Just when you were told that our coverage for the Sydney International Food Festival 2009 was graciously concluded with none other than the famed panna cotta at Jonah’s Palm Balm blog entry, I could not help but to sneak this final entry in; and yes, it is another Sugar Hit.  As we enter the swinging doors of the Intercontinental Hotel, we spot etch and I remind my partner that we still have to try it. As we approach the elevated lounge area we can see other patrons with their dessert plates, what catches my eye first is the illuminated water feature in the centre of the room, which reminds me of the water feature outside of lumiere in the city, though this one doesn’t change into a vivid range of colours.

Front to back: Gold Leafed White Chocolate Dome, Dark Chocolate Chilli Slice and Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon with Chocolate Ganache with Nashi Pear Chutney and Vanilla-Honey Syrup

The White Chocolate Dome is soft and fluffy; the flavour is subtle and light with a hint of white chocolate aftertaste that swirls in the mouth after each helping.

Next, I do my best at slicing rapidly on the plate to gather the Vanilla-Honey syrup, by itself it is sweet and the vanilla is smooth. However, when matched with the other pieces on the plate, I find that I like it with the Nashi Pear Chutney as the syrup brings out the sweetness of the pear. I found that this was the part of the dessert plate that I enjoyed the most, however, the fact that it had nothing to do with chocolate was a bit disappointing as this dish was said to be an awed to chocolate.

The Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon is swiftly lifted from the Ganache and eaten in one movement. I found that it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but I enjoyed the nutty texture and it satisfied my fondness for Hazelnut.

The three chocolate drops and brittle chocolate stick is next, they too are nothing special in my opinion. Though it did well in simplicity and added an interactive element to the plate – picking up and eating a component.

Finally, the Dark Chocolate Chilli Slice, the chilli doesn’t really kick in until I’m half way through the portion. The ‘kick’ is more like a poke and is tolerable. Perhaps I was expecting a throat-burning sensation or a surprising dosage of chilli hit, which lead to my slight setback in this final piece of the dish.

The InterContinental Cortile Lounge

Cnr Bridge and Phillip Streets, Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (02) 92401396

NB: Sugar Hits have concluded for this year.

Sugar Hits that blogged did during the SIFF 2009

Sugar Hit #4 2009 – Jonah’s Whale Beach

Sugar Hit #3 2009 – Sheraton on the Park

Sugar Hit #2 – glass brasserie, Hilton Sydney.

Sugar Hit #1 2009 – Azuma Kushiyaki

posted by D

Impressive awards wall no? And isn’t that the cutest whale hee hee

Wait another sugar hit? … isn’t SIFF over already?

Yes it is but due to my tardiness I still have one final Sugar Hitting at none other than Jonah’s for the notoriously wobbly panna cotta. This humble little panna cotta has received much attention and praise when it first appeared on the blog scene at Taste of Sydney especially when there were even videos made about its wobbliness in all its’ glory. A pleasant drive up north through some windy roads and some residential areas (we thought we were lost :S) but finally the warm illuminated sign of Jonah’s came to light.

We arrived to a warm and welcoming fireplace and was given the choice of having the sugar hit there so of course we accepted! Nothing beats sitting in front a fireplace, munching on a sweet dessert, sipping on a nice hot chocolate and relaxing with some loungey/jazzy music ^^! Now if only they gave us a packet of marshmallows as well hee hee (but then is it a gas fire haha)

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Lavender Honey and Pomegranate Molasses ($20)

It was as good as we remembered from the vanilla ni… I mean, tip to the sweet and sour pomegranate molasses surronding it. The wobbliness is always a pleasant giggle-inducing factor of this dessert as well hee hee. However I wish there was more vanilla flavour at the base of the panna cotta as it was all concentrated at the top. Each bite of the silky smooth panna cotta scraped with the molasses resulted in a initial sweet burst followed by a small zing of sourness which made a beautiful contrast in the flavours. After the sugar hit we had a short look around and it does seem to have a great view that I would like to see during the day to match the already wonderful atmosphere.

