Food
Crafted bites. Smart indulgences.
Artisanal chocolate, chef-worthy pantry essentials, and standout treats, all explored with the same question in mind: are they worth the splurge?
Bahen & Co Cherry & Coconut 70% Cacao – Expecting a Cherry Ripe, Finding Mostly Cacao
We picked this up thinking “Cherry Ripe, but grown up.” With cherry and coconut front and centre, we expected something decadent but less sweet.
Koko Black Pink Salted Vanilla: White Chocolate with Composure
Pink Salted Vanilla sets a calm tone from the outset. The geometric mould and soft blush packaging suggest refinement over flourish, and the bar itself—smooth, glossy, and pale—reinforces that intention.
Valrhona Dulcey 35% Chocolate Review: A More Sophisticated White Chocolate
Valrhona’s Dulcey 35% is the chocolate that helped redefine what white chocolate could be. Its golden “blonde” hue comes from carefully caramelized milk solids, promising buttery warmth and gentle sweetness.
Jasper + Myrtle White Chocolate & Sour Cherries: Balanced, but Understated
White chocolate is unforgiving; success rests on dairy quality, sweetness control, texture, and how inclusions are handled. Jasper + Myrtle describes this bar as a silky, creamy white chocolate balanced with sour cherries, a pairing that suggests contrast and lift.
Ratio Axil Coffee Dark Chocolate Review: A Dark Mocha Without the Sweetness
Ratio Axil Coffee Dark Chocolate combines 63% cacao with roasted coffee pieces from Axil Coffee. We explore flavour, texture, finish and whether this Melbourne-made bar is worth the splurge.
Jasper + Myrtle Caffè Bianco White Chocolate: A Mocha-Leaning Bar for Coffee Lovers
This is a bar that prioritises balance over sweetness, positioning itself for those drawn to coffee-led flavours rather than classic white chocolate indulgence.
Zokoko Almond & Raisin 70%: A Balanced Take on Dark Chocolate Comfort
Almond and raisin suggest a classic pairing, but the higher cocoa percentage sets a restrained tone. Going in, this feels less like a dessert bar and more like a considered everyday option, built for repeat eating, not spectacle.
Zokoko Dark + White Mint: A Restrained Take on Mint Chocolate
Zokoko’s Dark + White Mint sits slightly apart from the brand’s single-origin range. The soft green colour palette suggests a hint of mint, setting expectations for balance over indulgence.
Zokoko Pure Origin Chale Milk Solomon Islands 45%: A Cocoa-Led Milk Chocolate
Zokoko positions this bar as a considered expression of milk chocolate, and the presentation sets that tone immediately. The matte black box, finished with subtle embossing and a magnetic closure, feels deliberate and premium without excess.
Hunted + Gathered Milk Chocolate + Almond Caramel 46% Cacao: Balance in a Bar
Hunted + Gathered’s almond caramel milk chocolate promises a mix of creamy indulgence and textural crunch. At 46% cacao, it’s darker than mainstream milk chocolate, offering more depth with less sugar.
Jasper + Myrtle Classic Milk Chocolate Review: Balanced, Though Not Addictive
Jasper + Myrtle’s Classic Milk is a precision-led bar that favours cocoa clarity and balance over indulgent sweetness. With understated branding and award recognition behind it, expectations lean toward technical correctness and a more grown-up expression of milk chocolate.
Hunted + Gathered Milk Chocolate + Brown Butter: Smooth Chocolate with Subtle Buttered Edges
Hunted + Gathered Milk Chocolate + Brown Butter: Smooth Chocolate with Subtle Buttered Edges With “brown butter” in the name, and Pepe Saya’s artisanal butter in the recipe, expectations naturally tilt toward nutty richness and caramel depth.
