Mörk Chocolate Brewhouse – Calling All Chocolate Lovers!

Inside Mork

Mork Products

Mork Products

Inside Mork

Sweet Treats at Mork

Chocolate at Mork

Great Customer Service

Inside Mork

Inside Mork

Vanilla Bean Infused Mineral Water

Housemade Hot Chocolate

Layered Chocolate

Campfire

Hot Chocolate and Layered Chocolate

Pouring of the Campfire

Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow

Close up of the Marshmallow

Dipping Marshmallow

Menu:

I have always loved Hot Chocolates so was excited to learn that one of my favourite brands of Hot Chocolate – Mörk – had opened a café / brew house / specialty store – solely dedicated to hot chocolates; yep that’s right no coffee in sight! This has been a long awaited move for co-founders and partners Josefin Zernall and Kiril Shaginov – who come from a speciality coffee background – and wanted their customers to be reminded of their childhood. Both used to work in Sweden at a coffee roaster together and started up Mörk in 2012 and have been supplying a number of Melbourne cafes with their Chocolate for over three years now.

Mörk Brewhouse is located in Errol Street in North Melbourne in a space that used to be a 1950s bakery warehouse. It has a very modern, light filled and welcoming air about it – from the friendly staff at the counter who take the time to welcome you personally whilst preparing hot chocolate for other guests to brilliant aroma that fills the air.
The space is intimate yet doesn’t feel crowded – seating just 18 people at a time – featuring bleached wood, angled grey tiles with brass accents.
The warehouse attached to the café will make chocolate on site. There are also shelves which stock product for you to take home to enjoy the blissful Mörk products for yourself. I absolutely love the crockery they use as well – imported Japanese Arita porcelain – custom made beakers to house the delicious and rich chocolate when it is presented to you.

Chocolate is similar to coffee – it has different classifications, varieties and single origins – all of which has a focus here at Mörk. You can find a range of drinking chocolate blends (starting from 50% cacao (Junior Dark) and going up to 85% cacao (Even Darker)) as well as new ingenious chocolate combination delights which include the Breakfast Chocolate (House-made Oat Milk, Dark Chocolate and Cinnamon), A Chocolate Bar (Hot Chocolate, Hazelnut and Caramel). The little ones aren’t forgotten here with a specially designed menu for the them – Chocolate Foam (Milk Foam with Chocolate Sparkle) and Mini Chocolate (Junior Dark Chocolate with Marshmallow).

There are also small sweet treats available which are either made in house or off-site using Mörk’s specially crafted recipes such as – Hazelnut Financier, Lemon Financier, Brioche and Hazelnut Spread (all $5.00) and Canele ($4.00). There are also small sized pieces of chocolate on offer for you to enjoy – Smoked Vanilla Water Based Truffle and Pure Alba Cinnamon (both $3.50) and Marshmallows ($1.50).

We arrived around 3:30pm on a Sunday to a line of people – both waiting for a seat inside or for takeaway. We needed a table for three and were told by the friendly staff that it would be around a 15 minute wait. We were happy to wait and enjoyed the aroma of the fresh chocolate being prepared for the other patrons, as well as looking at what products were available to buy.

Once we were seated we were served sparkling mineral water that had been infused with Vanilla Bean which was to cleanse our palate. The Vanilla Bean flavour was subtle yet strong at the same and was super delicious! You could really see yourself having a bottle full of this mineral water. Even Dad loved it so much so he wanted to try and infuse his own mineral water at home!

We ordered our drinks and eagerly waited for them to arrive. Dad ordered the Layered Chocolate – Chilled Dark Chocolate with Warm Custard. The combination of the rich warm chocolate together with the cool vanilla bean infused custard was delicious. The custard added an extra depth of flavouring to the already brilliant tasting chocolate.

Mum ordered the House Hot Chocolate in Original Dark (70% Cacao) which she enjoyed. The delicate note of the Cacao Venezuelan chocolate was rich, smooth and delicious.

