There was a time, not so very long ago, when the combination of dark chocolate and chilli was relatively new and exciting. Not any more though, and pretty much every company has put their own spin on adding some heat to their chocolate, often with very mixed results. It isn’t quite as simple as just throwing some chilli powder into the mix, and the best ones usually use a more subtle touch to create something tasty.
And that brings me to Sarotti’s No. 1 Mexico Chilli bar. Sarotti are a German company who’ve been around since 1868 although these days they are part of the giant Barry Callebaut group after a couple of takeovers. I’ve experienced a bunch of their more mundane bars because my local shop appears to have a thing for less conventional European chocolate, but this 66% cocoa solids bar caught my eye simply because I haven’t had a straight-forward chilli bar in some time.
And this is as straight-forward as they come – dark chocolate with both finely and roughly ground chilli mixed in, so I was expecting a decent kick from this bar. But it didn’t arrive. The heat builds up relatively slowly and does stick around, but never really gets beyond that back of the throat sensation despite there being some chilli flakes which are large enough to chew on. The real weakness of the bar is that the chocolate is just plain dull – there’s nothing memorable about the flavour and if it wasn’t for the chilli, I’d be hard pressed to find anything to write about.
So while this wasn’t an unpleasant experience, Sarotti’s No. 1 Mexico Chilli gets a great big “meh” from me.
This is one of a pair of 50g bars I was given at the Oxford Chocolate Festival earlier this year. As you can see, this 50g Rum & Raisin bar has already won an Academy of Chocolate Bronze Award. It’s made with Co Couture’s Blend II, which promises a ’rounded, rich chocolate with a creamy finish and exceptional length of taste’.
Other than that, all I can say is that it’s 69% cocoa content chocolate – there’s no mention of bean variety or region. The raisins make up 22% of this bar and the rum another 8%, which may sound like quite a lot but in fact it balances beautifully with the fruitiness of the raisins, which are plump and juicy and pretty near perfect. The chocolate is indeed creamy and rich, and the finishing notes of rich, dark cocoa and fruit from the raisins are lovely.
In essence what we have here is a posh version of Cadbury’s ‘Old Jamaica’ bar, but done properly (just look at the size of those raisins). It’s a cut above your average Rum & Raisin bar, which is reflected in the £3.95 price tag but it didn’t win a Bronze AOC Award for nothing, and if you’re a fan of Rum & Raisin I’d strongly advise you to track down this bar.
They seem to be available at Liberty of London, Co Couture’s boutique in Belfast and various online shops, so they shouldn’t prove too hard to track down.
It’s five years since Paul A. Young opened his first chocolate shop in Islington. In 2007, he opened a second shop in the City of London, and this morning sees the opening of a third shop in a prime location in the heart of Soho.
The Wardour Street shop, a former stationers, has been transformed in a matter of six weeks from almost derelict into one of London’s most beautiful chocolateries.
On the outside, the purple painted exterior is unmissable. Inside, the shop is simply and elegantly decorated with a feature wall featuring handmade wallpaper with a cocoa pod design, a large circular table and an actual reclaimed wooden altar for a counter.
With only a few pieces of furniture in the room and two large windows, the shop is bright and airy, even with the deep purple walls. It’s the kind of shop that you can’t just walk past without looking in. And judging by the number of members of the public trying to get into the shop on press day, it’s not the kind of place where people are going to be satisfied just looking in the window.
While it doesn’t quite have the cosy and intimate atmosphere of Paul’s Islington shop, it’s every bit as elegant, and most importantly, welcoming.
But perhaps the part of the shop that has seen the biggest transformation is one the public will never see. The downstairs kitchen and storage areas were derelict to the point of collapse just weeks ago. Now, they’re bright, clean and spacious – so much so that they actually extend underneath two neighbouring shops.
If you’ve ever seen how cramped Paul’s kitchen in his Islington shop is, you’ll appreciate what a difference this makes.
All the chocolates sold in the shop are produced on the premises, and that includes the new summer range. We got to try some of the exciting new flavours including Wild Strawberry Balsamic & Black Pepper, Black Sesame Tahini, Tomato Basil & Olive Oil, and a rather delicious truffle made with Kernel Brewery Stout & Muscavado Sugar. The entire range is available now, and it’s all worth trying.
Of course, the shop also sells Paul’s famous brownies and a range of bars from Duffy Sheardown. When (if) summer gets going, they’ll be selling ice creams, with hot chocolates available in winter.
You can’t miss that beautiful shop if you happen to be walking past, but if you’re in central London, it really is worth a detour to pay it a visit. You won’t regret it.
Paul A. Young, Soho can be found at 143 Wardour Street, London W1F 8WA. It’s open Monday – Saturday, 10am – 8pm and Sundays 12pm – 7pm.
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I may well have missed this little gem if it hadn’t been for a text from Jennifer after I mentioned I was in Notting Hill, near Melt Chocolates.
“Make sure you try Raquel’s caramelly thing”, she said. So I went in and asked for “Raquel’s caramelly thing”, expecting to be greeted by blank looks.
But they knew exactly what I meant, and I was presented with a sample of this glorious creation.
I’m not entirely sure how they knew, as this isn’t particularly “caramelly”, although plenty of butter and a hint of Maldon sea salt do give it a bit of a salted caramel flavour.
But finding the words to describe it is actually quite a challenge. It’s part mud pie, part brownie, part chocolatey, fudgey creation. But it’s 100% delicious.
In terms of texture, it’s like a Paul A. Young brownie on steroids. It’s so moist and so smooth that it’s actually spreadable. That’s right; this is spreadable pie!
It may be moist to the point of gooiness, but thankfully the outer edges are not so sticky that you can’t pick it up in your fingers. It’s also a good job that it’s quite a bit smaller than a Paul A. Young brownie, as I’m fairly sure that any more than a single slice of this stuff would kill you. The flavour is rich, deep and very, very chocolatey.
This isn’t available in Melt’s online store, so if you want some, you’ll have to visit the shop in person. I’ll certainly be calling in for more, but if you’re making a trip specially, I recommend giving them a call first to check I haven’t bought the entire stock.