I’d hit that Sugar Hit:

Sugar Hit #3 2009 – Sheraton on the Park

Sugar Hit #2 – glass brasserie, Hilton Sydney.

Sugar Hit #1 2009 – Azuma Kushiyaki

Jonah’s Whale Beach

69 Bynya Rd

Palm Beach, 2108

Ph: (02) 9974 5599

Head Chef: George Francisco

FFichiban

I think one of the hardest decisions to make during this period of SIFF is which Sugar Hit to hit up. Unless you are the ES&T crew who have been to every single one of then hee hee For me, reading other blogs and reading the descriptions over and over is how I choose…. But me being me and having a huge weakness for chocolate meant trying Sheraton on the Park.

Warm Chocolate Pudding sprinkled with Golden Almond Splinter, Honeycomb Ice Cream and a drop of Chantilly Cream & Brown Brothers dessert wine

The presentation was picture perfect with the melted chocolate flowing down the side of the beautiful brown pudding mountain while almond splinter dotted along the chocolate waterfall like golden rocks and a touch of sugar snow at the peak. The scoop of honeycomb ice cream is nestled comfortably in its waffle shell and the dollop of cream formed a sort of fluffy cloud.

Chocolate pr0n

When the first spoon sunk into the pudding I myself had a small sinking feeling as I was not greeted by a gooey, chocolatey centered which I oh-so-wished they had. However, the soft spongy pudding when matched with the ice cream and cream created a wonderful harmony of flavours and textures. I do wish there had been more melted chocolate but the ice cream and cream did very well as a substitute. I have to agree with Squishies that it can get a little bit dry when just the pudding but totally disagree on the too much chocolate part as I somehow finished off two of them…

We also spied the cool fish eye mirror and I couldn’t resist a mirror-me shot hee hee

I also enjoyed the atmosphere here which was very relaxed yet sophisticated. Nice cushiony seats and warm lightning made a very pleasant dessert experience. I did hit my head on the lamp as I stood up though haha -_____-

Spotted! Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera

SO SEXYYY ^^!

Overall I found this Sugar Hit worth trying out although I am still longing for that gooey, oozy center.

Sheraton on the Park

161 Elizabeth Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: (02) 9286 6000

http://www.siff.com.au/_webapp_276264/Sheraton_On_The_Park

FFichiban

Upon entering glass, a few moments will be enough to recognise the aspirations of its acclaimed interior designer Tony Chi. The ‘invisible design’ is no doubt noticeable, as a sense of space and welcoming-comfort is created by clear glass panels that are grand complemented by room-length mirrors which optically extend the room. At night whilst the city buzzes with energy and vibrancy below; above in glass, one can escape into this sanctuary of warmth, created by earthy colours and choice of tone, enough to lose a healthy sense of time.

The impetus for booking glass amongst the other options for Sugar Hits this particular night was that glass is offering a chocolate assiette. If you are not phased to such a short description, I would be interested to know the reason why, because even my interest towards this normally – which I would describe as hard-to-get attention and elicit any sort of opinion – was immediately attracted. Not only are you presented with a white chocolate and pandan parfait, but there is also a chocolate fondant, raspberry marshmallow bitter chocolate fondue and Earl Grey tea ice cream rolled in cookies and cream biscuit. Swoon.

Tonight, our Sugar Hit clique consists of FFichiban, Pupu, C and myself. A positive note of attending a Sugar Hit with camera-yielding food bloggers is that every patron is presented with their own plate, therefore food-blogger dining etiquette does not apply: you don’t have to wait for us to take pictures. Our booking is for 9:30 pm and we find ourselves arriving in a lively packed room on an expectedly-empty Thursday night.

Sadly, whilst for a regular patron, the atmosphere and lighting of glass is perfectly matched; for a food blogger, the hearth is squeezed with unease and agony as the lighting is poor and no doubt the pictures will be noisy, blurry and pretty unsightly.

Left: Chocolate Fondant, Middle: Earl Grey ice cream rolled in cookies and cream on top of a white chocolate and pandan parfait, Right: Blow-torched marshmallow with a shot of raspberry bitter chocolate fondue.

