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London's Top Choc Shops
London's Top Choc Shops
Londoners - like most folk - love their chocolate, which is lucky because the capital really does feature some of the best choc shops in the world. Exquisitely crafted, lovingly made, these lip-smacking boutiques are a cocoa-bean lover's Valhalla. Enjoy.
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L'Artisan du Chocolat
89 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8DAEver tried lapsang souchong flavoured chocolate? How about Sichuan pepper or red wine and tobacco? If not, you probably haven’t yet visited this innovative, highly revered, choc shop. Trained in Belgium (the home of chocolate), ex-pastry chef Gerard Coleman has elevated this simple, small-scale London shop to almost iconic status. While some of the flavours might seem a tad unusual, you just have to trust Coleman’s expertise and judgement and dive right in. All of the chocolates are made entirely of natural ingredients (one of which is large quantities of sugar) and have to be consumed within two weeks – no nasty additives or preservatives here. While there’s no point singling one particular flavour out for special attention – every one of these hand-made delicacies is a real tongue-tingling delight – most customers become instantly addicted to a favourite combination that demands regular return visits. For some it’s the fresh blast of Moroccan mint, others the comforting spice-filled eruption of cinnamon. A range of beautifully presented assortment boxes allow you to experience a range of flavours and invest in some hard taste-bud testing before deciding on your chosen favourite. Keep an eye / tongue out for the liquid-salted caramels. Chocolate-filled heaven. There's a second L'Artisan du Chocolat outlet at Westbourne Grove.
Charbonnel et Walker
1 Royal Arcade, Old Bond Street, W1S4BTIn 1875, at the behest of Edward VII, Mme Charbonnel quit her post at Parisian chocolatier Maison Boissier to set up a fine confectionary house in London with Mrs Walker. The result has been 130 years of the finest chocolate in traditional French style. This long-established chocolatier is now the holder of a royal warrant. In spite of the shop's continental origins, the goodies feel very English and traditional, as you would expect from this location on Old Bond Street. Their gift boxes are among the best-known upmarket treats in the world. They also have a venue at Canary Wharf.
Demarquette Fine Chocolates
285 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW10 9PZFrom Thai Lemongrass to Coriander and Kaffir Lime, Dark Champagne Truffles to Java Cinnamon, Demarquette offers a unique range of chocolates to sort every palate. Leaning heavily towards the Orient for inspiration, each individual treat is handmade using the finest ingredients combined with traditional artisan techniques. With four awards under their belt (all of them under the ‘Best Filled Chocolate’ category of the World Chocolate Awards 2006), a dairy-free range, and a ‘Pure’ collection highlighting the best in single-origin products, this north Kensington emporium is well worth a visit.
La Maison Du Chocolat
45-46 Piccadilly, W1J 0DSExtremely upmarket Piccadilly branch of the world-renowned Parisian chocolatiers. For some reason the shop staff all insist on speaking French to you despite the fact that they are living and working in England - perhaps because French is the language of love or food or some such. Never fear - they all speak English very well and it's a friendly, joyous place given over to the adoration of chocolate. The delicious produce on sale here is definitely worth a few moments of pretentious nonsense.
Melt
59 Ledbury Road, London, W11 2AARegular tastings, an on-site, open-view kitchen, award-winning master-chocolatier, Keith Hurdman, and some of the best chocs in town make ‘Melt’ a mouth-watering option when it comes to confectionary. Stand and drool as organic truffles, melted chocolate shots and spiced, crispy orange discs are rustled up on cool white marble slabs in full view of customers. Children's Hour offers youngsters the chance to get sticky making their own unique range of chocolate treats. Sleek packaging, cool surrounds and top-quality service complete the picture.
Paul A Young Fine Chocolates
33 Camden Passage, London, N1 8EABefore he was a full-time chocolatier, Paul Young was patissier for Marco Pierre White. The drama and perfectionism demanded by a Michelin-starred restaurant are both apparent in the exquisite chocolates and desserts produced by his shop. The more impressive are finished at the counter in front of customers, while the smaller sweets and chocolates are jewel-like in their perfection. Young's haute cuisine background - he's a Gold Award-winner at the World Chocolate Awards - means there are plenty of weird and wonderful flavours available, but above all this is a shop that is about freshly made, thoroughly indulgent, luxury chocolates and puddings. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays (chocolate workshop day).
