Are guided tours not your usual thing? What if we told you there would be chocolate…and lots of it?! lastminute lovely Shauna tantalises our tastebuds with talk of her recent soft centres tour of Sydney.
Now, it’s no secret I love my chocolate, so when a spot opened up on a chocolate walking tour of Sydney, I did everything in my power to make sure that spot was mine!
And what better way to take my mind off having a broken arm than by stuffing my face with chocolate?
Sydney is on its best behaviour with a clear blue sky and an unseasonably warm winter’s day on show. After walking across the beautiful Pyrmont Bridge, Mr. LML and I begin the tour in the heart of the CBD, at the old GPO building, which is now the Westin Hotel.
There are 12 people in our group; a small enough number to hear the tour guide, Désirée, throughout, but large enough to form a barrier to protect our chocolate from sneaky passers-by (very important)!
The GPO building at Martin Place
Désirée must have known the way to my heart because stop number one is Pendolino, my favourite Sydney restaurant. We’re treated to a hot drink of our choice accompanied with some house-made biscotti. Delicious, but at this point I’m careful not to eat much because I don’t want to spoil my appetite.
Yummy biscotti!
Désirée also gives us an interesting brief overview of coffee and of cocoa (that’s my kind of history lesson).
Next stop Haigh’s, my idea of heaven. We’re given more information on the production of chocolate, meanwhile tasting delectable bits and pieces.
From there we head down to Bon Bon, a store I didn’t know existed, but will definitely return to!
Their philosophy is to find the best quality fruit and nuts and lightly dust them in cocoa, which is refreshing – and almost healthy (please don’t tell me otherwise)! My mouth is still watering over their chocolate and hazelnut spread. Mmm…
No Sydney chocolate tour would be complete without a stop at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe. Opened in 2000, we Sydneysiders are lucky to boast the first Lindt concept store outside of Switzerland. Now there are stores located in the USA, Germany, the list goes on…
Lindt Cafe store
The highlight for me is the salted caramel macarons – it’s tough to practise self control and only walk out with one, believe me!
Last but not least, we arrive at the very luxurious Sheraton on the Park for a last drink and a recap. All chocolated-out, I settle for a nice cold glass of water. All in all, a fantastic tour and a lovely way to experience Sydney! I wonder if Désirée will notice if I pop in again next week…