Riche - Authentique Chocolat Belge

Those of you who have been visiting me regularly may have realised by now that I'm not a coffee drinker, but do know my way around a good hot chocolate. Having drunk so many and made many more I have become very fussy as to what I will accept and how I like it made. So much so that my husband at times has almost begged me not to order one as we both know I will be disappointed. He wont even offer to make me one at home now, so specific is my 'formula' that only I can make it right.

Which was why a return visit to Riche in Mt Hawthorn was high on my list of priorities during a recent family visit to Western Australia. Knowing how much I liked a good hot chocolate my sister had taken us there on a previous visit a year ago. I was relieved to find Riche where I had left it and apparently doing a roaring trade.

There are nine basic chocolates to choose from. There is also tea, coffee and cold drinks, but I didn't give them a second glance.
Beginning at the top and working down:

Inca Recipe - Ebony Liquor 99.4% cocoa infused with honey

Sao Thome 85% - the chocolate drink of my choice read like this from the menu: A rare dark chocolate that combines a subtle fruitiness with a richly varied assortment of aromas and remarkably fine hint of vanilla bourbon. As you can see from the picture above it is served with a small whisk so that all the chocolate can be melted into the hot milk. It was wonderful.

Bolivia 72% - hints of roasted peanuts

Ecuador 71% - hints of white grape

Peru 64% - wild berry

Costa Rica 64% - almond

Santo Domingo 55% - fruity and spicy

Venezuela 43% - caramel and nutty

You could also have your choice of chocolate mixed with liqueurs such as Sambuca, Vodka, Cointreau and Napoleon Brandy. These, too, had wonderful and exotic names as well as a full description on the table menu and the menu board.

They also serve coffee in beautiful cups, and all chocolates purchased in the store are packaged in their own carry bags.

The store owners are from Belgium and import these truffles as well as make their own.
All the cabinets and the floor are beautiful timber and it is a wonderful place to take a break and fortify oneself for more shopping.

Riche serves morning and afternoon teas, with a small selection of beautiful cakes as well as lunch from a small but typically French lunch menu.

Riche Authentique Chocolat Belge

Shop 3/148

Scarborough Beach Rd (cnr Flinders St)

Mt Hawthorn

(08) 9201 0099

Father's Day

At last I'm back. I've got lots of great photos and products to show you from my recent visit to WA, but first I need to tell you about Father's Day.

As it is my responsibility to pick the location for breakfast on Father's Day I chose the Jackman & McRoss Bakery in Battery Point. Of course this is totally self serving as I wanted to eat there, but my easy to please husband was more than happy. A friend had mentioned this bakery as a place we should visit and I had accidently driven past it on the way home one day, so quickly pulled over and went to investigate.

Buttermilk and Raisin Loaf $7.20

This was the highlight of our visit, so much so that I bought one to take home. The loaf had been sliced, but not all the way through, and then warmed in the oven until it was crunchy on the outside and soft and steaming on the inside.

Chorizo sausage, gruyere cheese and caramelised onion, wrapped in puff pastry with homemade relish $6.50

This was one of those really spicy chorizo sausages and my son couldn't eat it. It was certainly very spicy but we ate it for him. Not many onions in it though.

The egg and bacon and tomato pie with homemade relish ($6.80) was delicious. The pastry was crispy and the filling had plenty of bacon and a not quite set egg.

Other menu choices include croissants ($4.50), different varieties of brioche ($2, $3.50), danish ($4.50) and a hot smoked trout, bok choy, dill, horseradish and capsicum frittata ($7.50)
There is no traditional bacon and eggs as this is a bakery first and cafe second. Apart from the printed menu there was a black board menu with variations of pies and breads. There were the usual coffees, hot chocolates and a choice of 19 different types of teas. It was almost all tables for two inside and I wondered if that meant most of their patrons grabbed a quick bite before heading off to work or the Saturday markets.

Make sure you check out the bakery section and all the cakes before you leave. There are some lovely breads and one of the few places I have seen a fresh brioche loaf.

Jackman & McRoss

57-59 Hampden Rd

Battery Point

6223 3186.