Ganache

PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIA

Melbourne’s love affair with chocolate continues, with Ganache being the latest to encourage your habit. It’s a cosy chocolate store and cafe on a very busy stretch of Toorak Road. The building’s a lovely old thing that looks as though its been transported from the backstreets of an old European city decked out with stripped brick walls, soaring pressed metal ceilings and a counter full of the prettiest little chocolates you ever did see. The man responsible for this chocolate-lovers nirvana is Arno Backes, who used to be the chocolatier at Kokoblack. Ganache is his first solo venture and everything is lovingly made on the premises in the upstairs kitchen.

There’s comfy seating on a plush leather couch for those that like to linger, chatting over a velvety hot chocolate and some pralines. You’ll also find gelato, a range of petits fours and decadent, French-inspired gateaux. The small hand-made chocolates on sale behind the counter are quite exquisitely fine, beautifully crafted and brimming with heavenly fillings. Gorgeous packaging ensures that little boxes of chocolate fly out the doors with the intention of giving them as gifts, but it’s not rare to hear they never made it to the recipient. There are plans in the pipeline to run chocolate classes, which is great news for those who can’t get enough of Ganache.

Rita Erlich