Cafe Chocolat

CLOSED AS OF JULY 2010
After causing a buzz over the past 18 months with his pastry and desserts, the latest feather in Adriano Zumbo's cap is his new chocolate café. Tucked away in a nook a few doors down from his eponymous Balmain patisserie can be found this stylish little hole in the wall complete with hipper-than-hip red chandeliers and zebra-striped lampshades, a coffee counter that gives you a unique view into where the magic is made, and a killer selection of handmade chocolate goodness.

These are some of the best names for dishes you're been likely to come across too: Ed Knocked Me Up; Miss Marple; Deconstructed; It's Not a Hamburger and, um, The Camel Toe.

Sydneysiders are so serious about gastronomy, perhaps we've forgotten how fun it is to play with our food, so it's nice to see Zumbo injecting his gear with a little humour. And speaking of injecting, order the Younger Years if you're a bona fide choc addict. The warm chocolate pudding is served with peanut brittle ice cream and raspberry crème anglaise in a gigantic syringe. The idea is that you inject this knee-weakening concoction into the pudding, a delicious combination of crisp outer crust and gooey molten centre, while the raspberry crème anglaise gives a really nice tartness to the dish.

And try Paris - an all-pink tasting plate with a fluoro pink raspberry macaroon freshened up with lychees, topped with raspberry sorbet and, to cap it all off, an old-school style mini-strawberry milkshake for one. If that doesn't cure your pink fix, you've got no hope. Zumbo has been hailed for resurrecting the popularity of the humble macaroon - that favourite bickie of Napoleon (Bonaparte, not Dynamite) – a meringue-like pastry sandwiched together with a creamy ganache filling. He's all about unexpected combinations, so expect to find lavender or olive oil alongside the classics. The menu has a hamburger-sized version. Dainty? No. Delicious? Oui!

If you're sweet enough as you are, savoury items do exist on the menu. Order the classic corn fritters or a panino. And keeping with Balmain tradition, the coffee is impeccably strong and smooth, thanks to the man with the machine, Johnny Lahood.

If you go to the counter to pay, be warned: the potential impulse purchases are overwhelming - namely the rows of chocolate made by Zumbo himself. It's a combination of variety, texture, quality ingredients and unexpected combinations of flavours that make this selection pop. You'll find classics sitting beside some more left-of-centre creations, from yuzu-encrusted jewels to chai-flavoured truffles and the notorious 'Camel-Toe' (red wine liquid centred chocolate). Chances are you'll find something to make you laugh. And then cry for more.

With a swarm of chocolate cafes opening around the city, it's Zumbo's kookiness and passion for what he does that makes this establishment stand out from the pack.

Not licensed, around $25pp, including coffee.