Sweet indulgences – Epicure
Nestled on the leafy side of Fitzroy Street, this bright and busy shop is a chocolate lover's delight. You can watch master chocolatier Laurent Meric working in his glass-walled kitchen, while his creations are lined up in neat, tantalising rows in the display cabinets out front.
Meric, a man with a master's degree in sweet things and more than 20 years' experience in producing the finest cakes, pastries and chocolates, also presides over one of Melbourne's best hot chocolates ($4.40). It's exceptional Â- rich, thick yet frothy and perfectly sweet Â- also an example of how good a hot chocolate can be and it's such a different drink to the mostly insipid offerings served elsewhere around town.
Back to the chocolates. Those cabinets are full of temptation and invention. Meric creates his own chocolate by blending cacao from west Africa, Venezuela and Indonesia in differing quantities thereby creating tiny, unique parcels for each of the delicate fillings he makes. So, the montellimar dark, filled with a light and almost powdery nougat, is covered in a soft, dark chocolate casing. There is a range of pralines available some with caramel, others with layers; some wear a white chocolate sash or lone hazelnut for decoration.
All are decorated beautifully, many achieving a visual splendour that makes eating them even more a pleasure.
For Easter, Meric has gone beyond making a few cute bunnies. The menagerie includes rabbits, elephants, hens, roosters, fish and penguins among others. Some are big, small, some come in boxes, others are wrapped in cellophane and many are covered in carefully placed patches of bright colour. Ideal for that special gift, as is a hand-picked selection of the more traditional items on show.