I ordered the Campfire Chocolate (Hot Chocolate, Smoke and Marshmallow). I love how this “dish” comes served – on a wooden board. The hot chocolate is served in a porcelain beaker with a caged glass that is smoked with the wood of the day – on this day it was Beechwood, a house made marshmallow and finished with a pinch of smoked salt. The staff explains that you lift the glass and inhale the aroma from the wood smoked fumes and then pour the chocolate in. You have the option of stirring it through using the marshmallow and adding a sprinkle of salt to taste if you want.
The hot chocolate tastes divine – as it has the combination of the cacao together with the smokiness from the infusion of the wood. The marshmallow is like a cloud in your mouth that melts away and keeps you wanting that next bite. I did add a pinch of salt as well – but couldn’t’ really taste the saltiness come through. This really is a must try!

I love the concept of the Mörk Chocolate Brew House and the way the place has been fitted out. The service is friendly, warm and welcoming – I really wish it was located closer to the city so that I could go here during work hours!

Mörk Chocolate Brew House is currently only open during the day but is looking at introducing early evening Hot Chocolate tasting classes for those who want to further their Chocolate education – frankly who wouldn’t! Keep a lookout on their website and Facebook page for more information about when these will be launching.

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to picture above. A selection of hot chocolates, water based chocolates, signature chocolates as well as a menu for Little Ones. There is also a sweet and Savory section.
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Classy, Welcoming, Modern and Relaxed
Service: Fantastic! Really friendly and inviting
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
morkchocolate.com.au
150 Errol Street, North Melbourne
Tel No: 9328 1386

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 9:00am – 5:00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorkChocolate
Instagram: morkchocolate
Twitter: @morkchocolate

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Pop Up Scroll – Bringing Scrolls Back Into Fashion!

Menu:

Amongst the entire Doughnut, Cronut, Dossiant, Cruffin hype comes the latest craze – SCROLLS! Enter Melbourne’s first new scroll boutique – Pop Up Scroll – located in Smith Street, Collingwood. Serving up freshly baked swirls of goodness made each morning alongside some delicious, carefully prepared coffee – which has been supplied by Coffee Supreme. Coffee and scrolls – a perfect combination to kick off your early morning start or for an afternoon treat.

Pop Up Scroll was created by trained cook, baker and now full time pastry chef Julian Chew together with his wife Tammy Chew. They are both not new to the food industry, having previously owned the popular Lip Café in Ivanhoe. Julian has previously apprenticed under Matt Moran (of famed restaurant Aria) and done stints at Loafer Bread and Da Noi – firmly cementing his niche as a pastry chef.

Here, the focus is on coffee and scrolls only and they do it very well. The idea came about when Julian used to prepare Cinnamon and Cream Cheese scrolls for his former café and he was finding that he would be selling out of these delicious goodies on a regular basis. People would come from near and far to sample these tasty scrolls. Due to its increasing popularity both Julian and Tammy thought it would be a good idea to expand the concept and invest in this idea further – and Pop Up Scroll was born!

Pop Up Scroll has a philosophy to take customers back to their childhood by producing beautiful, fresh scrolls in unique flavour combination by utilising some of the lost arts of cooking. Each scroll is made using techniques that Julian has learnt throughout his impressive fine dining pastry training and is made free of any chemicals and additives, and with the use of organic ingredients.

Eat a Scroll bake two batches of scrolls daily – one in the morning for the pre-work rush and another in the afternoon for the afternoon tea & coffee crowd. Currently there are six different flavours on offer – Traditional Cinnamon Bun with Cream Cheese Frosting, a Malaysian inspired scroll of Shredded Coconut and White Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Banana, Chocolate and Caramel as well as a Chocolate and Custard flavour – all of which are on a brioche base. The brioche base scrolls come in two sizes – large and mini – with certain special flavours available as well – the day that I went there was the Cherry, Cream Cheese & Gingerbread. There are also flavours available that are baked using a croissant base (similar to an escargot) – these are Pistachio and Cherry or Apple and Frangipane, Traditional croissants and almond croissants are also available for your eating pleasure.
There are the traditional coffees available as well as Affogato, Ice Coffee and House Blend Chai (which can be served Hot or Iced) served with Bonsoy & Coconut Milk if needed.

