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

Lindt Chocolate Cafe, CBD

There is finally a Lindt cafe in Melbourne and it is situated appropriately next to the luxurious Tiffany & Co store - what more can a girl want?! Perfect. Good news for those living near Chadstone - the Lindt store is opening in the new wing on the 19th August!! 271 Collins St, Melbourne. www.lindt.com.au (the website has not been updated with the Melbourne store as yet).

"I was jumping up and down when Tam told me that the Lindt cafe in Melbourne was opened. It didn't take us long before we made our way there and the cafe looked good when we arrived. I saw chocolates everywhere and couldn't wait to start ordering. Being the first meal of the day, I didn't want to start off with something sweet and thankfully, they had a breakfast menu and the breakfast panini sounded very appealing. That was delicious, it had ham, egg, mustard and mayo in it and the bread was lovely toasted. My dark hot chocolate was pretty good too. I really liked how they presented it, it came with a small jug of hot milk, a mini jug of dark chocolate and an empty cup. By doing this, it allowed me to control the flavour of the drink and made it to suit my taste buds. Dessert time, I shared with Tam the profiteroles and had a macaroon. The profiteroles looked great but just didn't taste as nice as I thought it would so I only ate one of them. The macaroon on the other hand was the highlight of the meal. The hazelnut flavour was deliously yummy and I could easily pop another few into my mouth. They have a wonderful selection of macaroons there and I couldn't resist and bought myself a box to take home to share with my family. Service there was a bit slow but with any new cafe, that's normal I guess. The ambience was quite nice except that it was freezing cold that day and the door kept opening bringing in the wind. I didn't feel as relaxed there, maybe it's better in the summer time. I'm glad that they're opeing up at Chadstone :)" MICHELLE

"We have been to the Sydney cafe and it was quite nice last time we went (except for the waffles which weren't that great) but we loved the Lindt Ice Chocolate drinks - ahhh memories. The new CBD store in Melbourne is very nice - high ceilings, glass walls but the ambience was a bit cold or was it the cold wintery breeze? Unfortunately for me, the experience at Lindt didnt reach my expectations but it was a pleasant enough visit. I LOVE the size of the standard latte glass here - LARGE!! But my coffee was very strong. Luckily Michelle had leftover frothed up milk in her jug which I used for my coffee which made it just right. Overall I think the CBD Lindt Chocolat Cafe is more of a summer/spring cafe for me. I can see myself escaping here with Michelle for a nice cold drink during a hot day. I would only return to Lindt Cafe for their macaroons or their cakes I think - their macaroons are just so delicious (I've had ones in Paris and these are just AS good!) - I could easily have one of every flavour. I am glad they are opening one in Chadstone as I don't think I would venture all the way out to the city but I will definitely be visiting the Chadstone store frequently for their macaroons and my coffee fix (hopefully it won't be as strong next time). Do try the macaroons and ice chocolate drinks ... SO GOOD!" TAM

Monsieur Truffe, Collingwood

Monsieur Truffe is a wonderful cosy cafe filled with rich dark treasures such as truffles, chocolates, beautiful french pastries and liquid gold. It is located towards the Gertrude St end of Smith St and there is meter parking out front. Monsieur Truffe should be listed on Melbournes top treasures to visit. 90 Smith St, Collingwood. http://monsieurtruffe.wordpress.com/


"J'adore Monsieur Truffe, I think I am in love. That is how much I love this cafe. It is a very simple cosy cafe with beautiful touches such as the Japanese design serving plates and cups. The service is TRES friendly (I have never encountered friendlier service) especially Monsieur Truffe himself (I think it was him) - a wonderful friendly gentleman. I ordered my large latte which looked so beautiful I couldn't help but smile and I loved sipping from the bowl. The pain au chocolat here is SUPERB but I have noticed that they are the first pastries to dissapear - so it is best to come early and try one before they are all gone. Michelle and I are definitely regulars here now - even though we aren't locals. Due to the location and parking and limited tables, I have a feeling it gets quite busy on the weekend so it might be best to go early. Do drop by and visit if you can! P.S Their passionfruit and raspberry truffles are heavenly" TAM