If you’ve seen the commercial on TV that advertises a new snack that takes the centre out of a muffin, as it supposedly is the peak of muffin enjoyment before it all goes downhill. Then I suppose the chocolate fondant is like the gooey-centre of Max Brenner’s Chocolate Soufflé taken out and made to a benchmark quality. The chocolate is warm and wickedly rich and with each spoonful, one cannot proffer words of description to describe the guilty pleasures within. There is silent agreement without words amongst the table that the fondant is perfect.

I think Earl Grey is an acquired taste that you will eventually come to appreciate, the distinctive aroma and flavour results from the infusion of bergamot orange. The fragrance of the fruit is defined and when imported into ice cream, it is frustrating that one cannot readily find this flavour offered at ice cream shops. To top it off, the smaller-than-a-golf-ball sized ice cream dollop has been rolled into cookies and cream biscuit, which is subtle and delightful as a texture on the palette. Served on top of a white chocolate and pandan parfait, for me, it didn’t really make sense. The pleasant and nutty flavour of the pandan overwhelmed the subtle hint of white chocolate, but I didn’t mind this because I’m a fan of pandan. However, I found that I preferred eating the earl grey ice cream separate to the parfait such as to appreciate the refined flavour of the pandan by itself, instead of confusing the senses with the combination of pandan and earl grey. I suppose looking back on the experience; it was combination that sort-of-worked.

Finally, the blow-torched marshmallow is served with a raspberry bitter chocolate fondue. I shot myself in the foot by eating the marshmallow without lathering it with the chocolate. But who can’t resist the burnt aroma? What followed was that I was left with the fondue without anything to dip. To make matters worse, the spoon which you are given doesn’t fit in the shot glass, so I ingeniously used the tea spoon.

The sharp and refreshing flavour of raspberry speckles (they were that small) when combined with bitter chocolate left me wondering how ‘it worked’. It was average to say the least and perhaps it needed the marshmallow to make it more-than-average.

If any of our readers have recommendations for the next Sugar Hit that I should try, feel free to leave a comment. Or, if you’ve also tried glass brasserie’s Sugar Hit, let me know how you found it.

Glass Brasserie

Hilton Hotel Sydney

Level 2, 488 George Street

Sydney, NSW 2000

Ph: (02) 9265 6068

Posted by D

Credits to FFichiban for the photos.

Taking a walk into Regent Place is like stepping into the world of Japanland. Just downstairs is a games arcade where you can play some arcade games (flex your basketball muscles hee hee) or show off your impressive claw machine skillz by winning some cute, scary-cute or simply weird stuffed toys. While upstairs is a foodies dream with not 1, not 2 but 3 shops owned by the respected Kimitaka Azuma. Walking in from George St we are first greeted by the newly renovated Azuma Patisserie (previously Cafe Azuma), then on the left is noodle bar Ton Ton and finally back on the right is Azuma Kushiyaki.

My first visit to Azuma Kushiyaki had left me a very happy man finally finding skewer heaven in Sydney. Although there are quite a few others places that serve skewers, their quality does not match that here of Azuma but then again the prices reflect this quality haha. They also have a extensive and impressive sake list! Sake and skewers XD is there a better combination? How about the addition of a Sugar Hit ?

Yes, I thought the tea was interesting enough to get 3 photos of it hee hee

I was excited when I read that Azuma Kushiyaki would be holding Sugar Hits and so on the first night of Good Food Month I made a spontaneous sugar run.

Here Comes the Food

East Meets West – Dessert Tasting Plate; vanilla cheesecake & Belgian chocolate mousse

You should had seen the huge grin I had on my face when I saw that each person got presented with TWO boxes. I was literally jumping with joy in my seat haha. The first Sugar Hit of 2009 seem to have totally upped the benchmark from last year. The vanilla cheesecake was ever-so-soft it was almost like a marshmallow and light and airy it was like eating a cloud sprinkled with happiness and sunshine in the form of colourful fruits. The chocolate mousse was more dense and rich but still had a very fluffy texture and smooth as silk. Each bite caused an involuntary smile to span your face mmmm pure bliss!