The vibe is blissfully charming, complete with a retro fit-out. I love the pastel shades that are used along with cute retro style girl and boy doll decals on the main wall, together with the words EAT A SCROLL and DRINK COFFEE. Simple yet effective styling. There are two mint green cabinetry units – one which displays packets of Callebaut Chocolate and King Island Coconut Milk Creamer, along with coffee cups and the other displaying Parker’s bottled drinks – Ginger Beer, Cola etc along with an old school radio. There is minimal seating available (seats around 15 people)– in the form of small round tables, as well some seating along the window, overlooking the main street. The simplicity together with the playfulness works well together.

When it came to ordering I decided to order a mini original cinnamon and cream cheese scroll and was tempted into getting the Gingerbread, Cherry & Cream Cheese scroll as well. I mean just have a look at the picture – how can you say no?

I had the mini original scroll as well as a latte to eat in and decided to take the bigger scroll home for later. The coffee was delicious – creamy, nutty and strong all at the same and really did make my day. The scroll was absolutely divine – the dough is moist, light and fresh and is of the perfect sweetness. The cinnamon flavoured rolls are topped with cream cheese frosting and infused with cinnamon and brown sugar. It really does feel like you are biting into the softest pillow and are light and airy, allowing you to have more than 2 and still keep you wanting more. You really need to try one to understand the pure indulgent feeling you get.

Pop Up Scroll is a great addition to not only the Collingwood area but to Melbourne in general. They bring together the simple concept of sentimental baking together with great coffee and delicious, light fluffy scrolls. One visit here and you will definitely be coming back for more.

As the name suggests, Pop Up Scroll is only around for a short time (until May 2015) but there are already big plans in the pipeline for the next project due to open straight after the pop up closes its doors. EAT A SCROLL will be located just around the corner from the current location and will be a more permanent scroll house.

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to pictures above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Charming, Classic, Retro and Welcoming.
Standout Dish: Seriously any of the scrolls!
Service: Friendly and Warm
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.eatascroll.com.au/
86 Smith Street, Collingwood
Tel No: 0433 849 281

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:00am–4:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am–4:00pm

Facebook: facebook.com/Pop-Up-Scroll
Instagram: popupscroll
Twitter: @EatAScroll

Bomba – Spanish with a View

Kitchen at Bomba

Bomba

Bread at Bomba

Hervey Bay scallop with Lemon and Bread

Chicken, manchego and smoked paprika croqueta

Starters at Bomba

Quail with pistachio and buckwheat

Crushed Pea & Goat’s Curd Toast and Tomato, Burrata & Aged Sherry Vinegar Toast

Patatas Bravas

Mains at Bomba

Catalan Arroz with Blue Grenadier, Prawns, Calamari, Mussels and Saffron Paella

Crispy skin John Dory with Fennel Escabeche

Inside the Chocolate Croqueta – YUMM!

Chocolate Croquetas with Custard

Menu:

Menu at Bomba

Dessert Menu at Bomba

After attending a Virgin Australia Fashion show – J, G and I decided to head over to Bomba to try out some food.

Bomba Tapas Bar and Rooftop is located on Lonsdale St in the Melbourne CBD and replaced the old Aylesbury (where G and I had previously dined at). Bomba is c0-owned by chefs Jesse Gerner and Andrew Fisk and they have returned to their Spanish roots when it comes to the menu. Downstairs is a funky, casual dimly light dining area and upstairs is a rooftop bar where you grab a cocktail, aperitif and enjoy the view. Here you can also grab some of the tapas that are on the menu.