Hunted + Gathered Milk Chocolate + Coconut 46% Cacao: A Grown-Up Bounty Bar
Hunted + Gathered are known for restraint, crafting chocolate-first bars where inclusions play a supporting role rather than dominate. With Milk Chocolate + Coconut on the label, you might expect tropical sweetness or something closer to candy. Instead, the first impression is pared back.
Jasper + Myrtle Macadamia & Lemon Myrtle Milk Chocolate Review: Thoughtful, If Reserved
Macadamia and lemon myrtle is an unmistakably Australian pairing, but one that can easily tip into novelty if handled too loudly. As the brand’s best-selling bar, it carries expectation.
Jasper + Myrtle Ginger & Coconut Dark Chocolate: When the Idea Leads the Flavour
Ginger and coconut suggest spice, crunch, and contrast. Heat against cream. Sweetness against depth. This bar hints at that interplay but keeps it subdued, allowing the dark base to remain the clear focus.
Koko Black Mighty Macadamia & Wattleseed: Earthy, Textural, and Unpretentious
A bar that clearly announces its Australian roots. Premium macadamia paste and wattleseed are folded through smooth milk chocolate, promising roasted warmth and texture over sweetness.
Jasper + Myrtle Blueberry Dark Chocolate Review: Controlled Fruit, Clean Finish
This bar from Jasper + Myrtle takes a restrained approach, placing the berry alongside a cocoa-forward base instead of letting it dominate.
Zokoko Coffee Pecan Milk Chocolate: A Comfort-Led Take on Café Flavours
The brown-toned packaging sets expectations early. It suggests caramel warmth, dairy richness, and a coffee note that leans creamy rather than roasted or intense.
Koko Black Pistachio Ganachio Review: Dark, Creamy, and Confident
Koko Black’s Pistachio Ganachio feels built for quieter, more contemplative moments. The pairing of a sweet-savoury pistachio filling with 54% dark chocolate promises balance rather than excess.
Koko Black Caramelised Coconut: Toasty, Balanced, and Comforting
Sun-kissed caramelised coconut meets milk chocolate in a pairing that’s instantly familiar yet quietly refined. This is a flavour combination that could easily tip into excess, but the bar’s restrained look and soft golden tone suggest Koko Black is aiming for warmth and balance over outright sweetness.
Bennetto Dark Coffee Chocolate Review: Beautifully Made, But the Coffee Fades
We picked this up on a whim—the idea of a dark chocolate bar with real coffee sounded promising. We hadn’t tried Bennetto before, but the price and packaging suggested it might hold its own.
Koko Black Cranberry, Macadamia & Cherry: A Premium Spin on Fruit & Nut
The packaging is unmistakably Koko Black: bold diagonal stripes framing a cut-out window that reveals the bar inside. Generous macadamias and glossy fruits sit visibly against smooth milk chocolate.
Hunted + Gathered Milk Chocolate + Hot Cross Bun: Easter in a Bar
Wrapped in Hunted + Gathered’s clean brown sleeve, the pale cross stretched across the front makes its Easter intentions obvious. This bar blends tradition with craft, folding pieces of Loafer’s Organic Hot Cross Buns into creamy Dominican Republic milk chocolate.
Hunted + Gathered Milk Chocolate 48% Review: Smooth Texture with Cocoa Depth
Hunted + Gathered’s minimal packaging sets the tone: understated, modern, and serious about chocolate. At 48% cacao, this “milk” bar hints at being something more grown-up than sweet comfort food.
Ratio Raspberry & Toasted Coconut White Chocolate Review: Balance Over Sweetness
Ratio’s Raspberry & Toasted Coconut White Chocolate combines a creamy 37% white chocolate base with raspberry and toasted coconut inclusions.
Koko Black Salted Caramel Surprise: Smooth, Buttery, and Decadent
Koko Black’s Salted Caramel Surprise strikes a poised balance between indulgence and restraint. At first glance it appears tidy and understated, yet hints of richness wait beneath its clean exterior. It signals comfort, measured rather than theatrical.