"I REALLY REALLY like this place :) It has a very warm and cosy interior with shelves full of delicious chocolates. This was our second visit and everything was just as good as I remembered. The hot chocolate that came out in a little cup was smooth, chocolatey and delicously yummy. I didn't mind the small size as it left room for me to enjoy other things like their scrumptious looking pastries. Tam and I shared the almond and chocolate croissants, they were flakey and buttery, I enjoyed every bite....yummmm. We couldn't resist and tried out some of their sample truffles and they were really nice with delicate flavours. Of course we couldn't leave empty handed, we bought some nice truffles and other chocolates to take home to enjoy. Looking forward to my next outing here :)" MICHELLE

Choclatte, Camberwell

Choclatte is a lovely small cafe hidden in one of the alley ways off the busy main shopping strip of Camberwell (right opposite a car park). Once you enter this place, you'll quickly get captured by the showcase of scrumptious looking sweets and baguettes. Rear 827 Burke Rd, Camberwell, 3124 http://www.choclatte.com.au/

"I enjoyed my outing to Choclatte this morning :) The cafe had a nice ambience and an attractive display of sweets and baguettes. I saw a big sign at the front advertising Lindt Hot Chocolate, I was excited. The excitment continued after we entered the shop, they had a big glass cabinet of Cacao chocolates!!!!! In my mind, I was thinking this was the perfect place for me, Lindt and Cacao chocolates happen to be my favourites. I'm a dark chocolate fan so I chose a dark hot chocolate drink and also shared a scone with Tam. The drink looked very good when it arrived and the froth was very tasty. When it came to the actual drink, I was a little disappointed. I had dark Lindt hot chocolate before and this tasted a bit different to that one. It was more towards the milky side and I much prefer my drink to be chocolatey. I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to coming back and trying the ice drinks. The scone was pretty nice, although a bit thick, it wasn't dry and tough. The jam and cream were delicious and went very well with the scone. Overall, a great little cafe and there's so many other things I want to try out here." MICHELLE

"I really like this cafe. The layout is good, nice clean decor, relaxing atmosphere and a great range of sweets and baguettes on offer. My coffee looked good and it tasted quite nice as well but when I saw Michelle's BIG hot chocolate cup - I realised I should have ordered a large as well (what was I thinking?). Michelle was surprised I didn't order a large - I must have been very sleepy. I didn't like my scone, as mine was undercooked but the cream and jam did go very well with the cooked part of my scone. What I really wanted was a slice of toasted banana bread or their custard donut but the diet side of my brain urged me to resist! I really want to come back and try the baguettes with my coffee next time - they just look so good! Overall great ambience inside, friendly staff and good coffee ... I felt so relaxed. I definitely want to come back" TAM

Cacao, St Kilda

This has been one of our favourite places for hot drinks and pastries for years, so of course we had to add it to our blog site. This cafe is so french and it's croissants are proof of that. Cacao specialises in chocolate but also has a great range of baguettes and pastries. It is nestled on the non-busy side of Fitzroy St (next to Mirka) with meter parking out front but there is free parking about a block away in the residential area. On the weekend, it can get quite busy in the mornings with families who frequent there for breakfast. 52 Fitzroy St, St Kilda 3182 Http://www.cacao.com.au


"I LOVE this cafe! This is because Cacao serves 'French Breakfast - a pastry of your choice and a BOWL of coffee' - that's right - a BOWL! Nothing can be better than sipping a lovely bowl of coffee with a delicious croissant to accompany it - perfect. Enjoying my breakfast slowly and catching up with loved ones at Cacao is a favourite thing to do over the weekend for me. My sister always likes to order the french baguette with butter and jam and my husband loves their baguettes which is lovely toasted. I used to just have my coffees here but after Michelle told me how good their croissants were - I always have a croissant now. I'm so glad Melbourne has Cacao ....". TAM


"No doubt this is one of my favourite places to go for drinks, pastries and cake. The interior and layout makes this place really warm and relaxing. When you walk in, the glass cabinets are filled with lots of yummy chocolates on one side and cakes on another. The pastries are placed in baskets on wall shelves. Just looking at them is enough to make you drool. Today I had the Cacao breakfast which consist of a bowl of hot chocolate and I chose the croissant to accompany it. The hot chocolate here is pretty nice, it's not milky which I like and the texture is smooth and thin but being a real chocolate lover, the drink is not chocolatey enough for me. I think a bowl is too much, next time, I'll stick with their normal size. The croissant is one of the best around, very buttery, I'm sure Tam agrees with me on this one. I highly recommend their ice chocolate, it's my favourite drink here and do try out their biscuits, it's soooo yummy. Actually, try out all their stuff, everything's so appealing :)" MICHELLE