When you walk in you are greeted by the centre piece of the room which is the bar followed by the open kitchen. There are a mix of high and low tables – the high tables being situated near the bar and kitchen – allowing you to be part of the cooking action. The aim was to create a Spanish worker style bar and they have succeeded – complete with low cane light shades, together with green and red tones – it does feel like a piece of Barcelona. The feel is relaxed, casual and simple with no fuss or frills, just simple great tasting authentic food – just what you want a tapas bar to be.

The rooftop bar is known for its Negroni as well for its vermouth component – which you can find on tap courtesy of Maidenii who have made them a special blend.

The menu by head chef Andrew Fisk is split into 7 sections and start off with an appetisers section, followed by a Charcuterie section and then Montadidos (which are literally bites on bread). Tapas, Paella, Raciones (your larger dishes), follow and the menu is finished with Verduras (Salads and Sides). We decided to order some tapas and montadido’s each and then share a Paella, main dish and the Patatas Bravas.

I ordered the Hervey Bay scallop with Lemon and Bread which came out served in a shell. The scallop was very fresh and the flavours refreshing. It was a great opener to the meal ahead. I also ordered the Crushed Pea & Goat’s Curd Toast. The combination of the pea and the goat’s curd worked quite well together and paired with the crunch of the toast was a good bite sized dish.

G ordered the Tomato, Burrata & Aged Sherry Vinegar Toast and quite enjoyed the dish as well.

J ordered the Quail with pistachio and buckwheat dish – which came out in the centre of the plate topped with the pistachio. J said the quail had great flavours and was quite tenderly cooked.

Both G & J ordered the Chicken, manchego and smoked paprika croqueta. They were crispy brown on the outside and the filling on the inside smooth, creamy with a hint of spice thanks to the paprika.

For mains we ordered the Catalan Arroz with Blue Grenadier, Prawns, Calamari, Mussels and Saffron Paella as well as the Crispy skin John Dory with Fennel Escabeche.

The Paella was served in a ceramic pot and was a really colourful dish – accents of black from the mussels, red from the sauce, yellow from the rice & lemon wedge and green from the coriander that was scattered on top. All the seafood components – from the fish to the prawns were fresh, succulent and juicy. The flavour was delicious – sour and smoky from the tomato and the flavourings from each seafood element – together with the perfectly cooked rice. Would definitely recommend this dish.

The Crispy Skin Dory came on a bed of Fennel topped with rosemary. The fish was seared really well to retain its moistness on the inside. The combination of the fennel with the vinegar and spices with the fish and the creamy sauce on the side resulted in a great dish overall. The fish was the clear winner of the whole dish.

The side dish that we ordered was the Patatas Bravas which was such an amazingly simple but fantastic dish! The potato was soft and fluffy on the side and came with a crisp outer that was covered in spices. They were placed on top of smoky tomato goodness and finished with creamy aioli. This is the type of dish that you find yourself going back for more and before you know it they are all gone.

We were all quite full at this stage but as the dessert menu was staring us right in the face (we were literally facing the dessert menu which his located just above the kitchen) – we decided to share the Chocolate Croquetas with Custard. The croquetas were warm and what made them even better was that they were filled with warm gooey chocolate on the inside. They were placed on the cool vanilla flavoured custard and this mix of hot and cold was fantastic. The outer shell was thin and perfectly crispy as well. It was like a Spanish donut!

The staff are super friendly, relaxed, warm and very helpful – not to mention knowledgeable –especially when we had a few questions about the menu.

Bomba is a great replacement to ‘The Aylesbury’ with its great simple Spanish food in the form of tapas as well as your larger raciones dishes. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and it really is place that you can spend a lot of time at. Even if you wanted to just come in for a snack and a drink the rooftop bar is a great place to do so – along with the great views across the Melbourne CBD. You can also grab a Sensory Lab coffee and a Portuguese tart from the window on Smythe Lane if you really want something super quick to drink and eat.

