Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat - Balmain, Sydney

EDIT: I just remembered that ChocolateSuze mentioned that she thought we (D and I) were both female -____- haha. Did/do other people think/thought that too? Just curious haha.

After perusing and oohing and ahhing at all the different stalls at the Mosman markets, my brain was telling me that I need a good fix of desserts! And there is no better way to satisfy this craving than a visit to the newly opened Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat... apart from having a food bloggers gathering there ^^! Since this was my first time meeting them I was particuarily excited to put a face to Suze (ChocolateSuze), Lorraine (Not Quite Nigella), Belle and William (Ooh, Look...), and Chris and Tim (the way it crumbles).

Tucked away at the back, in its' own little chocolatey oasis, away from the hussle and bussle of the busy street, was situated the new chocolate cafe. I was running a bit late so I was in a hurry but as soon as I reached this area, a wave of calmness washed over me.

Entering this place, the simple decor made a big impact and I especially like these black and white lights hanging over the counter which remind me of hard boiled candy hee hee.

Wall of mirrors all with beautiful and unique frames - a very nice touch in my opinion ^^!
This cafe is not very big but it is not the size that counts :P It does contain a very beautiful lounge area with cushions and a red chandelier (Photo by NQN), otherwise customers can sit at a charming wooden table inside or sit outside and enjoy some sun.

Sweet Menu
There is also a savoury menu but I was more attracted by the desserts at the time. Since this cafe has only been open for a few days they have yet to add many more items onto the menu which makes me (and many others I am sure) a happy camper :D

Now onto the important part - the food! Luckily I arrived when I did because I was just in time to see one of the most spectacular sights! The bringing out of 'The Younger Years'.... but not just that, the bringing out of 'The Younger Years' in front of a group of food bloggers!! In a flash there were about 4 or 5 cameras ready to go haha I was in a state of awe and had to be reminded by Suze to bring out my own camera.


The Younger Years - Hot chocolate fondant with peanut butter ice cream and rasperry injection ($13.50)
I use a kidney dish at work everyday but this brought new meaning to it. A very very scrumptious meaning to it ^^! The hot chocolate fondant being injected by a huge syringe full of rasperry and cream was a sensation for the eyes, nose and mouth as it fills and then overflows out of the fondant. The combination is just magical, warm gooey chocolate and raspberry mixed with peanut butter ice cream mmmmmmmm my sort of heaven. There was also a generous dollop of peanut butter in the fondant to add an extra richness to the flavours. I personally found this dessert to be the best but maybe because I got a whole serving to myself haha.

I am not a Hamburger - Chocolate macaroon sandwich with dolcelatte gelato, rice pudding base and topped with crushed chocolate cookie ($13.50)
I only got one teeny bite of this but from that one bite you could taste all the different flavours. I was surprised to taste a strong banana flavour which was due to a banoffee flavoured component as well as a sticky toffee part of the banoffee. Same as NQN I did not get any rice pudding but I really liked this dessert as well.

Miss Marple Deconstructed - Marscapone crepes with maple & strawberry + orange jellies ($13.50)
Another teeny bite of this dessert just reinforces my need to come back and order one for myself. The sweet maple glazed crepes were soft and the creamy marscapone filling just completed this dish.

A wide selection of chocolates and macaroons

I thought these eggs were quite interesting
After filling up on dessert we scouted out the truffles for some sweets to take home for later ^^!

Butterscotch (bottom) & Gianduja (top)
I have yet to try the Gianduja (unless Pupu has devoured it already :P) but the butterscotch was filled with a rich gooey center but not too sweet. I am not a big fan of truffles but I want to try some of the other flavours.

ChocolateSuze's stash - Balsamic & Strawberry (left), Pineapple & Pepper (top) and Gianduja (bottom)

NQN's stash - Earl Grey macaroon, Fried Egg (top), Lime (right), Rose & Mandarin (bottom) and Pineapple & Pepper (left)

As we were about to leave we bump into the man himself and had a nice conversation about the desserts and other topics. It was really good to see how dedicated he is about his work and of course to meet him ^^! This place is a definite rival for all the other chocolatiers out there ;)

It was also really good to finally meet the other food bloggers and hope there are many more gatherings to come ^^!

Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat
308 Darling St
Balmain, Sydney

FFichiban