I’m a big fan of restaurants and dessert parlours keeping their classics, and then you get an influx of chocolate dessert parlours that offer essentially the same menu: waffles or churros drizzled/dipped in chocolate. So it’s always refreshing to see a chocolate dessert parlour distinguish itself. The Choc Pot has reappeared on my radar after serving waffles in chocolate for absurd price of ~$28.00 two years ago. Prices are now more on par with other chocolate dessert parlours.
2015
I debate between getting the matcha pannacotta and the matcha brownie, and given my aversion to cups of (what is essentially) cream, D and N suggest I go for the Matcha Brownie ($5.00). I’m very glad I did – it’s dense and strong in green tea flavour but without being bitter. The white chocolate added just enough moisture to break up the otherwise cloyingly rich brownie (or given there’s blondies, is this actually a greenie?!).
D has the Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae ($12.00), a ‘homemade salted caramel brownie smothered in melted dark Belgian chocolate, topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream and homemade honeycomb pieces’. I’m much too preoccupied with my brownie to get a taste of his, although he seemed to enjoy it immensely. Although – how could you not enjoy, when it looks like that – you can even see the vanilla bean in the ice cream!
We get a Lime & Raspberry Frooty Spider ($7.00-8?), which is one of the more satisfying drinks I’ve had lately. You can taste that it’s equal parts lime and raspberry flavoured, neither flavour dominates the other – like a less sweet version of raspberry jam with zesty lime. It’s sourness was refreshing between bites of sweet dessert.
Whereas most cafes will offer you the stock selection of teas (some variant of gunpowder/grey goddess green tea, peppermint, lemon grass, chamomile, etc), there’s a much more impressive selection of flavoured teas at The Choc Pot. They no longer have the soursop green tea that I purchased a couple of years ago, although they do have a wider selection than before.
One addition to the selection is the Turkish Delight Black Tea ($5.00-6?), a ‘tantalising blend of chocolate and rose petals). I was a bit apprehensive when I saw it come out in a glass jar that doesn’t let you remove the leaves. I was pleasantly surprised, though, that even after 15-20 minutes the tea still tasted pleasant – of course, there was a noticeable difference between the first and last cups (there were about three in the jar) – probably as a result of chocolate in the tea blend. The chocolate isn’t noticeable as such, but it does lend a slight sweetness to the tea that’s rounded out by the floral rose notes. It’s a very pleasant and balanced tea. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any being sold there.
2016
I’ve always enjoyed visiting The Choc Pot in Burwood over the bigger chocolate dessert parlour chains like Max Brenner and Oliver Brown. And while waiting for D to return to Sydney before heading out for dinner to celebrate T passing all his General Practitioner fellowship exams, we spoiled out appetites with The Choc Pot.
It’s the middle of winter, the tail end of a cold front with winds that chill you to the bone. So, I’m keen to try their winter special French Earl Grey with Milk Chocolate ($6.50) made with cream Jersey milk and milk Belgian melted chocolate and powdered French Earl Grey loose leaf tea.
There’s a very fragrant sweet citrus aroma with the richer chocolate. Yet, just as the bergamot orange notes in French Earl Grey are pleasantly mellow, the addition of milk chocolate also does not create an intense Jaffa-like flavour. The flavour remains enjoyably mellow, lending a brightness to the milk chocolate. That said, as it’s between a tea and a hot chocolate, it was a tad on the watery side.
Looking for something light to complement my hot chocolate, I opt for the Green Tea Panna Cotta Latte ($14.00), a matcha green tea pannacotta topped with a coconut and lychee pearl froth.
The menu says addiction is a possibility with this, but I can vouch for its inaccuracy. Proper panna cotta is silky smooth and just firm with a gentle wobble. This panna cotta was smooth, but also firm, dense and heavy. Much of the matcha powder had settled into the bottom third of the glass, unlike the photograph in the menu that showed a beautiful uniform green. Not that I mind, but it did make the base of the panna cotta even more dense and heavy. The lychee pearls in the coconut milk based froth went some way to cutting through the heaviness with pops of freshness, but did not save the disappointing (and overpriced) dessert.
This is Super Terrific Happytime ($12.00), with homemade crunchy waffle with salted caramel and melted Belgian milk chocolate, topped with salted caramel fudge pieces and crunchy wafers.
It’s super upbeat name aside, these waffles were satisfyingly thick and crispy on the outside with fluffy inside. It’s surprisingly light, even with the generous caramel, chocolate, and fudge. The Choc Pot should stick to chocolate-based desserts. They seem to get that right every time.
The Choc Pot expanded into the Sydney CBD mid-2016. It’s much more convenient than Burwood, but we didn’t jump at the opportunity to visit as we’d avoided anything too heavy for dessert for much of 2016. It had always been quiet when we walked past it to Chanoma opposite it.
In the mood for carbs, I try the S’more Nuts ($14.00), a ‘homemade crunchy waffle with TCP’s nutty butter and melted Belgian chocolate, topped with roasted hazelnuts and toasted homemade marshmallows.
I was hoping for something along the lines of their Super Terrific Happy Time, but alas, these waffles tasted like peanut butter on warmed bread. I don’t know if it’s the location but these just weren’t up to scratch. The waffles were crunchy only in a few corners. Perhaps the peanut butter flavour comes from the ‘nutty butter’ used to make them, but there was no trace of roasted hazelnuts and the marshmallows weren’t fluffy. Strangely enough, the marshmallows could be cut cleanly with a dry knife and everyone knows marshmallows are sticky!
T tries The Secret Garden ($12.00). It’s a mousse consisting of ‘a rich Callebaut dark chocolate layer and a light and fluffy Callebaut white chocolate layer with crispy surprises’. T enjoyed the smooth mousse but found it too rich by the second half even with the freshness from the strawberry.
To go with my waffles is this Turkish Delight Black Tea ($5.00), a black tea flavoured with rose and chocolate. It’s still the perfect tea for pairing with rich desserts.
T pairs his mousse with a White Peach Black Tea ($5.00). The tea has bright notes of white peach, which is impressive for the delicate flavour of white peach and the bold richness of black tea, that came through in the smell and taste of the tea. The natural sweetness of black tea pairs well with the white peach, although it’s best to drink this tea quickly as the bitterness developed as the specks of loose leaf that escaped the infuser continue to steep in the pot despite removing the infuser.
There are new frozen drinks on the menu and never one to pass up pear flavoured foods, N tries the Raspberry & Pear. While the drink looks the part of raspberry and pear, the unfortunate addition of mint meant that any hint of those flavours was drowned out. Indeed, there was only the slightest hint of raspberry at the end of each sip, and raspberry is usually a flavour that came through strongly, although pear doesn’t so much.
The Choc Pot is located at 7/1 Railway Parade, Burwood NSW 2134 and Regent Place, 501 George St, Sydney NSW 2000.