East Meets West – Dessert Tasting Plate; green tea rolled cake with chestnuts, mochi with kinako served with vanilla ice cream and Japanese brown sugar syrup & nori seaweed langue de chat biscuits

In the second box was the most irresistible ice cream with mochi and kinako combination. With the Japanese (Okinawa) brown sugar syrup being the icing on top. The warming rich sweetness of the syrup mixes beautifully with the ice cream, which is mostly melted, while the mochi gave a sticky and fun bite to this dessert. The green tea cake was also rich with green tea flavour and the chestnut added some texture and nuttiness to the cake. The seaweed biscuits were delightfully crispy and seemed to be lightly covered in sugar.

At 20 dora a pop this Sugar Hit is very worth it and I wouldn’t mind going back for seconds mmmm especially the ice cream… SO GOOD!

Previous Azumaing:

Azuma Kushiyaki – Regent Place, Sydney CBD

Cafe Azuma – Sydney CBD, Sydney

Azuma – Chifley Plaza, Sydney

Azuma Kushiyaki

Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping (next to KFC on George St – once inside it is past TonTon on the right)

501 George Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: (02) 9267 7775

http://www.siff.com.au/_webapp_276112/Azuma_Kushiyaki

FFichiban

Now come oonnn.. Giant Bald Head Chockie? Who cannot associate bald man with chocoalte now ?

Do you get a chocolate craving whenever you see a bald man? If that is the case, then welcome to my world! There is nothing specifically about bald men that arouses a chocolate craving from within but it is because who cannot think of Max Brenner each time they see one? Max Brenner was one of the first if not the first of the chocolate cafe trend that has been sprouting up with places like Lindt Cafe, Guylian Cafe, Boon, San Churros, The Chocolate Room, Cocoa…. and on and on. It was a big part of my growing chocolate addiction as it used to be so close (in Chatswood) but nowadays have to go up north or to the city to get their creamy, rich hot chocolates, cool refreshing PB Iced Chockie and their molten, moan-inducing souffle.

Soo if I drank the Dark Cinnamon I would turn into a beefcake pumping a chocolate bar, half covered in foam? …I’ll take 10 please!

Since Cupcake (yes, she is still alive yayyyyy ^^!) is out of Sydney we don’t have much time to catch up with her but when we do it is usually over food and especially if they insigate some sort of chocolate-induced coma. It was a bright and sunny winter day so we decided on Manly so we could also take a nice stroll on the beach haha (I also like classical music and candle lit dinners ) I actually haven’t been to Max in a while so I was surprised to see the new colourful cakes on display in the first photo and they also had some Limited Edition winter drinks and tasting platter.

The chocolate and strawberries are such a magical combination but we required something that was a bit more substantial

Chocolate Souffle ($9.50)

The warm little mound of heavenly chocolate comes with a pretty drizzle of milk chocolate but the best part is breaking it open to reveal the molten gooey centre and just watch as it lavas its way down onto the plate. The soft cakey exterior contrasts beautifully with the oozy inside of darker chocoalte but spotted with white chocolate bits. For $9.50 a pop it is not that cheap considering how small it is but it is worth every bite mmmmm ^^!

And it’s all gone… Pupu and I savoring every last bit hee hee Scraping skill +10!

Peanut Butter Iced Chockie ($7)

Oh how I fell once again to your irresistable charms… The combination of PB and chocolate is just genius and the flavours seep into every corner of the mouth to tantalize the tastebuds as much as possible! The usual Alice cup makes me so happy hee hee and talking about Alice, I can’t wait for the new Tim Burton version!! Much <3 for Johnny Depp hee hee

Cupcake chose the Dark Chocolate with Crunchy Waffle Balls ($5.50)!

