Melbourne's Chocoholic Tours

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Gastrology bloggers went on the Bittersweet Chocolate Delights tour courtesy of Chocoholic Tours.

Chocoholic Tours and its team of Chocolate Experts have been exploring the laneways and arcades of the Melbourne CBD for the past 20 years, discovering the best places to indulge that chocolate craving in the city’s many laneways and boutique arcades.

The boutique Chocoholic Tours run daily tours, seven days a week, stopping at up to six chocolate cafes for tastings and samples of their sweet wares.  

On these tailored and themed quirky intimate tours around Melbourne’s hidden laneways and arcades- chocoholics can meet the makers behind the chocolate havens of Melbourne, take advantage of Chocoholic Tours’ special offers and discover flavours and styles of chocolate they never even knew existed – and of course indulge in tasting Melbourne’s best chocolate product on offer.

Gastrology recently went along on the Bittersweet Chocolate Delights tour which caters for those who crave the bittersweet cacao bean bite…

First stop: Cacao Lab

Cacao Lab is passionate about making fine crafted chocolates, macarons, éclairs and pastries.

Led by acclaimed pastry chefs Laurent Meric and Tim Clark the café boasts an exquisite and extravagant sweet creations are hand crafted in our Melbourne kitchen by skilfully balancing flavours and textures into fine works of art.

We enjoyed the chocolates we sampled and in particular the decadent dark chocolate chilli hot chocolate.

Second stop: Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar NYC

Alison Nelson's first Australian store offers cacao goodness in a modern vintage setting with a touch of NYC style. Chocolate truffles, signature cakes, brownies and bonbons are complemented by a theatrical view of chocolate making in the bar area. 

We enjoyed sampling their red velvet brownie which is a lighter fluffier take on the traditional.

Third stop: Koko Black

Koko Black is one of our favourite chocolate haunts in Melbourne. We were pleased to visit the store where it all started in Royal Arcade. 

Since their first Koko Black salon opened in December 2003 it has turned into a local Melbourne enterprise proudly employing over 350 people.

Fourth stop: Haighs Chocolate

Haighs store is an inviting place where you’ll find that chocolate tasting, gift wrapping and personalised attention is all part of the service.

We enjoyed a selection of their milk pastilles, dark chocolate pastilles and artisan chocolate. 

Fifth stop: Gânache Chocolate Lounge

Our final stop was Gânache Chocolate Lounge. Located in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, on fashionable Collins Street, Ganache displays mouth-watering selections (all delivered daily), together with coffees, hot chocolates and light lunches.

We enjoyed their delicious hazelnut fan slice over a cup of coffee. The slice comprised of hazelnut sponge with whole roasted hazelnuts, covered in a layer of hazelnut praline and Paillete feuilletine, then a layer of soft milk chocolate mousse. Glazed with a milk chocolate glaze and decorated with milk chocolate curls and freshly roasted hazelnuts, it was a sight to behold.

What: A range of themed chocolate tour experiences. There is something for every type of chocoholic: if you like both milk and dark chocolate, try The Melbourne’s Chocolate Wonderland Tour, which takes in six different Chocolate cafes, including Haigh’s Chocolate; the Chocolate Lovers Tour is strictly milk chocolate; while the Bittersweet Chocolate Delights tour caters for those who crave the bittersweet cacao bean bite. 

Costs: $49.00 per person

Inclusions: Every person on a Chocoholic Tour is given a bottle of water, an “I’m A Chocoholic” badge, a map of the tour and a tasting bag for the chocolate goodies picked up along the way.  Each tour ends off with a decadent afternoon tea (more chocolate, if you can handle it) plus a coffee.

To check out the range of Chocoholic Tours available, visit their website: www.chocoholictours.com.au

Chefs Dinner @ Burma Lane

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Burma Lane.

Gastrology recently indulged in a delicious 8 course banquet at Burma Lane where we were taken on an exciting journey full of new aromas, flavours and exotic ingredients by Executive Chef John McLeay and Head Chef Johan van der Walle.

The venue represents Burma in an eclectic style. The ceilings are adorned with Burmese birdcages and western chandeliers representing the meeting of East and West and the dining room features Burma’s many faces, and that of their elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. 

The main influences in Burmese cuisine are Chinese, Indian and Thai due to Burma’s bordering neighbours. This has been combined with western influences through colonisation and trade and further diversity added by a myriad of ethnic minorities with unique ingredients and an incredible range of flavours.

Each dish showcased an amalgamation of those flavours - all so familiar yet so different. It was certainly a great introduction to Burmese cuisine.

Lentil and roselle leaf soup

Our dinner began with a delicate and fragrant broth of lentil and roselle leaf.

Scallops with turmeric cauliflower and Kachin tomato relish

The scallop dish was complex but well balanced.  The scallops were perfectly seared and bursting with natural sweetness, further enhanced by the subtle coconut creaminess of the turmeric cauliflower.  The fruity acidity of Kachin tomato relish introduced further layers of complexity.  It was a wonderful dish.

Cured salmon with pickled lime, chilli oil, balachong and sesame

The thick slices of cured salmon were served with pickled lime, chilli oil, balachong and sesame. A modern dish which utilised traditional Burmese ingredients, this dish was notable for the high quality textural fish slices and the interplay between salinity, heat from the chilli oil and acidity courtesy of the pickled lime. It was a simple but moreish dish.

