In celebration of World Chocolate Day, we’ve picked out our restaurant’s sweetest, chocolate-packed desserts that are guaranteed to leave chocoholics drooling.
One of our favourite days of the years is upon us: World Chocolate Day. At The Star Entertainment Group our chefs have a little bit of a sweet tooth so chocolate can almost always be found on the menu of our restaurants. Here are our favourite chocolate desserts …
Sokyo’s Goma Street Dessert
Not only is this dessert a feast for the stomach, it’s also a feast for the eyes. Sokyo’s signature dessert is made up of layers of thin and delicate dark chocolate discs that sandwich in fluffy white chocolate mousse, stacked into a tower shape. On the side, accompanying the delicious tower is a scoop of black sesame flavoured, home-made ice cream.
“For the first time diners, the trick is that you need to break down all the layers of mousse and chocolate,” says Alex Yu, Sokyo Sous Chef. “And also mix it together with the black sesame ice cream. I know it gets a little ugly at the end but that’s why chefs have this term ‘ugly delicious’ because it may not be pretty to look at, but it tastes amazing.”
Another important aspect of this dish is balance – and not just of the mousse and chocolate discs. “The elements of this dish are not as unique as the ratio of the dessert,” says Alex. “There’s the perfect balance of texture and flavours that can’t be replicated at other restaurants.”
Nineteen at The Star’s Dark Chocolate Tart
If you’re a dark chocolate lover, then this one’s for you. Nineteen at The Star’s Dark Chocolate Tart is flavoured by 66% dark Valrhona chocolate, which is made into a ganache and baked in the oven with a buttery shortcrust pastry. The beauty of this dish is how deliciously simple it looks.
“It’s a very sleek, classic looking dessert” says Mitchell Tucker, Nineteen at The Star Sous Chef. “It’s very much our style here at Nineteen at The Star. It might look simple but a high level of execution is needed to pull off this dish.”
The Nineteen at The Star team spent a lot of time developing this specific recipe. “Though the great chocolate helps, what it really comes down to is the precise aeration of the sabayon, temperature and cook time,” says Mitchell. “Needless to say, a lot of tarts were eaten during the development of this dish.”
Another unique element of this dish is it’s pairing with olive oil and yoghurt. “It sounds odd, but trust me it works,” says Mitchell. “The rich and creamy tart paired with the slightly acidic and earthy notes from the yoghurt and olive oil is divine.”
Black Hide by Gambaro at Treasury Brisbane’s Chocolate Mousse
Who doesn’t love chocolate mousse? It’s a classic dessert that chocolate connoisseurs can’t resist. In fact, it was the chocolate-loving diner the team in kitchen at Black Hide by Gambaro at Treasury Brisbane had in mind when creating their famous Chocolate mousse.
“We use Callebaut 54% dark chocolate in the mousse which gives it a really indulgent flavour,” says Lucas McEwan, Group Executive Chef at the Gambaro Group. “We also pair this rich flavour with local sourced strawberries and cacao nibs.”
The result? A decadent chocolate mousse that has a mildly roasted and fruity flavour to it that balances the chocolate perfectly.
BLACK Bar & Grill’s Chocolate Warm Couverture Ganache, Caramel, Peanut, Blueberry, Tonka Bean Ice-Cream
BLACK Bar & Grill is known for its decadent steaks – its $600 David Blackmore Dry Aged Ration Fed Fullblood Wagyu MBS9+ is known to garner a waitlist. But one of its must-try dishes is for all those with a sweet tooth. A delicate spherical shell of milk chocolate houses tonka bean ice-cream, which is revealed only once the shell is melted away when the warm couverture is poured over it. Yes, we know this was simply made for Instagram.
Cucina Vivo’s Warm Chocolate Brownie
Chocolate brownies served fresh from the oven. Yes, please! Baked fresh, Cucina Vivo’s Warm Chocolate Brownie makes the whole kitchen smell like heaven according to Dayan Hartill-Law, Chef de Cuisines at Cucina Vivo. “By cooking the brownie fresh each order, it takes a little time but is worth it.”
The brownie itself is quite simple and chocolate forward using Valrhona Satilla Noir 62% dark chocolate with walnuts and hazelnuts sprinkled throughout. What really makes this dish’s flavours stand out is the milo ice cream it is paired with.
“It adds this savoury, maltiness to the dish that lifts the chocolate,” says Dayan. “It’s also served with peated whisky caramel which provides a boozy sweet bitter that heightens the flavour. It’s quite the mouthful but it’s deliciously rich and delightfully messy.”