A great contrast between the smooth and silky dark chocolate and the crunch crunch of the small waffle balls. Always a delight to have something to munch on while drinking hot chocolate

En.elle and Potato Pie also shared a souffle but with a scoop of ice cream for a little bit extra! Knowing me I would plop the creamy vanilla ice cream into the middle of the souffle and let it melt all over it mmm ^^! Potato Pie got a coffee related drink as it was served in the Kangaroo Cup but there was a drizzle of chocolate on top so I was okay with it unlike this guy….

En.elle got pure coffee at a chocolate cafe what a nOOb haha jkjk

Maybe I should shave my head bald… nahhh that way I’ll crave chocolate everytime I look in the mirror haha but is that a bad thing?

Balded Goodness:

Max Brenner – St Ives, Sydney

Max Brenner

Shop 11, East Esplanade, Manly Wharf

Manly, 2095

Ph: (02) 99774931

Opening Hours:

Mon – Thurs 0645- 2200

Fri 0645-2230

Sat 0830-0000

Sun 0830-2230

FFichiban

Whiteapple has moved away… that’s bad…

but Cafe Azuma has opened in its place!… that’s good!

but I have not actually tried Whiteapple… that’s bad…

but Cafe Azuma sells very tasty frogurt!… that’s good!

but I don’t know if their toppings contain potassium benzoate…

I am a big fan of yogurt and other yogurt-related products like Lassi, yogurt sauces (Tzatziki & Raita) and frozen yogurt (or frogurt!) is a great way to enjoy all the deliciousness of healthy and beneficial food. Other frogurt fans would know of Whiteapple Cafe at Regent Place but before I could try it, it decided to close down and move somewhere I don’t know haha. Fortunately Cafe Azuma opened up and still sell beloved frogurt, although it seems like that they do not have the same amount of topping selection as their predecessor nor do they seem to be as generous in serving sizes.

Instead of they usual rock and sand Zen garden they had a coffee and tea one hee hee

They also had some other desserts like this cheesecake and biscuits etc on sale

Preparing a forgurt with toppings (hopefully potassium benzoate-free)!

Green Tea Frogurt (Large) – $4.80?

Their frogurt comes in 3 flavours – Original, Mixed (original and green tea) or Green Tea. I prefer to have a stronger green tea hit so I opt for the green tea but the others are also good for a slightly sour tinge of yogurty goodness. There are also toppings which can be added for an extra fee, I like the red bean and moji combination but sometimes a fruity blast is needed and they have a few selections like strawberries and peaches.

Since I had not tried Whiteapple frogurt before I am unable to compare but one of my fellow diners stated that the portions were a bit more generous and that it was less icy then the ones we had. I did enjoy the frogurts here at Cafe Azuma and it is a good place to get a quick healthy dessert when around the Town Hall area.

Cafe Azuma

Ground Floor, Regent Place Shopping

501 George St

Sydney, 2000

Right next to fellow Azuma stores - Azuma Kushiyaki and Ton Ton

Owner: Kimitaka Azuma

FFichiban

(Photo from Masterchef website)

OH MY look at that sexy Zumbo… oh the cake looks tasty too!

Anonymous foodblogger: “I want his babies!”

I am very sure that EVERYBODY saw the episode of Masterchef (Remember to join Chocolatesuze, A Table for Two, Grab Your Fork and many others on MC Chat for the last 2 eps!) with Adriano Zumbo yesterday so I felt obliged to do my long overdue post about the latest Zumbo collection – 40 Days and Nights in Paris. This post is actually a combination of visits as each visit results in trying the new gateaux that I have not yet tried as they only have a few of the collection available each visit. This collection is his most adventurous one in my opinion and it has wins and some bordering on the too artsy for me but all in all these are all creations of beauty and a taste to match!

Here Comes the Food

Charlie!

Me walking into the store: “One of everything my good man!”
Charlie: “That’s what I’ve been telling everyone to do!”

I guess great minds think alike hee hee

OOOOh these boxes bring so much joy…

Visit #1

X – Pine nut guanduja mousse, dark chocolate creme, pate leulletage caramelise, sacher sponge

This millefeuille was simple (well maybe not after properly reading the description…) but totally delish and ranked as one of the higher ones in the collection. The flaky pastry contrasted beautifully against the creamy layers and the top have a sweet and delicate caramelized layer. The spongy layer had a hint of bitterness from the cocoa that also mixed well in the whole construction of the gateaux.

