Sweet Season

Sydney Morning Herald

Tuesday April 4, 2006

Helen Greenwood

Easter brings out the best - and most colourful - handmade chocolates.

Chocolate Plato

Shop K1C, RHODES SHOPPING CENTRE, RIDER BOULEVARD, RHODES, 97396309.

Open Mon-Fri 10am-7pm (Thu 9pm), Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-6pm

The Fardoulis family has been in the confectionery trade since patriarch Emanuel began sugar-coating nuts, chocolate-coating honeycomb and making his own rocky road in 1978. The factory shop, run by his wife, Martha, has become an institution, a must-do destination at Christmas and Easter.

A decade later, the next generation came along. Son Con and his then wife, Anna, devised two-tone after-dinner mints and praline-centre chocolates and, by 1996, the mints had sweetened the bills in restaurants across town and the heart-, star- and shell-shaped chocolates had hit the shelves in department stores.

Anna and Con's business involvement survived the break-up of their marriage: she continued as the marketing and packaging whiz and he remained the restless spirit pursuing chocolate visions. Last year, he persuaded Anna to embark on a new venture, handmade chocolates designed for their first retail outlet, and Chocolate Plato made its debut in October.

The shop is a handsome kiosk in timber and stainless steel. Behind a glass panel are three custom-made tempering units, the machines that melt and heat the Callebaut couverture and create the glossy sheen. Blocks of 45 per cent dark and 12 per cent milk chocolate are propped in round basins and you can watch the tempered mix then going into the moulds.

At the front of the kiosk is the new handmade range, Con's chance to experiment with 18 flavours. He makes a white ganache, using macadamia paste and honey that comes from the hundreds of hives his father keeps, and layers the fillings on top.

"With the gourmet range we separate the cream from the fruit so the flavour can stay whole and wholesome without disappearing," he says.

He uses fresh oils and expensive fillings. His passion is for fruit flavours and he should be proud of his fig and sour kiwi fruit centres in dark chocolate. They are fashioned to please, rather than surprise; not too sweet and balanced by the chocolate's flavour.

Cookbooks, magazines and even television inspire him. The cranberry filling came from the Sex and the City series and the much talked about cosmopolitan cocktail. But mainly, he says, "I look at the flavours of gelato and they are very experimental. Gelato is a place where you can see new flavours and blends."

There are also the Fardoulis ranges: art deco, classic and gold and white. The foil- and cellophane-wrapped chocolates are boxed for presentation or loosely gathered in ribbon-tied bags. You can't miss the gelato colours of the Easter specials.

You can also buy bars of mixed milk and dark chocolate flavoured with mint, coconut, almond, hazelnut; there are freckles, rocky road and little bags of eggs. A jar of the foil-wrapped hearts sits enticingly on the counter and, sure enough, two little boys come up to help themselves, and scamper off smiling.

Best buys

Handmade chocolates, above, $60/kg; hazelnut pralines $7.50/150g; Easter gelato box $12/180g.

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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