Another weekend, another foodbloggers’ meetup at Adriano Zumbo Café Chocolat. Reemski did good to get such a great turnout (the location and purpose – to try the Zumbo Summer range – certainly helped, didn’t it?).
I’ve been there, done that, with the cakes, so I’ll focus on the fascinating behaviour of the genus Foodbloggerii Famishicus. Cue David Attenborough-like whisper...
“The Foodblogger’s usual habitat is restaurants, cafés, and any new food shop. They hunt singly, in pairs or in packs.
We are fortunate today to witness a herd of foodbloggers as they descend on a cake shop. Watch as they choose their colourful gateaux from the glass display case, causing long queues to form behind them as they painstakingly make their decision.
In a break from their usual modus operandi, they take their kills to a nearby watering hole (café), where they proudly display their prizes. Other foodbloggers that have gathered there gasp and whip out their cameras, the snap! whirr! snap! of lens shutters momentarily blocking out the sound of the hovering waitress who is there to take orders for coffee.
Gradually, eventually, the herd settles to enjoy their spoils. But wait! There is a rumble in the corner. It is the Maitre Patissier himself, and the humble foodbloggers prostrate themselves in his presence.”
Okay, the last paragraph is made up, but the rest of it is pretty accurate. Long live foodblogger get-togethers. And Zumbo.
Craft, cards and chocolate – that’s my idea of the perfect weekend.
The chocolate part came courtesy of a foodblogger meetup at the new Zumbo café, which has now been open for 3 days. Time for another visit, naturally. This time, chocolatesuze, Lorraine, Christina and Tim, and Richard gathered in the lounge area of the café to try the goods.
I don’t want to drool on the keyboard as I’m writing this, so I’ll give a brief writeup of the afternoon (and I’m sure my fellow chocolate lovers will also provide their views):
1. We made ourselves comfy under the stunning red chandelier. Thanks to Lorraine and Suze for getting there early to bags the best area.
2. The hot cherry ripe chocolate was soooo rich and delicious, just like a melted cherry ripe.
3. The waitstaff are really charming and efficient.
4. There were some savoury rolls available, but we were there for the sweets
5. The deconstructed Miss Marple was like the original from the cake shop, and came with balls of tangy orange jelly and strawberries (and a hair). We ate around it (the hair) and gave it a thumbs up, especially the Grand Marnier-scented filling.
6. ‘I am not a hamburger’ is the name given to a macaron-topped dessert that is the complete opposite of a Big Mac (in a good way)
7. The special was a fondant and peanut butter ice cream creation that is injected with a syringe of raspberry crème. It is served in a kidney-shaped bowl. Hello, Nurse, indeed!
8. Apparently syringes can be purchased from medical supply or possibly cake supply stores. It also helps if you have a relative who is a doctor.
9. The red wine chocolate that I tried (and enjoyed) on my first visit has a quite alarming name that I won’t repeat here. It caused some degree of mirth/amazement, however, when its name was confirmed.10. We all agreed that there should be more places like this, where you can enjoy dessert after a meal. Bring it on.
Gosh, that was a bit longer than I’d planned. But we had a great time. Thanks, guys, for being so entertaining! Hope we can meet up for some more sweetness and light soon.
Oh, and where do the craft and cards, come into it? That will have to wait till the next post…
Dratted work commitments meant being unable to be in a last minute visit to the Zumbo Café Chocolat with chocolatesuze and bowb. So I made up for it with a quick ram raid just before the café closed on its first day of trading.
It is a little jewel box of wonderfulness! A glass case of chocolate treasures and a blackboard of yummy drinks (that will have to wait till next time). Of course, I came away with a box of goodies, courtesy of bf. The rotten egg chocolate has a centre of tangy jelly surrounded by rice crispies embedded in chocolate.
I can’t wait to go back to sit in the parlour under the chandelier, or at a spindly table in the courtyard, and sip a tasse of tea. The bf suggested to the nice countergirl that a liquor licence is in order and she agreed that Adriano’s cocktail creations would be pretty good. Isn’t that something to look forward to?
As a change from all that cake, a friend and I decided to do a chocolate course (what else?) It was held at Kimberley chocolates in Lilyfield.
Whenever I mentioned I was spending a couple of hours at a chocolate shop, everyone went ‘Ooh, imagine all the chocolate you’ll be eating’. But in fact, that’s the last thing you want to do because you’re surrounded by it.
It was heaps of fun. We rolled our own truffles (mine were coffee flavoured – yum) and used the chocolate coating machine to put 2 layers of chocolate over little balls of ganache.
In the picture below, I made all the chocolates except the colourful ones in the top row. They were so cute coming off the conveyer belt! Remember that Lucy episode where she is packing the candy and ends up stuffing them all in her mouth…
I only managed to eat 3 chocs during the course and I’m slowly getting through the 30 or so that we brought home. Between mouthfuls of cake, that is.
