For some reason the Valrhona chocolate I have been exposed to has all been of questionable quality but this bar… dear goodness gracious me it is heaven.

At 64% this is not a light bar but it isn’t a heavily dark bar.  I’ve been using this bar to introduce my colleagues to nice chocolate because the fruitiness of it hits you full in the mouth and sends your taste buds on a fresh and tangy journey into heaven.

No one can help but to take the quality and different-ness of this bar.  It is so clearly something special it’s like going from drinking cheap wine to something well made. The difference isn’t something only a wine (or chocolate) critic can taste – it’s clear to everyone who tries it that it is something special.

Apparently twenty years ago, Valrhona introduced Manjari 64% Pur Madagascar.  The website says that it was the first in the line of Grand Cru chocolates which they claim began the trend of varying percentage of cacao contents and the concept of terroir for chocolate. I’m not so sure if this is true but this bar is a thing of beauty.

This is a delicious bar. At 64% it isn’t too dark so milk lovers will be able to take it. The bar is thin so you don’t get too much of a hit all at once and the chocolate is distinctive and delicious.  Absolutely top marks from me!

The chocolate shop is fabulous if far from the tube.  Right on several bus routes, in a very upmarket shopping area, Demarquette chocolates is an oasis of calm on a busy street.  Within the shop you are met with a stylish interior where delicious chocolates are kept behind glass.  There are more caramel flavours here than I have seen anywhere else.  A heaven for the caramel lover, the shapes are both semi-round and floral.  The flower shapes reflect the scent and flavour of the caramel inside.

The chocolate used is a favourite of chocolate makers in London – Valrhona. The choices of caramel and ganache flavouring were not typical and with a dizzying array of both caramel and ganache chocolates everyone is sure to find something they would enjoy.  I suspect everyone will find something they will enjoy.  Just the shopping experience was pleasurable, looking over the variety of lovely red boxes of chocolate bars and the colours of the various chocolates.

I let the staff member behind the counter select the three chocolates for me and she let me try the sea salt chocolate in the shop.  I also purchased some truffles and a blended chocolate bar.  The sea salt caramel was pleasant – not too intense and balanced.  The chocolate was OK and the caramel did not overwhelm the chocolate and the sea salt balanced off the sweetness of the caramel.

The first chocolate I tried from the selection was an Arabica coffee chocolate ganache.  The chocolate was lovely but slightly bitter off against the coffee.  The filling has a slightly grainy texture which could have been coffee grounds. Not unpleasant and very yummy it was a delicious chocolate.

Blanc manger des Antilles was selected for me.  A spicy mixture with coconut and rum it wasn’t quite to my taste.  There was an odd aftertaste I had detected in some of the truffles – like a chalkyness flavour that is hinted at.  It’s almost like the taste of very hard water.  This has bits of coconut in it was well, adding some texture to the chocolate ganache.  Not my favourite but still demonstrates the high quality of the chocolates.

The raspberry sea salt caramel was interesting but there was not much caramel in it. It was mostly chocolate which was nice but I didn’t get to experience the caramel as much.  There was a hint of raspberry to the caramel lending it an interesting flavour and one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

The lavender caramel in the shape of a flower was overpowering.  The extreme floral flavour, which tasted like an essential oil added to caramel, was completely overpowering but might be nice for someone who enjoys floral flavours.  The caramel was sweet but the lavender seemed to be a separate addition rather than a steeped part of the caramel.

The chocolate truffle was fantastic but it seemed I got box of two halves.  Three had that strange chalky aftertaste and the other half were absolutely fantastic.  The chocolate itself was delicious and the filling a perfectly blended centre.  The cocoa dusting did not detract from the chocolate though the shell was slightly more reluctant to melt than other chocolates I have tried.  This was nevertheless a nicely balanced chocolate.

I would never turn down a box of truffles or ganache chocolates from this shop and expect to visit again

“Everything I do I like and believe in” so said William Curley when I chatted to him about his chocolates. The new William Curley shop at 198 Ebury St in London (SW1W 8UN) shop opened in a flourish of cream, white and shades of chocolate wood in the Chelsea area and is a spectacularly wonderful shop. With a delectable array of freshly made chocolates, pastries and of course cookies (biscuits for you Brits), no one can enter and leave empty handed. Well, perhaps empty handed but full tummy-ed as they serve desserts in the shop.

The shop is an experience in and of itself. A wonderful visual feast, it is a bit of a walk from Sloane Square station but everything in life is worth a bit of extra effort. The chocolates though – the chocolates were an absolute treat.

I started with a sample of the sea salt caramel. Now, everyone seems to think that this is their signature chocolate (except for Adam & Eve) and to be honest, I am really fed up with asking for a representative and getting this. I’m going to get violent soon. This sea salt caramel has been made darker and slightly heavier than others. With a more distinctive almost molasses flavour poking through the sweetness of the caramel, only slightly calmed by the addition of salt, it was perfectly balanced off with the Amedei chocolate covering it. This is a flavour in your mouth that you are happy to have linger.

The house dark truffle was a beautiful chocolate flavour. Perfect mingling of the centre with the whiff of cream, it was covered in Amedei chocolate and dusted in cocoa powder. Quite possibly now my favourite chocolate truffle. In face I’ve decided it is

The olive oil and rosemary – chosen for me by William Curley himself, was surprisingly pleasant. Slightly soft and therefore delicate (probably due to the olive oil), the rosemary flavour, which could have overpowered the whole chocolate experience, was a background flavour, letting the chocolate shine through and creating a comforting balance. I could not detect the olive oil but it likely had brought the tone of the rosemary down. The Amedei Chuao, also chosen for me by William Curley himself, was an absolute sex-in-your-mouth pleasure. The silky centre and beautiful Amedei chocolate has been combined together to create a beautiful chocolate.