Gone Chocco

Diamond Creek is where Chocolatier first started. The three Grisold brothers – David, John and Mark – bought the small chocolate company back in the mid-1980s and learned their craft there and now, twenty five years later, they’ve revamped the brand and want to share them with you.

I remember seeing a large and flat gold box with ‘Diamond Creek’ on it for a crazy $5 markdown at K-Mart several years ago, and John Grisold confirmed that I hadn’t imagined it. “Yes, we were trying to work out if we should relaunch the brand or not,” he said, “but it didn’t get the impetus it needed at the time.”

Now they’re trying again but this time they’re only available at Woolworth’s supermarkets who have bought the entire stock.

I’ll be honest and say that the cardboard box and the individually-wrapped chocolates that are thrown together inside don’t scream ‘quality’ or ’something you can give as a gift’, but then again, it’s the first-born of the now successful and respected Chocolatier company, so it’s not going to be crap to eat, is it?

Each box contains  four flavours that all cleverly reference the ‘diamond’ of the company. The Brilliant Milk box has Brilliance (strawberry), Marquise (hazelnut praline); Solitaire (coffee) and Empress (caramel). When they’re out of their plastic wrappers they look rather pretty, don’t they?

At the top is the Marquise. This is a milk chocolate that contains a pretty decent hazelnut praline that has tiny chips of caramelised hazelnuts inside for something a bit extra. Hazelnut praline fans will find plenty to enjoy in this unassuming little square. Or diamond, depending on which way you look at it.

The Solitaire, on the right, has a white chocolate layer on top infused with tiny specks of ground coffee. Inside is a milk chocolate ganache with a coffee infusion. All elements worked perfectly and went down a treat with my hot morning cup of coffee. This could form a speciality box (or block?) all on its own.

Brilliance, on the left, is Chocolatier’s Strawberry Delice; one of their most popular chocolates. It smells distinctively of strawberries with a white chocolate ‘pink’ top covering a fruity milk chocolate ganache underneath. No wonder it’s one of John Grisold’s favourites as well.

At the forefront, the Empress has a dark chocolate top with a firm caramel underneath. ‘Firm’ in the sense that it’s not super-chewy and likely to yank your fillings out like a Fantail, nor is it super-dribbly like a too-warm Caramello; but like a beautiful, burnt-sugar toffee with a ganache texture. I love it when dark chocolate and caramel work this well together.

The Assorted Box has two of the same flavours inside – Empress and Marquise respectively – and two new ones, both in dark chocolate.

Excelsior – at the forefront-  is a delightful berry and coconut creation. The clear flavour of coconut is evident at first with sweet and creamy berry thrills appearing soon after. I could eat box after box after box of just these little beauties.

Crystal – seen here at the top – has a dark chocolate shell with a white top rendered slightly greenish due to the tiny shards of mint chips mixed in with it. When you bite into the ‘fun’ top, there’s a lovely surprise: a dark chocolate, mint-infused soft toffee underneath. Delicious!

The presentation is clearly done to make them affordable and underneath the indifferent packaging, they most certainly are worth it.

And don’t forget the Lindt Chocolate Ball on Friday 6th August, to help fund a cure for FSHD. Frock up and have fun, or just donate to a very worthy cause!