Laura White, a former pastry chef and 5 year expert chocolate maker, invents some of these innovative chocolate flavours at the front of the shot in full view of the window to the outside tables where people sup on home baked cookies with some of the finest chocolate chips nestled in excellent dough.

Utilising Tuscano Amedei chocolate in her creations, Laura balances the flavour of the base chocolate against the exotic fillings.  Often utilising Belgian style chocolate as a carrier for her more exotic flavours, Laura uses her knowledge of flavour and chocolate to balance flavours off.  Marrying tea and coffee both with chocolate but in very different ways, she is committed to creating delicious and innovative chocolate.

I found her sea salt caramel to be one of the flavours of hers I liked best.  The chocolate did not seem to be the highest quality but the sea salt caramel was lovely. The Earl Grey tea was way more intense than I was used to but it didn’t detract from the overall experience.  The chocolate covered almond dragees were nothing I hadn’t enjoyed elsewhere in the UK but I have a feeling they are a rarity in Toronto.  As such it is nice to see these lovely roasted almonds with caramelised sugar covering them before the delicious chocolate and powered cocoa finishes it off.

Pop by and try the chocolates.  They are yummy and unique and fun at a dinner party.

The packaging here is one of the high points for the chocolates, with attention paid to the detail of everything from images on tins to charms on ribbon festooned boxes.

The chocolate itself is slightly oily, with a flavour that speaks of cocoa butter being removed and vegetable oil added.  The amount of sugar in the milk chocolate makes me cringe a bit but overall this is a better quality of chocolate from the norm.

While there are preservatives and this isn’t top notch chocolate, it is mass market and a excellent first step out of the mass-market comfort chocolate in to something else.  By accepting the higher price too, it makes it easier to transition to the truly high quality chocolates.

The staff at this shop are what makes it stand out.  While in the past I have been faced with the worst staff I have ever encountered, within the last 2 or so years the management seems to have changes and there are lovely people working there.

Happy, friendly and understanding a lot more about chocolate than you might expect, the staff really make this shop stand out for me.

When I was looking for chocolate covered pretzels and they didn’t have any, they helped me find some at a different location.  When I needed help choosing chocolates for my sister’s wedding, they helped show me options and costs.  Absolutely brilliant people there now who will help you pick the right chocolate for you.

Give this branch of Godiva a try while they still have this outstanding staff compliment.  Tell them what flavours you like and they’ll find the right chocolates for you.

I’m passionate about chocolate. To me, chocolate is a symphony of flavours in the mouth. You can both enjoy the singular flavour of the entire orchestra at once or concentrate on enjoying each individual component.

I am not, though, a fan of the Belgian style of putting sweet cream in the middle of thick chocolate so I get goo all over my face. They also tend to be too sweet for me. Nothing against them – lots of people love Belgian chocolate. I just prefer the French style of doing things.

Upon entering this chocolate shop, you are immediately aware of a big difference between this one and others – there is a big glass wall separating the main shop with the chocolate producing area. You can watch the chocolate being made. You know the chocolates will be unique and not made elsewhere and shipped in because you can watch the magic happen. Just because you can watch the magic, doesn’t mean the result is any good.

Imagine my surprise when I liked the Belgian stylings of Van Soest chocolates in Amsterdam. They are in the Belgian style for fillings but a more French approach to the outside (no, I’m not an expert. I just notice trends and generalise a lot). The more bitter, thin outside combined beautifully with the cream inside to take the extreme sweetness out of the equation, leaving a delicious taste in my mouth.

The port chocolate was a particular delight, with a subtle but distinctive flavour.

In addition to the truffles were excellent chocolate beans, revealing the subtle distinctiveness of the chocolate as well as the fullness of the flavour.

One particular favourite were the chocolate coated almonds. Eschewing the common tendency to either make the chocolate coating too thick or caramelise them, this was a balance between roasted almonds, chocolate and cocoa powder.

I highly recommend trying the chocolates here but don’t buy too many. They are rich in flavour and as a result, you can only eat a few before being satisfied.

Van Soest is readily accessible from tram route 4 in a lovely location near a bridge over a canal. Take some time and enjoy your chocolate!