Rakhine style banana flower kale and peanut salad

The Rakhine style banana flower salad of sweet crunchy roasted peanuts garnished with crispy shallots had an intriguing combination of flavours. All the dazzlingly fresh ingredients blended harmoniously, resulting in a clean and bright dish which was thoroughly enjoyable.

Prawns with smoked eggplant, egg and green onion

The eggplant was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a well-conceived dish that took full advantage of the eggplant’s supple flesh. The morsels of smoky eggplant were coated with egg and green onion and went beautifully with the perfectly cooked prawns.

Kachin chicken curry with kipfler and banana trunk

Pork slow-cooked with shredded green-mango, tamarind and shrimp paste

The pork slow-cooked with shredded green-mango, tamarind and shrimp paste was our favourite dish of the night. The dish was enjoyable for its robust and fragrant tamarind and shrimp paste. Together with steamed rice, it was a comforting, addictive dish. 

Coconut water tapioca custard, mango sorbet and sesame praline

Our dinner ended on a deliciously sweet note with coconut water tapioca custard, mango sorbet and sesame praline. Bold in flavour, the mellow tapioca custard concoction, together with the crumbly sesame praline matched the vivid mango sorbet to produce a balanced and delectable dessert. 

Burma Lane presents a contemporary Australian take on the best of Burma, doing justice to the rich and varied tapestry that makes up this interesting and delicious cuisine.

Location: 118 Little Collins St  Melbourne

Phone: 03 9615 8500

Link: http://www.burmalane.com.au/

Cuisine: Asian, Burmese

Chow City Media Launch

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Chow City.

Chow City is the hottest addition to Melbourne’s Pan-Asian dining scene. Offering a playful approach to dining, Chow City owner, Thu Fampidi, draws on her Vietnamese heritage and love of Vietnamese cuisine in creating the venue.

The kitchen is led by Kim-Maree Moore (formerly of Seamstress and Robbie Steins) and her sous chef, Olivia Badaracco. Together, they bring a wealth of experience in Asian cuisine to the kitchen, placing the focus on fresh and authentic dishes, which are at the same time unapologetically modern and unapologetically traditionalist.

The restaurant presents a vibrant menu of Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai and Malaysian plates, which feature a creative blend of authentic, traditional family-inspired dishes and modern street food. Small plates, like the Tom Sum and Thai Larb Moo (pork mince with lettuce cups) lead on to medium shared plates (although Chow City does not care if you share) including local Mt Martha mussels, Thit Kho Tau and Kim’s signature Crying Tiger.

The focus on stellar ingredients is clear with use of high quality, seasonal products from local, smaller farmers. 

Chow City’s beverage offering is delightful with interesting fusion-style cocktails featuring ingredients such as kaffir lime leaf, coriander, plum wine and rhubarb bitters. Local brews sit comfortably alongside imported Asian beers in a skilful blending of Asian and Melbourne dining cultures.

Low and slow, sticky plum lamb ribs, prickly ash rub & nam jim

The sticky plum lamb ribs were expertly prepared - juicy and succulent from having been slow cooked for over 12 hours. The outstanding ribs were slathered with a flavoursome sticky plum and served with delicious prickly ash rub & nam jim.

Blue eye ceviche, young coconut, nuoc cham, finger lime, radish, micro herbs, chilli oil, purple radish shoot.

The thick slices of very fresh blue eye were served with young coconut, nuoc cham, finger lime, radish, micro herbs, chilli oil, purple radish shoot. The dish was notable for the quality of the fish and the interplay between salinity, sweetness, heat and acidity. It was a simple but well executed dish.

Cauliflower, tofu, soy bean pods, mapo san choy bao herbs and crushed cashew crumble

This vegetarian delight was beautifully simple and delicious. Assembled similarly to any san choi bao, a lettuce cup is used as a “base” and then layered with the cauliflower, tofu and soy bean mix.

Slow roasted Kurabuta pork belly, Petite citrus and green mango, shallot and vietnamese mint

The slow roasted Kurabuta pork belly was another crowd favourite. Each pork belly slice had been succulently roasted to retain a porky juiciness, thereby achieving a healthy layer of melt-in-the-mouth fat in the process. The feature item was the crackling which possessed the ultimate crunch and acted as an ideal seasoning for the pork meat.

Beef Tataki Rare seared eye fillet, shredded daikon, ginger, heirloom tomato, radish, micro herbs tataki

The Beef Tataki was our favourite dish of the night. Displaying technique, elegance and skilful restraint, the tataki was both beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. The melt in your mouth slices of beef combined the best of both worlds (partially cooked, partially raw). A light searing ensured that each slice was lined with a thin crisp layer packed with caramelised beef flavour. It was a wonderful mélange of flavours and textures.

Lemongrass, ginger, red chilli coconut curry, snake beans, pumpkin, holy basil and kaffir lime with crispy duck

The perfectly seasoned curry possessed the customary punchy flavours exhibited by South East Asian curries and was a great match for the beautifully cooked duck. We loved the inclusion of sweet pumpkin and textural snake beans.

Chow City presents a journey of flavours: from light to rich, sweet to sour; inspired by ingredients, people, experiences, conversations and a visual environment, all with a very charming hidden sense of humour. 

Location: 287 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Phone: 03 9663 7898

Link: http://www.chowcity.com.au/

Cuisine: Asian, Bar, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese