City of chocolate

Thursday 25 November 2010, 2:21 PM
By The Team | Posted in Places

Just as Melburnians can easily nominate their favourite cafe or barista for coffee, increasingly many are becoming just as discerning about fine chocolate. At last count this city has over a dozen fine chocolate boutiques, ranging from historic brands like Koko Black, luxury retailer, Lindt & Sprüngli and now the newest kid on the block, Ganache.

Master Chocolatier and owner, Arnos Backes, hails from the land of chocolate, otherwise known as Germany (according to our yellow friend, Homer Simpson). Working with chocolate since he was fifteen, his passion for fine chocolate has even taken him around South America, where he travelled for eighteen months by motorbike learning more about the humble cacao bean – from which chocolate is made.

Everything you see at their Collins Street store has been handmade in their kitchen above their South Yarra store. The decadent cakes and patisseries are made each morning and delivered daily. They even have a Willy Wonka-type hot chocolate machine using 60 per cent dark chocolate, one using regular milk and the other using skinny.

You will be overwhelmed by the choice of 400 different varieties of chocolates on offer but personally I would recommend the salt roast almond praline– its salty-sweet highlights makes it a delightful eating experience. They also have released a new range of single origin chocolates made from the cacao from Madagascar, the South Caribbean and the Ivory Coast.

Ganache Chocolate Lounge is located at 245 Collins Street, Melbourne.

You are what you eat

Wednesday 20 October 2010, 10:26 AM
By The Team | Posted in Places

STREAT offers tasty street food from around the world while training young, long term unemployed and homeless people in hospitality-  giving them practical skills that will stay with them for life.

Inspired by similar social enterprise projects in Asia, STREAT brings the theatrical experience of hawker food, the original street food, to downtown Melbourne.

On the day we visited spicy Mexican tacos were on offer. We could choose from tasty free-form chorizo cooked before our eyes or a delicious stew of smoky refried beans. Either option was accompanied by a generous serving in a gluten-free taco, topped with fresh cheese and a tangy green tomato salsa. You can also try their pickled cactus, grown in country Victoria and marinated in bay leaves, garlic and chilli, and made locally in North Melbourne.

As a nice touch, you can also get a loyalty card which means that after nine meals, the tenth is given to a homeless person. STREAT also serves great Fair Trade organic coffee and juices.

Why not make a difference in your lunch hour? You can find the STREAT food cart at Federation Square from Tuesday to Saturday from 11am till 4pm.

Best in show

Tuesday 17 August 2010, 5:16 PM
By The Team | Posted in Events

After you’ve braved the queues at the polling booths to decide the future of the nation this weekend, stay in judgement mode and get your self along to the Australian Speciality Cheesemakers’ Association (ASCA) Public Cheese Show.

Try some of the best artisanal cheeses in the country and meet cheesemakers as part of the ASCA annual judging competition.

Here’s a sneak preview of some of the premium cheeses that will be on show and what we thought of them.

Milawa Cheese Company – King River Gold
Made by one of best-known cheese producers from North East Victoria, this multi-award winning heavyweight in the cheese world has over nine titles to its name. The King River Gold is a perfect introduction to washed rind cheese, which is traditionally known for its pungent and somewhat overpowering aroma. The King River Gold, however, has a delicate yet earthy flavour. One taster described the aftertaste as ‘salady’ or similar to alfalfa sprouts.

Locheilan Farmhouse Cheeses – Triple Cream
Reminiscent of a camembert or brie, this very indulgent cheese has been enriched with cream not just once but thrice! The soft, white mould exterior hides a beautiful, creamy cheese that has a light, almost airy texture similar to whipped butter. A devastatingly smooth taste leaves a lingering piquant flavour on the palate.

Tarago River Cheese Company – Strzelecki Blue
This was love at first bite for all the tasters! One person described the Strzelecki Blue as being ‘everything a blue cheese should be’. Made with goat milk, this creamy cheese from Gippsland South is not overly strong but has wonderful layered, smoky flavours. Its depth and complexity make it a must-have on any good cheeseboard.

Maffra Cheese Company – Mature Cheddar
Encased in white wax, this cheese is on a first-name basis with its producers: the members of a single herd of Holstein Friesian cows from central Gippsland who kindly provided their spring milk. That might explain why this smooth cheese has a sweetish, oaky flavour at first, and then rounds off with a definite tangy bite. It would be perfectly paired with a wedge of quince paste.

Sample these cheeses – and about 296 other varieties – in unlimited tastings at the ASCA Public Cheese Show, along with wine and beer, this weekend, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 August. The show will be held at the Palladium Room – Crown Complex from 11am until 4pm. Buy tickets at the door for $45 adult, and $15 concession.