Koko Black, Carlton

It would be sacrilegious for a 'Hot Chocolate & Latte' blog to not mention the wonderful and fabulous Koko Black! In our opinion, we really believe Koko Black did wonders for Melbourne and it does everything beautifully - from their hot drinks, smooth chocolates, desserts, salon decor and more recently even their tea selection (separate blog entry to be posted in November). Out of the total 6 salons in Melbourne, why did we choose Lygon St do you ask? Our answer is simple and sweet - two delicious words .... 'Chocolate Moelleux'. 167 Lygon St Carlton. http://www.kokoblack.com/


"There are quite a few Koko Black stores around but only the Carlton one serves up special desserts and one of my all time favourite is the Chocolate Moelleux, it is to die for :) Tasting that dessert again, it was still as good as I remembered. I love seeing the delicious runny chocolate oozing out of the centre when I dug my spoon into it. That lovely raspberry sauce that accompanied the dessert matched very well, it reduced the overly rich taste of the chocolate. Usually I would order my all time favourite hot chocolate but since we were already having a chocolate dessert, I decided to go with the hot chocolate mocha. It has to be one of the best mocha's around :) Most place's mocha tend to have a stronger coffee taste but I much prefer a stronger chocolate taste with a hint of coffee and this place created the right balance that I like." MICHELLE

"The only reason we venture to the Lygon Street Salon is for their Chocolate Moelleux with Raspberry Espuma' dessert dish. We've been to most of the salons, and so far Carlton is the only place that serves this heavenly concoction on a plate. I still remember the first time I sampled it with my good two good friends - I was blown away. When you gently dig your spoon into the soft chocolate sponge, dark smooth gold oozes out and when combined with the sweet sour taste of the raspberry cloud-like froth, bits of pistachio and crunchy biscuit - it is absolute heaven. This is definitely the star of all desserts here. It is so good that it actually silences Michelle and I for a few minutes whilst we enjoy every spoonful. It is quite rich so it's nice to share this dish. The lattes at Koko Black are consistently great - so good that I am always tempted to get a second one. I have never had a bad latte here so that is very re-assuring! Enjoy!" TAM

Cafe Vue at 401 St Kilda Road

Shannon Bennett seems to have wowed Melbourne with his successful Vue De Monde restaurant so we were very glad to hear that his second Cafe Vue was situated just outside the CBD, a much more accessible location. As usual, we were both over-excited at the thought of sampling what the genius Mr. Bennett had to offer on a more affordable scale and this is how our first visit went. 401 St Kilda Rd (near the corner of Toorak Rd). http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/cafe-vue.aspx

"Cafe Vue had a nice ambience - it was spacious and modern with nice french touches here and there and I have to say the service was fantastic, extremely friendly and thoughtful waiters/resses. My typical breakfast out is always a coffee and a pastry whereas Michelle on the other hand has to start her day off with something savoury, traditionally eggs on toast. So to keep her company, I decided to try the duck cassoulet jaffle which I have never seen on a breakfast menu before and for $6.50, it was extremely affordable. I was expecting tiny portions but it was quite big with generous filling. The duck was fatty and teamed with the beans it was very good. However it is best to eat this straight away when hot. The croissant was very average and not something to rave about (the jam was heavenly) and unfortunately neither was the coffee. The coffee was cute but small and a bit too strong for my liking. Of course, we HAD to get some baguettes takeaway for our lunches which were SO good. I tried the cocktail prawn and it was beautiful - the baguette was chewy just like in Paris and the prawns were big and full of flavour. I loved every bite and know I would be returning for their baguettes. And maybe an eclair or a macaroon next time as well. Overall I would say 401 is great for lunches and meals." TAM



"Knowing that this cafe was related to the famous Vue De Monde, it got me very excited. I do like to start off the day with something savoury so I chose the eggs on toast. The eggs were cooked at 62 degrees which meant that it was still runny inside. Never had eggs done this way and it was quite nice. Only problem was that they added abit of pepper on top and I'm not a pepper fan. The croissant was only so so and the hot chocolate was nothing to rave about. It was actually quite milky, and I'm a big chocolate fan so like it to have a stronger chocolate taste. The take away wagyu pastrami baguette was so delicious :) The bread was really nice and the filling was so good and thanks to Tam who took out the cheese for me :) Will surely return to sample their baguettes again and their nice showcase of sweets." MICHELLE