Cheeky Chocolate @ North Strathfield

The semester has ended, and now to study for exams. But to celebrate the end of the semester we decided that we needed somewhere to go for a good dessert, and because I am considered the foodie I was to decide where to go, and I am constantly looking for new places that aren't as far as the city.

I came across Cheeky Chocolate when someone on my Facebook checked in, and then I found a cafe review of Cheeky Chocolate on SMH. After reading the review, I knew I had to go and we were all impressed and I agree with everything in the review. The fact that the menu is inspired by Adriano Zumbo, it was an opportunity I could not refuse.

As soon as I walked in I fell in love with the decor, I felt that I was invited into a Victorian era home where there was a large banquet table and chandeliers hung above and just ahead there was a lovely old fashion French styled cupboard. As I turned my head on either side there are Victorian lounges and chairs, and against a wall there is a painting of a moulin-rouge styled woman with velvet curtains. I felt that I are going to be pampered with wonderful delights and that is definitely what I got in return.

As I continued to look around I noticed a glass cabinet near the counted filled with more desserts. It took us a while to figure out what we wanted as all the desserts on the menu sounded mouth watering and the titles of the desserts get you aroused. And to that, we ordered at least one of everything on the menu, considering there was so many of us. Each of the main desserts costed $18.00.

Twilight $25.00

The Twilight cocktail was one of the specials for the night and serves 2 people. The waitress said something along the lines of 'Edward and Bella's love potion', but for all those non-twlight fans don't let the title of the drink fool you. It tasted great and the alcohol could not be tasted at all. It was smooth and sweet, and went well with all the desserts.

Read my lips or kiss my cheeks

A Cheeky Chocolate sundae composed of banana gelato with honeycomb creme chantilly, peanut caramel,  and raspberry gel topped with Cheeky Chocolate sauce. It was exquisite, especially with the banana gelato infusing with the raspberry gel and whilst eating you get the little suprise of the peanut caramel crunch.

Its bombtastic totally fantastic

Assorted textures of chocolate and orange encased in a chocolate sphere. This was interesting, the waitress poured a white/cream coloured milk/sauce on top of the ball (not quite sure what it was, might have been a light milk or buttermilk or cream) which resulted in a slight crack of the ball and fusion of all the flavours. The orange, mixed with the chocolate and mysterious liquid worked really well, creating a well balanced flavour.

Roll the dice is it naughty or nice

This was was definitely my favourite, and a MUST get dessert! It was a chocolate creme brulee, cinnamon ice cream and cherry gel with pistachio sesame crumble. It looks like a main meal of two different textured pate with a glaze, but looks can be deceiving right? It was smooth, delicate, and had the soothing sound when the sugar was cracked. The pistachio crumb just topped it off with its sweet and nutty taste.

This is how we roll

Ice cream filled profiteroles with Cheeky Chocolate Sauce. It was my least favourite dessert, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. The profiterole pastry was different to normal profiteroles which was what I didn't really like, its definitely up to ones taste buds. However, the ice cream was a lip-licking good.

Whats cooking good looking

Chocolate sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce. This dessert in a nutshell =  Gooey-gooey goodness. As soon as you grab a spoonful, an entire string of butterscotch sauce follows, just like honey. I liked how the sauce was butterscotch and not caramel, which resulted in a more subtle and not as sweet flavour.

Carpet matches the drapes

Chocolate crepes with lemon, sugar & maple syrup ice cream. Another one of my favourites desserts of the night. Everything just worked well together, with every bite you get the richness of the chocolate, with a slight crunch of the encasing and the essence of a lemon tangyness. I would say this is also a must try, especially if you love fruit with chocolate.

Will you pash or dash

Chocolate fondant with passion fruit centre, toasted white chocolate and orange soaked pineapple. Again with my love of passion fruit with chocolate, and this is one to add to the  list. It was dressed with a light coconut cream/milk which was frothy in texture. The fondant was made fresh (this is how they should be made!) which means it had a nice soft-gooey centre with the passion fruit. The pineapple was refreshing, and with the chocolate and ice cream in one spoonful, it was an absolute treat!

The lovely uni group (with a few people missing)

And of course I could not leave without taking some treats home. I decided to buy some macarons and a chocolate, raspberry & meringue tart.

Chocolate, raspberry & meringue tart ($9): The taste reminded me of a similar tart that can be bought from Bourke St Bakery, but I think I prefer this one. The reasoning being that there is less chocolate, which results in a less overpowering taste. The chocolate was rich, which was counter balanced by the raspberry, and the meringue added a lightness to all the flavours. All the different levels of sweetness worked really well, and did not get sickening. 

The texture of the macarons were perfect, with the perfect line between a the bite and the chew, priced at $3.00 each.

Banana, caramel & passion fruit macaron: It is weird sounding, and had a unique flavour. I couldn't quite pin point all the individual flavours, but the passion fruit did stand out. 

Chocolate & raspberry macaron: It had the same taste as the tart but in a smaller form. I don't think you can fail a great tasting dessert with any berry mixed with chocolate.

Chocolae & orange macaron: This was my favourite of the 3 macarons for the reason being that it had a choc-orange taste, exactly like a jaffa!

Cross-section of the tart

There is no doubt that I would go to Cheeky Chocolate again. It had a great atmosphere, vibe, ambiance, service and AWESOMELY DELICIOUS desserts! We were not at any point of the night disappointed. It is a great place to go whenever you are in need of a sugar hit, or place to sit and hang out with a close group of friends. All the staff were charismatic, and our waiter definitely made the night that extra special.

Cheeky Chocolate do take bookings/reservations but generally not on weekends because it can get busy, fortunately for our big group of 9, I called a few hours before hand to give them a heads up, and the owner Jennifer Dib said to call again close to arrival so she could have a spot for us. It was a great overall experience and I hope all the uni people had a wonderful time!

Good food, good times!