Prestat
14 Princess Arcade, SW1Y 6DSWith Roald Dahl and Her Majesty counted as just a couple of their biggest fans, this brightly-coloured, richly scented, teeny tiny chocolate shop tucked away in a corner of the Princes Arcade belies its significant status and reach. Prestat is one of the world's oldest and grandest chocolate companies. Founded in 1902 by French émigré, Monsieur Antoine Dufour (a former chocolatier to Napoleon III who stole the recipes from the French Court), Prestat's iconic gilt-embossed packaging continues to offer a striking visual reminder of its royal connections both past and present (Prestat are the official Purveyors of Fine Chocolates to the Queen). Famous favourites include vanilla ganache, marzipan, chocolate-dipped apricots and their world famous truffles.
The Rabot Estate
2 Stoney Street, London, SE1 9AAHead down to Borough Market for a little bit of St Lucia and a lot of chocolate. The Rabot Estate is a chocolate shop and cafe all in one and provides delicious chocolate-themed delicacies to customers who are guilty of having a bit of a sweet tooth. Rabot Estate is the name of Hotel Chocolat's plantation on St Lucia and the new London location aims to bring the best of Caribbean cocoa directly to the capital. The rustic decor inside catches the eye immediately: display cases made from offcuts of wood and barrels and cocoa sacks strategically placed throughout. As well as selling chocolate products, The Rabot Estate is also a cafe, selling a variety of cocoa-based dishes and drinks, including cocoa tea, chocolate pots and confit duck salad with chocolate dressing and orange marmalade.
Rococo
45 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5HGYou'll be seduced by the delicious, ornate packaging as well as the chocolate goodies on display at Rococo. With exotic flavours like basil and lime, crystallized ginger and cardamom, even the most unusual tastes are catered for. The brainchild of designer Chantal Coady - owner and co-founder of the Chocolate Society - Rococo is dedicated to producing the finest and funkiest chocolate in the capital. Coady herself is a self-confessed chocolate addict who has penned two books on the sweet stuff. Famed for its unique blend of organic chocolate, made using cocoa beans from the Caribbean, they add extra cocoa butter to ensure that distinctive melt in the mouth feel. For a really special occasion the chocolatier-in-residence will even make individual one-off art pieces. They also have venues on King's Road and in Knightsbridge.
Theobroma Cacao
43 Turnham Green Terrace, London, W4 1RGSerious chocolate-lovers avoid the chocolatiers of Mayfair and their exquisitely designed jewel-like sweeties and head down to this delightful Chiswick boutique. This is chocolate for purists, each piece clearly hand-moulded, with the rough edges that show a true artisan at work. They are also so rich in cocoa that it dusts your hands as you eat, hanging in the air to give the small premises a heady, sultry atmosphere. There are plenty of posh options if you need a gift to impress somebody, but for sheer chocolate deliciousness you simply can't beat the big baskets of roughly-cut dark and milk chocolate that dominate the shop.
William Curley, Belgravia
198 Ebury Street, Orange Square, SW1W 8UNThe William Curley chocolate empire continues to swell with the opening of the patissier and chocolatier's latest venture in Belgravia. Curley has worked with the best in the business and still advises and supplies chefs including Marco Pierre White, Raymond Blanc, Pierre Koffman and Anton Edelman. This Orange Square shop boasts an incredible chocolate and ice cream counter, a cafe and patisserie, a specially designed dessert bar, a chocolaty deli for scrumptious baked goods, and a kitchen for chocolate making master classes (where you can do a course and learn how to make truffles or sea salt caramels). Curley was awarded the Best British Chocolatier in 2007, 2008 and again in 2009 by the Academy of Chocolate, and is renowned for his unusual taste combinations which mix chocolate with flavours like rosemary and olive oil or apricot and wasabi. His wife Suzue - who has worked at Claridge's and The Savoy - inserts a Japanese influence with sweet treats like Yuzu filled chocolates and Miso and Walnut biscuits. So, chocoholics who can't face making the trip to Richmond to the inaugural shop now just have to mosey into Belgravia for their sweet fix.
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