Easter aside, it seems that Melbourne’s appetite for chocolate just keeps growing, and not just for any plain old chocolate.

Artisan chocolate is the new buzz word in the culinary world- with shiny, new chocolate shops opening at a rate quicker than I have time to sample.

It is a warm Tuesday afternoon when I drop past Shocolate, a relatively new venture on the corner of Brunswick and Fitzroy Street in Fitzroy.

The immaculate glass cabinet holds a tempting assortment of handmade Belgian chocolates enrobed ganache, truffles, hammered chocolate slabs, and French pastries.

There are macaroons, eclairs, and individual mousse cakes.

To my right are the glazed chocolate Easter chickens and colour swirled eggs, and to my left, the kitchen, which is visible through a large glass panel.

One can watch the chocolatiers at work, or be hypnotised by the waterfall of tempered chocolate as it swirls through the large melting tanks.

Siblings Pamela Raschella and Nick Yannopoulos opened Shocolate in October 2009, in an endeavour to take chocolate “to a new level.”

“It felt like a lab for six months, in which we developed and trialed recipes until we had what we thought was the perfect chocolate,” says Raschella.

The brother sister team also used the expertise of pastry chef Damien Parcineau from France, who developed chocolate creations unique to Shocolate.
Most notable is the Vegemite ganache, which with its subtle salty tang is pleasantly palatable.

Shocolate make its chocolate using a blend of high premium Belgium brand Callebaut, and Cacao Barry couverture, which has cocoa bean origins from Madagascar to Ghana.

Every piece is made on the premises, including the ganache fillings which are enrobed in either dark or milk chocolate.

From saffron stigma praline, to chai caramel and fresh mint ganache, the choices are extensive.

The two to hit my bliss point are the salty caramel ganache with its delicious thick, rich filling, and the moulded chocolate chilli ganache.

Its kick of chilli is more powerful than most, yet it complements rather than overpowers the dark chocolate as it slowly melts away.

Raschella points out that the Shocolate Rocher, which resembles a giant Ferrero Rocher, is her signature chocolate.

Pure home-made praline is created to a fine crisp, filled with a smooth hazelnut heart and coated in dark chocolate. The final touch is the coating of roasted almonds, which she says are caramelised using the old copper bowl technique.

Knowing that Shocolate creations are made on the premises from fresh ingredients, using a philosophy that resonates perfection adds to the allure of the chocolate.

This is evident in the chocolate sculptures on the back wall; particularly that of the slick Mario Brothers-inspired racing car.

The hand-crafted chocolate steering wheel could quite easily be cracked off and eaten, although surrendering to the temptation would undo Damien Parcineau’s labour of love.