August 11, 2009: Monsieur Truffe

January 2016: The Collingwood branch of Monsieur Truffe has closed - they're still connected to East Elevation in Brunswick.

Remember the 8-stop chocolate tour that I embarked upon with my friend Katy? It was long before Monsieur Truffe had set up shop on Smith St, so when her birthday approached I thought I'd supply Katy with a chocolatey epilogue to our tour. Michael and I made an outing of it, treating ourselves to some of Monsieur's pastries before work. The shop is a cosy space, with a smattering of tables and a couple of lounge chairs, rendered cosier still by the warm service.

Michael ordered a mocha, and it was like no other mocha I've ever tasted - deeply, darkly flavoured bittersweet chocolate with that bonus bitter edge from the coffee. Though it's restrained in size, the thick creamy texture and complex flavour means it's almost a meal in itself. But of course Michael didn't know that when he ordered pastries...

The staff initially forgot our pastry order and once reminded, insisted that we wouldn't pay for them, further suggesting that we try the last chocolate croissant as well as an almond one. And whoah, these croissants are the REAL. DEAL. Not the soft, squidgy, golden croissants I'm accustomed to, they're a burnished brown that shatters into buttery flakes on contact with a knife or a tooth. The chocolate is more of the gorgeous dark stuff found in the mocha, and the almond analogue is equally delightful.

The prices far outstrip the cost of a Cadbury family block but oh, so do the products. This trailing stop on my chocolate tour of Melbourne may actually be the ultimate destination.