If anything will teach you to slow down and enjoy a deliciously gorgeous piece of chocolate, this certainly will.  This creamy milk chocolate won’t allow you to rush it – it will demand you to slow down and enjoy it slowly.

The flavour of the chocolate is subtle – so subtle that it is almost lost to the flavour of the dark sugar and creamy milk.  These flavours are so strong as to almost overtake all chocolate flavour.  When it hits the chocolate is delightful and light, with none of the bitterness some other chocolate can have.  These beans have not been over fermented at all.

This bar is a delight and while I might love Askinosie an awful lot, this bar is arguing with my taste buds for supremacy.

The flavour is delicate and pleasant and not at all too earthy or leathery.  It was slightly flat in my mouth but it was still a smooth, delicious taste.

This is definitely a blended bar and that comes through in the interplay of flavours in the mouth.  The smooth, creamy taste is almost too creamy for a dark chocolate bar as though it is trying to compensate for something or balance out the darkness.

This is probably the kind of dark bar someone who enjoys milk chocolate might like.  It would be a smooth and easier introduction, without the sometimes sour, drying flavour some dark chocolate has.

Earl Grey Tea chocolate – This chocolate had the lovely scent of dark chocolate but none of the lush bergamot scent.  Biting into this chocolate releases the most lovely delicate flavour of real Earl Grey tea.  It is subtle and delicious and not overwhelming.  I could eat a box of these!

Mulled Wine chocolate – Once again, this chocolate does not reveal its interior from outside with the delicate scent of the Amedei chocolate used the only scent.  Biting in to it releases the flavour of the jelly mulled wine interior with the chocolate ganache.  Yummy and delicious, this is a lovely chocolate.

Sea Salt Caramel – different from other sea salt caramels I’ve tried in the past, this is a thick base chocolate with a liquid caramel interior closest in flavour to Kraft caramels from my childhood.  The caramel oozes out in deliciousness making you gobble the whole chocolate up.

Whoops… looks like I munched these before I had a chance to photograph them!

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.

Stubbe chocolates creates some of the best chocolates by pairing good quality chocolate they create themselves in the back of the shop with both traditional and non-traditional flavours.  The one chocolate which stood out for me was the blood orange chocolate which has a slightly sharp tang without being sour.

The special milk chocolate truffle had a unique sugar fronting which I thought would make the chocolate far too sweet but in fact was perfect when savouring or chewing the chocolate.

The cappuccino was a triumph of coffee flavouring, which was for once not overpowered by the sweetness of the chocolate.  The white chocolate was used masterfully here to sweeten the coffee without it tasting of nothing but sugar the covered in a beautifully balances dark chocolate.

I wish I could get these chocolates more regularly but have to settle for my annual trips to Toronto.

I highly recommend this chocolate shop and would be confidant buying any chocolates from here as a special gift.

Simone Marie chocolates promises the best quality Belgian chocolates.  Upon entering you are met with the distinctive scent of imported Belgian chocolates with a longer than high quality shelf life.  It speaks to you of a higher sugar and fat content, with preservatives.  To most people, this aroma is absolute heaven, so unfamiliar are they with high quality chocolates.

I chatted with the lovely owner for awhile about her chocolate selection.  Familiar as I was with Hotel Chocolat and other suppliers, I quickly spotted the fondant mint I enjoy from Hotel Chocolat sitting among her chocolates.  We spoke about European chocolates and quality.  She recommended some chocolates, which I bought and tried at home.

This shop is quite clearly passionate about chocolates.  The person I spoke to was clearly enthusiastic about chocolate and had much to share.  The chocolates were quite typical Belgian chocolates created for export.  In order to prevent spoilage they are not the best, most pure chocolate but they are very good quality.  I’m sure a lover of Belgian chocolate would make this a regular stop for a weekly shop for a chocolate a day.

These are really good quality chocolates but not top notch.  That is by necessity because of the shipping and the manufacturing.  I am also not a huge fan of the Belgian style of chocolate, preferring what I have been told is the French style.

I would say that there is better chocolate in Toronto but it is still worth a visit and worth a shop.

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.

Holly is a contemporary artist who has a passion for chocolate and was so inspired by the film Chocolat that she went on a quest.  The end of her quest is some of the most interesting sounding chocolates I have come across.  The passion for organic is strong too and so I was hoping for something good.

And so I braved it.  The immediate sweetness coated my mouth and then and chocolate started to fight its way through. 

The chocoholly milk chocolate 46% cocoa bar (part eaten)

 Smooth and slightly fatty, there is a hint of graininess which is not unpleasant.  The chocolate comes through as a smooth, gentle flavour, typical of milk chocolates.  A stronger hint of earthiness than I’m used to comes through in the chocolate but it is hidden by the creaminess and sugary flavour.

It’s a good milk chocolate and a good change from Cadbury’s.  I especially like the resealable plastic sleeve the chocolate is in which means you can enjoy a little and seal the rest for later.  The stronger chocolate flavour means you feel satisfied for longer.

A good way to support a small chocolate maker who is making a difference in the chocolate world with organic offerings.

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

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.