SUMMER sees Northern Quarter chocolate boutique Bonbon upping its offering to include ice-creams, frozen yogurt & chocolate coolers. No that those items however delectable (and they are) were top of the agenda on a May afternoon pretending to be winter.
Our immediate demand was for hot chocolate, which lived up to its best in Manchester reputation and coffee, from a glittering new machine, that could lay claim to numero uno in that department, too. Oh, and the chocolate eclairs from Teacup, pictured below and so often neglected when there are truffles in the house, deserve their own award.
Bonbon are using local ice-cream heroes the Cabrelli Brothers and Londons Gelupo Gelati to serve up cones, knickerbockers and affogatos bejeweled with chocolate, nuts, fruit and a selection of homemade syrups and sauces in flavours such as fresh mint, raspberry coulis and stem ginger.
The Bonbon hot chocolate is composed solely of 66 per cent Valrhona chocolate, spring water, cocoa & muscovado sugar and will also be served as a chilled cooler throughout the summer.
The chocolate bar seection is evolving, too. For spring and summer Bonbon will offer delights from Forever Cacao, Booja Booja and Montezuma.
Forever Cacao is an ethically focused bean-to-bar chocolate producer, creating raw chocolate bars packed with health benefits. Working with the Ashanika tribe in Peru and sustainability charity Ecotribal, Forever Cacao have cultivated an ethical and sustainable supply chain from which they source their cocoa beans. When they arrive in the UK the beans are stoneground with cocoa butter and coconut sugar, set into bars and hand-wrapped before shipping to Bonbon.
Expect a selection of handmade vegan & gluten truffles from Booja Booja in flavours such as banoffee toffee, midnight espresso and stem ginger. Montezuma offer handmade truffles, with firm, flavourful ganache in crisp shells, sprinkled with crunchy cacao nibs or toasted coconut.
Neil Sowerby
Bonbon Chocolate Boutique, 9 John Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1EQ
www.bonbonchocolateworkshop.com @bonbon_workshop.
Opening hours: 11am-6pm Wed to Sat, 12pm- 5pm Sun; Mon and Tue by appointment only.
