Sydney
Kakawa chocolates opened up their small boutique store in the Gaffa centre several years ago now, and the new central location has been a welcome addition to the original Darlinghurst outpost. Not as well known as most of Sydney’s artisan chocolatiers, Kakawa is a fairly well kept secret in the chocolate world, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not deserved of attention.
The name Kakawa is taken from the first civilisation to cultivate cocoa beans; the Olmecs of Mexico. All Kakawa’s chocolates are hand made with natural ingredients and void of artificial flavouring and preservatives and gluten free for our intolerant friends.
Kakawa do lots of seasonal chocolates, like hot cross buns for Easter and gingerbread men for Christmas, but some noticeable choices in their regular collection include caramelised banana (like bananofee tart in a chocolate), strawberry and balsamic vinegar, caramelised olive (intrigued? tastes amazing), smokey truffle, sea salt caramel (one of their specialities) and lychee. At $2 each, they’re quite reasonably priced, and all that I’ve tasted have been great.
Aside from the collection of fine chocolates and truffles, Kakawa have a few other unique draw cards. There’s the range of chocolate “CDs”; flat discs of chocolate with different flavourings and toppings, and their chocolate bars- the most notable of which is the dark chocolate bar with liquid sea salt caramel inside! They also do ice cream sandwiches which I’ve been tempted by but have never tasted. Flavours like caramelised black sesame with white chocolate and praline with milk chocolate make me wonder why I haven’t though.
Perhaps my favourite unique Kakawa offering though, are the handmade soft caramels. They’re wrapped up delicately in blank brown paper, all freshly made and soft and gooey. At 80c each, they come in butterscotch, peanut butter (if you like something a little more on the savoury side), apple pie (which seriously tastes like apple pie in caramel form), chocolate and raspberry (very tangy). All are really good and very moorish.
Overall, Gaffa ranks as high on my list of chocolate stores in Sydney, for their quality, value and natural ingredients.
Fine chocolate/truffle $2 each
Chocolate bar $5.80
Caramel 80c each
Ice cream sandwich $5
Chocolate CD $8.50
Atmosphere 3/5
Quality 5/5
Value 4/5
Overall 9/10
Gaffa Gallery, 281 Clarence Street, Sydney
Between Business Food Trails 