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to  http://bombabar.com.au/menu/ or refer to the pic above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Funky and Welcoming. Dimly lit dining area downstairs and it’s great if you get the high tables near the kitchen/bar area if you want watch the chefs in action.
Standout Dish: PAELLA!!
Service: Fantastic and Attentive, also very friendly and helpful
Online Booking: Yes via website – http://bombabar.com.au/ – there is a DIMMI online reservation button
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://bombabar.com.au/
103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 9077 0451

Opening Hours:

Downstairs –
Monday to Friday the coffee window is now open from 7am with pastries and snacks

Lunch

Monday to Friday: 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Dinner
Monday to Sunday : 5pm – Late

Rooftop
Monday to Sunday: 3pm – Late

Closed all public holidays

Tivoli Road Bakery – Doissant Heaven

Entrance to Tivoli Road Bakery

Outside Seating at Tivoli Road Bakery

Inside Tivoli Road Bakery

Inside Tivoli Road Bakery

Inside Tivoli Road Bakery

Sweets at Tivoli Road Bakery

The Doissants at Tivoli Road Bakery

The Famous Donuts at Tivoli Road Bakery

The View from the Table at Tivoli Road Bakery

THE DOSSIANT

Menu:

Tivoli Road Bakery has re-opened in the same location as what was once MoVida Bakery – with Michael James and his wife Pippa running the show. James has been the head baker with the MoVida group since the creation of Movida Aqui so this transition to owning what is now Tivoli Road Bakery was perfect.

The question on every ones lips (including mine) was regarding the famous Doissants that MoVida Bakery has been come to be known for – and indeed it is still for sale. As part of the change, the original products – and more – are definitely here to stay. This was my main reason for visiting Tivoli Road Bakery on a very rainy Melbourne day. I even called up beforehand to make sure they had some in stock, as I know they generally sell out by lunchtime.

As well as being known for these Doissants and Donuts, their main priority (as is for any Bakery) is Bread. There is a huge variety to choose from – sourdough, brioche, olive, rye, spelt, soy and linseed and multigrain being amongst the selection. There are also delicious pies, sandwiches, sausage as well as coffee from Small Batch. And of course for all the sweet tooths out there – croissants (plain, almond or chocolate, with the option of serving with jam), fruit Danishes in both pear and apple varieties, fat slabs of chocolate brownie and chunky as well as the famous donuts – with flavours such as the famous salted caramel, lemon custard, rhubarb and others. For lunch there are also additional specials such as soups and sandwiches.

Customers can also buy Myrtleford Butter and MountZero olives, as well as Small Batch Coffee that they use in store.

Back to the Doissants. What are they you ask? In New York, Ansel Bakery discovered the perfect balance between a crossiant and a donut and named it a “Cronut” – and had it trademarked. Here in Melbourne we have dubbed it the Doissant – how smart! – switching around the order of the two products. Here at Tivoli Road Bakery there are changing flavours and on this day that I went they had the Vanilla Bean Custard and Raspberry flavour as well as the Chocolate Custard. I was very tempted to order one of each but settled with ordering just one of the Vanilla Bean Custard topped with a freeze dried raspberry. The Doissant consisted of multiple layers of flaky pastry which had been fried (as a donut would) and filled with the delicious creamy vanilla bean custard. It really was like biting into heaven. They are quite rich and filling and as good as they were I definitely would have struggled at eating two in one sitting – but definitely take one home for later.

Tivoli Road Bakery is a warm, cosy and welcoming bakery and there is seating inside as well outside overlooking Tivoli Road where you can watch passer byers. There is a communal table with a fresh bunch of flowers where you can sit and overlook the kitchen and see where all the magic is made, or sit by the window – whichever you choose you are sure to enjoy your time here.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to picture above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Relaxed and Welcoming
Standout Dish: THE DOISSANT!
Service: Friendly and Helpful
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
tivoliroad.com.au
3 Tivoli Road, South Yarra
Tel No: 9041 4345

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Sunday: 7:30 am – 6:00 pm