P (aka Youranuse) – Mandarin mousse, tonka bean brulee, pain d’epice, sour cream jelly, almond ginger crunch disc

This UFO look-alike appeared to be a very sweet one with it’s glistening coat but ended up to be just right with the gingerbready taste exposing itself with the first bite. The chocolate(?) sticks were quite interesting and added to the extra-terrestial look but the new version does not have them The shiny coat of mandarin mousse has the wonderful mixture of citrus and vanilla and along with the crunchy almond pieces this was also one of my favorable ones. I think the gingerbread really got me mmmm.

Z – Olive oil biscuit, olive oil ganache, vanill candied Kalamata olives, lemon & olive oil creme, vanilla lemon creme legere, jumbo gumbo jelly

This one was very interesting indeed! Never thought olive oil and olives could be so sweet but it only works when all the layers are eaten together otherwise the jelly (although has a cool name) can be very bitter. However after a few bites it does get quite oily so not as popular as the others.

W – Chocolate pop rock & popcorn disc, vanilla almond chantilly, dulce de leche, flourless chocoalte sponge, almond feulletine

This one was another favourite as it tantalized the ears and nose as well as the mouth with a buttery, chocolatey, popcorny aroma and a mind-blasting crack as you bring the knife down on the chocolate layers. The salty popcorn bursts really work well with the chocolate and the addition of dulce is pure genius and so is the popping candy! Now who doesn’t love popping candy?! This is something I want a huge bucketful to take to the cinemas XD

Just 2 fingers Tiger! – Corn, saffron & vanilla custard, vanilla brulee, chocolate custard, Yuzu creme, sable crunch terrain

This was Pupu’s favourite one so we ended up getting it on both visits 1 & 2. The name was a bit puzzling and had me curious about the source *raise eyebrow*. There is a brilliant contrast between the creamy fillings and the crunchy base which is similar to a cheesecake base but with rice krispies. Another more safer option and not too adventurous but tasty in more than 2 ways

Visit #2

Red Chicken Curry Pie

I totally agree with Pupu that Zumbo does one of the best pies in Sydney. The chunky delicate morsels of chicken is mixed with many tasty vegetables (beans, potatoes and mushrooms) to form a creamy and mild curry. The sesame seeds also add a nice flavour and texture to the pie. Mmmmmmmmm PIE XD!

Beef & Vegetable Pie

Chunky beef and vegetables clothed in a flaky pastry robe of deliciousness mmmm!

Amanda made the cut 6/11/81 – Milk passion caramel mousse, lime creme, passionfruit marshmallow, coconut crunch & brownie

This gataeux was an array of textures from the gooey marshmallow to the denser brownie base and another softer mousse layer. The flavours did pack a slightly sour passionfruit but mixed beautifully with the sweetness of the other layers.

Shisha – Smoked rice orange brulee, violet curd, pate sable with mandarin & ruby grapefruit segments

I found this one to have an asian twist to it because of the rice haha which provided with a good texture along with the creamy custard. The crunchy base was solid while the sourish segments of mandarin and grapefruit created a harmony with the sweet custard. The violet is pretty and a good decoration but I saw on later visits that they were missing?

Upside Down Cloud – Baked meringue, creme citron & sable sand

I had pretty high hopes for this one but it did not fully deliver but it still had a great combination of flavours and textures. The scattered pepper in the meringue gave little spicy bursts which enhanced the sweetness of the meringue. The outer baked shell was not as good as the inner gooey meringue in my opinion and the citron is a bit too much for me. I love lemon meringues but usually only if there is 20x the amount of meringue to lemon hee hee.

Visit #3

The sweet and salty macaron has a oozy creamy center and crunchy but soft sandwiching pastries and after eating this I totally understand why this happened.

