sweeten up with lindt

Lindt Concept Store
53 Martin Place, Sydney
T: +61 2 8257 1600
E: au-cafeorders@lindt.com

Sydney, Australia is the site of the world’s first Lindt Concept Store. No, it's not a new thing. It was opening in late 2004 so I'm a little slow to write about this one. But since there's no other Lindt store in the world (yet) I thought I'd blog about it at this late stage anyway.

Why Australia? Apparently the wonderful people at Lindt & Sprüngli were happy that sales in Australia had grown ten fold in the seven years since they started selling their products here. This prompted them to use Australia as their testing ground.

Well something worked because now they’re opening new Lindt stores in other locations around Asia (has anyone heard the exact locations?).

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you some of the yummy treats I have devoured from Lindt’s only store.

St Moritz
Layers of almond cake, milk chocolate mousse, white chocolate mousse and covered with shaved chocolate.

70% Excellence Tart
Shortcrust pastry holds a pool of dark ganache made with Lindt's 70% cocoa.

Poire Caramel
A centre of caramelised pear and caramel mousse on top of a dark chocolate cake, all encased in milk chocolate mousse.

Orange Chocolate
Almond and orange cake soaked in Grand Mariner and layered with milk chocolate mousse. Covered with dark chocolate glaze.
Pistachio Berry Dacquoise
Layers of berry compote, coconut sponge and a white chocolate and pistachio ganache. They also make chocolate sablés, Florentines, éclairs, brownies and mud cake.

Delice are Lindt's macaroons. I have to say they range in quality because sometimes they are quite chewy and then on other occassions they are exquisitely perfect and I could devour thousands on end.
I can’t decide which one I like best, but I’m pretty torn between the classic and delicious champagne and the rich, bittersweet choc-orange that laced with coconut. Although the strawberry delice is very dainty, sprinkled with crystallised lilacs.

Apart from the above, they have the usual artisan chocolates that most good chocolatiers would offer.

The other wonderful thing to mention is the interesting Lindt chocolate blocks they import from Europe (mostly Switzerland or Germany since the packages are still in German). They have some very imaginative and seasonal flavours that don’t hit Australian shelves, such as Poire Intense (dark chocolate with almond slivers and candied pear pieces), rhubarb & strawberry or passionfruit & yoghurt. Divine!

If you’re in Sydney, duck into the Lindt Concept Store for a sweet afternoon snack and some takeaway blocks for the weekend nibbles!!