#Gauteng52, Week 10: Joburg's Best Chocolate
Welcome to Week 10 of my #Gauteng52 challenge, for which I will visit and blog about a new place in Gauteng Province every week for 52 straight weeks. This week I visit Chocoloza, a shop in Milpark selling handmade chocolates and chocolate drinks.
I’ve been writing a lot of long blog posts lately, so this is going to be a short one.
The Story of Chocoloza
There is a South African woman named Vicki, who used to have a 9-5 job before she decided to take a chocolate-making course while living in Belgium. Vicki moved back to South Africa and became a chocolatier. She opened Chocoloza in Milpark, at 44 Stanley. Chocoloza sells delicious, handmade Belgian chocolates and chocolate drinks, the likes of which I’ve never tasted before. Chocoloza is perfect. The end.
My lovely friend Andrea in front of the Chocoloza menu.
Okay, that’s not the end. Here are a few things I loved about my visit to Chocoloza:
- This is extremely high-end food but the shop isn’t pretentious. Vicki doesn’t call her chocolates “craft” or “bespoke” or “naked” or “raw” – they’re just chocolates that she makes and they are delicious.
- Chocoloza’s decor is simple, fun, and inviting. I liked looking into the chocolate-making area.
- It was really fun to make my own hot chocolate.
- Chocoloza’s chocolate isn’t overly sweet, with just the right amount of sugar.
- The chocolates and drinks are well priced considering how great they taste.
- Vicki is a super-nice, interesting person who is passionate about chocolate.
If you like chocolate (you’re weird if you don’t), Chocoloza is a slam dunk for your next coffee date. There’s nothing more I need to say. The end (for reals).
Chocoloza is at 44 Stanley Avenue in Milpark. Call +27-10-900-4892.
Read all of my #Gauteng52 posts and check out the interactive #Gauteng52 map.
Yum, I speak chocolate and how is it week 10 already?
Hahaha, I know. Only 42 weeks to go…eek.
O.M.G., LOVE this! I like everything about it, from the name to the decor to the colors - brilliant to pair that orange with the brown and white of the chocolates. I also love 44 Stanley.
Sometimes reading your blog posts is torturous.
Like when there is no chocolate in the house.
That all looks fabulous and I want to try everything. Are the chocolate chips for the hot chocolate made especially for hot chocolate? Or are they all purpose?
I think they’re made especially for the hot chocolate. Chocolate chips aren’t really a thing here like they are in the US - I was actually surprised to see them!
Do you know how brilliant your blog is? I promise to follow you for as long as I still have energy left after my full-time job. Well done.
Awww, thank you so much Sipho!
You mention chocolate chips not really being a thing in South Africa. I thought your readers might enjoy this ancient blog post of mine on the subject of hard to find chocolate chips: http://www.joburgexpat.com/2011/09/chocolate-chip-in-hiding.html
Yep, divine I popped in there this morning
Glad you agree.
As Aumnashbrough said, torturous. I cannot have chocolate simply because I can’t tolerate sweeteners of any kind, and it’s always got something in it, ‘sugarfree’ or no. I end up in the hospital if I ingest more than a finger-lick. But oh, how I love it, the flavor and the smell. I’ve never seen tea made with cocoa beans. Maybe it would help with my craving. Can you tell me how it’s made? Just drop beans in hot water? I’ve tried to make hot chocolate with baking chocolate [ugh, bitter] and cocoa powder [doesn’t dissolve, ugh], but no go. :(
Hmm, I can’t remember exactly what she said about the tea. But I’m pretty sure it was just cocoa beans (maybe ground up a little?) and hot water. I tasted it - really good.
Hi Eugenia,
(And hi all - thanks for your enthusiastic response!)
Our cocoa tea contains only cocoa nibs and hot water. Cocoa nibs are just crushed, roasted cocoa beans - so Heather was dead on. So no sweeteners, no sugar - nothing else. It’s not a sweet drink but it has a lovely rich, cocoaey (is that a word?) flavour.
Cocoa beans are like coffee beans - the flavour will vary tremendously based on where they’re from, how they’ve been treated, how they’ve been roasted… And I should stop now because I could talk about it for hours :-) But I can eat good quality cocoa nibs as a snack.
And my sympathies on the baking chocolate/cocoa powder experiment, that can’t have been happy. Pop by some time, hope we can help you with your craving!
All good things, Vicki
Yummmmm!!! Awesome idea for a blog series BTW!
Thanks Rebecca :)