Ed Rock the Cradle – Milk coffee cheesecake with chocolate cheesecake base, coffee scented caramel creme, Italian meringue

See some rocking action here! For this gateaux really does rock with the right amount of prompting. Tastewise it is also very nice with a lovely but not overpowering coffee flavour in each bite. The milk bottle is a cute addition although a bit too much of a sugar load especially with the rest of the gateaux. The meringue would have to be my favourite part of this one hee hee.

Escape from a Columbian Rainforest

Hee hee hee Coke! I ggeeett it ^^! This has turned out to be one of my favourties of the collection although the sourness of the citric acid on the chocolate layers can be a bit too much. The cherry cola liquid centre is absolutely amazing and with the chocolate mouse and cakey base it is heavenly! Cherry coke was/is my favourite version of coke and this took back in time.

Visit #4

Sorry no photos this time, but we did try the truffle creme brulee which is another winnah! The others we tried were the ‘Tube’ and the ‘Squeeze’ but they will have to be reported on another time hee hee

Sooooo another trip to Zumbo? YAYY!

Other close encounters of the Zumbo kind:

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat – Balmain, Sydney (5)

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat – Balmain, Sydney (4)

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat – Balmain, Sydney (3)

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat – Balmain, Sydney (2)

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat – Balmain, Sydney

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat

308 Darling St

Balmain, Sydney

Monday – Friday 8am – 4pm

Saturday and Sunday 8am – 5pm

FFichiban

After we stuffed ourselves with steaky goodness and fluffy pesto mash at Redsalt, we only had one thought in mind… where to dessert! Considering that we were already close to Darling Harbour and because I had been craving Lindt waffles for a few weeks, it was the place to get our sugar fix. We waddled our way across to Cockle Bay Wharf and we were greeted warmly by the giant Lindor Ball containers and shelves of delicious chocolate and delices ^^!

Here Comes the Food

Pupu’s Triple Ice Cream – Vanilla and White Chocolate, Hazelnut and Choc Chip?

A tasty trio of 3 scoops of Lindt ice cream was creamy and delicate ice cream. The flavours had their own accents and made wonders in the mouth but the scoops were ridiculously small, especially since we have had this before and they were decently sized before. Also the table next to us had 3 decent scoops of ice cream in their bowl so that was a big ‘boooo’ on their behalf.

Timmeh’s and Tomatosalsa’s Milk Hot Chocolate

I love how they give it to you separately so that you can control how concentrated your hot chocolate is Since I like mine thick thick thick ^^! One disappointment was that they charged for extra milk, unlike Max Brenner, which gives you free extra hot milk if requested.

Timatosalsameh pouring their Milk Hot Choc

Mmmmm

Lindt Waffle

The star has finally arrived… The Lindt Waffle! Freshly baked waffle with crispy outer shell and soft waffly waffle inside, topped with a scoop of vanilla speckled ice cream and drizzled in oozy melted chocolate combines to be one dessert fit for the Gods. The ice cream does tend to cool the waffle quite quickly so it may firm up a bit but still good mmmmm very good.

Post-chocolated waffles

Pupu vandalising my work of art!

Dark Iced Chocolate

Finally to wash down the waffle was a tall glass of cool dark iced chocolate! (as if the waffle wasn’t sweet enough ) The iced chocolate is good as it is pretty easy to down but after this visit I realised that I prefer the milkshake as it is creamier and thicker haha. Death by chocolate indeed…

Timmeh’s pro barista heart awwwwww <3!

Ooohh it’s Waffle time, it’s waffle time, won’t you have some waffles of miinnneee XD

Previous Lindting!:

Eveleigh Markets/Blackbird Cafe/Lindt Chocolate Cafe – Eveleigh/Darling Harbour, Sydney

FFichiban

The foodie scene in Sydney has been given a great boost in fresh and organic direction with a burst of Farmers’ Markets and one of the latest additions is the Eveleigh Farmers’ Markets. It is always exciting to check out a new market but it was made much more fun when going in with other foodies armed with cameras and a large appetite. Shez, Karen and I decided to crash Chocolatesuze’s stall at the markets and to stock up on some delicious treats while we were at it hee hee.

