshing but a tad sweet. Perhaps a bit more acidity from the orange plus a hint of bitterness from the peel is required to counteract the sweetness.
When Fanny senses my more discerning taste for chocolates, she asks Rachel, the shop assistant, to bring out the “secret stash”. Rachel pulls out a selection of organic raw cacao mini bars from a hidden cabinet, and my eyes light up immediately. These bars are apparently reserved for the chocolate connoisseurs. Made bean to bar using a blend of criollo and trinatario cacao beans, and sweetened with only coconut sugar, they are healthier too.
Fanny and Rachel encourage me to sample the 70% raw cacao bar with reishi and Siberian pine nuts. What an interesting combination! I learn that reishi is a special variety of Japanese mushrooms, also known as lingzhi to the Chinese, with known medicinal properties. The reishi adds to the earthy, toasty aroma of the chocolate. The flavours are robustly tannic and bitter, with the pine nuts adding texture to the bar. I personally like it but acknowledge that it will not suit all tastes. The raw cacao bar with spirulina and cashew, infused with lemon essential oil, is comparatively “lighter”. The lemon shines through in this bar, with the cashew adding a textural twist.
I’m unreserved in my opinion that appreciation for fine, artisanal chocolates is still slow on the uptake in Australia. However, with ambassadors like Oh Boo chocolates unrelentingly leading the way and creating novel chocolate experiences, at a competitive price point, I am confident that tastebuds and preferences are surely headed in the right direction. Keep the creativity coming Fanny, and best of luck as Oh Boo settles into the buzzing new precinct of Barangaroo!
