Steven ter Horst Chocolatier - Adelaide, South Australia

Steven ter Horst Chocolatier can be found nestled among the shops on Unley Road, Unley. It's open 6 days a week, closed Mondays.



Steven ter Horst clearly has a great deal of love and respect for chocolate and his shop is filled with proof that he has done his chocolate homework. The small and beautifully decorative chocolates in the glass case are perfect for boxing up as a gift or to take home for later.



Chocolate also comes in liquid form at Steven ter Horst and I love this stuff. It's very concentrated and full flavoured. It's like a dark chocolate, but without the bitterness. I don't know how he does it. For those who don't want to drink their chocolate, there are plenty of coffee and tea options as well as house made sparkling lemonade, orange or ginger drinks. Definitely something for everyone.



The desserts are all spectacular and most of them contain that ridiculously good chocolate. The options do change, but it's hard to go wrong here.



Try the Chocolate Cloud ($8.50) to ensure that you experience Steven's chocolate in its full glory.



The Chocolate Cloud is chocolate mousse, vanilla cream and crunchy cocoa nib disc over a flourless chocolate sponge. It's beautifully light and deliciously rich at the same time.



The Salted Caramel Truffle Tart ($6.50) is another winner as it achieves that delicate balance between salty and sweet. Underneath the decadent chocolate is the perfect compliment of gooey salted caramel.



Not to be forgotten is the Chocolate Truffle Tart ($8.50). This one is luscious dark chocolate truffle ganache over a base of crunchy hazelnut praline, served with berry coulis. This one also comes in a round 20cm tart ($30) for those of you with guests or a large chocolate loving family.



There's even an option for citrus lovers called Lemon Lust ($8.50). It's made of a lemon mousse dome with a praline cream centre and cocoa sponge. The lemon is the star here, with the chocolate playing a supporting role.



It's difficult to leave Steven ter Horst Chocolatier without a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, and of course some more of that chocolate to take home for later. Chocolate aficionados, this place is definitely worth your visits.

Update 20 November 2013:
The Unley location is now closed and Steven ter Horst Chocolatier can be found at 256 Rundle Street in the Adelaide CBD! They're open 7 days 10am-late.

L'Espresso - Ballarat, Victoria

L'Espresso in Ballarat is my absolute favourite breakfast spot in Australia. We stay in Ballarat every time on our way to Melbourne just so we can wake up and go straight to L'Espresso.



They're in one of Ballarat's cool heritage buildings on Sturt Street and there's always some smooth tunes playing from their wall of CDs. The chalkboard to the left of the entrance shows a list of new arrivals in their music collection.



This is a real cafe with all the good stuff including a coffee machine made by Faema, Italy’s number one professional espresso machine manufacturer.



The coffee, according to my cafe latte drinking hubby, is superb. Just like what you would find in some of Europe's best cafes. Smooth and delicious.



If you aren't a coffee drinker, I recommend the fresh squeezed orange juice. There's minimal pulp and the taste is absolutely perfect.



And here it is, my favourite breakfast in all of Australia! It's the Free Range Eggs (scrambled) with Bacon Tomato and Toast ($14.50). The eggs are silky smooth and perfectly cooked. The bacon is lean and tasty. The tomatoes are a deep red colour, not that pale supermarket crap, and nicely grilled with a beautiful pesto on top. The toast is fluffy turkish bread with a slight toasted crunch on the outside and soft in the middle. And oh the butter!



Or here's the Eggs Benedict ($16.50) with those grilled tomatoes, poached free range eggs, grilled ham and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin.



There are plenty of other options for breakfast too such as fritters, pancakes, lamb's fry, muesli, toast, croissants, etc. I'm sure you'll find plenty to love. L'Espresso is also open for lunch everyday, serving up traditional Italian fare like pastas and open focaccias. They're sometimes open on Friday and Saturday evenings for dinner as well. If you're in Ballarat, don't pass up the opportunity to visit L'Espresso!