Whheee I really liked the ramp design, pity I didn’t take a full photo of it

Catching a glimpse of the masses below we prepared ourselves for some fresh produce goodness!

Ahh love this setting but I was slightly surprised at the size of the markets, as I had anticipated something a bit bigger

Chocolatesuze (wo)manning her stall!

YUMMY biscotti and shortbread! I was very eagar to get my thick cut pistachio and cranberry biscotti but alas, she had sold out all the normal packets before I got there X| Woe is me… but I did end up with a bag of off-cuts which still satisfied my cravings. Next time, please save me some Suze hee hee kthx! After saying haro, we had a good gander at all the other stalls at the markets and stocking up on some nibbles for breakfast.

That jumping cow was so cow I had to take a photo of her

Fresh vegetables!

The bbq smelt sooooo good mmmm ^^! They also have a very nice collection of sausages and other smoked goods

Mmmmm lamb

Fresh bread! They had some pretty giant slabs of focaccia which looked really good

Doggies enjoying the markets too

Shepherd’s Bakehouse with gorgeous fresh bready aromas seeping out of their display cabinets

Purdy flowers

Me pretending to be a photographer student

Honey products! I quite like the honey energy drink

The marinated baby figs were beautifully sticky and sweet… thinking back I regret not getting some haha

Gumnut chocolates

One of Shez’ usual haunts so with her recommendation I got the Classic Florentines which are stick-to-your-teeth fantastic.

Bread + Olive oil = simple but delish!

More olive oil and condiments

Hmmm she doesn’t seem too pleased about me taking this photo…

Yalla products stall had some awesome Hummous and yogurt

Shez enjoying some mango yogurt with honey granola

Portugese Mousse

All the fresh fruit and vege! I really wanted to get some Dutch Cream spuds but they were all gone when I came around for them

Chhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessee ^^! Somehow I always end up with cheese when I come to markets -___-

King Kong, king, king, king, king Kong, If you hear before you see me, I got king kong in the trunk…

This kid is scaring me…

Great selection of mushrooms and at a very decent price!

Apple Pie! Mmmm pie pie pie

Very tasty with a soft crumbly pastry and gooey apple filling. It can only be improved by heating it up slightly and adding some good quality ice cream mmm ^^!

Rosemary Focaccia

Rich oily taste with a soft texture to match.

Chocolate Eclairs

Karens’ ELMO baby wipes How suitable hee hee jkjk!

I am a Cookie Monster fan but Elmo is still pretty entertaining hee hee

This cute little guy had many admirers!

*pat pat*

All marketed out and now forwards towards lunch and mainly dessert!!

After munching at Blackbird Cafe (can view food on the other blogs ) we popped downstairs to Lindt Cafe!

The awesome lindor ball dispenser!

Another shot I got in before I was asked not to take anymore photos

Lindt whhheee ^^!

Karens’ bag of goodies, which I just had to get an inside shot of!

It was worth looking quite the fool for this shot XP

Chocolate Milkshake (with Iced Chocolate in the dark)

The chocolate milkshake was thick, rich and luscious which was just what I needed mmmm! It is quite similar to the Ice Chocolate but just a thicker version.

Food Bloggers doing what we do!

Ph33r my 1337 focusing skillz -____- … That’s right!

Chocolatesuzes’ giant macaroon

Read her description here. I was able to have a nibble of it and I really liked the crispy hazlnutty layer (reminded me of nutella) with the creamy chocolate layer mmm.

Shez’ Lindt waffle

The Lindt waffle is still reigning champion of all the waffles. Warm and freshly made, topped with a ball of creamy ice cream and oozy chocolate sauce mmmmmm. I am really craving one badly right now!

Chocolatesuze and her cutesy anime pose *BAKU*!

It was great to catch up with fellow bloggers and enjoy all the great produce the markets had to offer

Eveleigh Farmers’ Markets

243 Wilson St

Darlington

Ph: (02) 9209 4220

Lindt Chocolate Cafe

104-105 Cockle Bay Wharf

Darling Harbour

Ph: (02) 9267 8064

FFichiban