this morning, the first day of winter, i found myself in the city, walking briskly up the blustery corridor that is martin place. it wasn’t just the need to get out of the cold that spurred me on; specifically it was the need to get out of the cold and into the lindt shop. i believe the full and proper name for this establishment is “lindt concept store and café“.
[ the phrase “concept store” irritates me, alongside “free gift”, “authentic recipe”, “special collector’s issue” and “actual photos!”. the other month i saw a sign in a window amidst a fancy apartment complex, which said “concept store opening soon”, as though it didn’t matter what the store was selling. i suppose it is possible that they actually would be selling concepts. but i mean, a store that sells the stuff whose logo is out front! what a concept! rrrr. ]
the lindt shop’s been in business for months and months, but every time i’ve been past, it’s been closed. this would be acceptable if i showed up every tuesday at midnight, but i’ve only ever pressed my nose up to the cold and dark glass doors on weekend teatimes. today, aladdin’s cave finally opened. there were display cases along three walls (and a display island in the middle) and they all held chocolatey treasures that i wanted, all gloomy bear claws. in the end i showed moderate restraint, and when i stepped back out onto the street, i had a couple of madagascar dark chocolate truffles, a couple of pistachio truffles, a couple of 70% cocoa dark chocolate macaron, and a chocolate orange macaron. and a vanilla champagne macaron. and a dark hot chocolate, which was like drinking a hot lindor ball, mmm. like i said, moderate restraint.
what i left behind glass were: a raspberry-dark chocolate lindor ball, a creme brulee chocolate bar, an eclair, and a 70% cocoa dark chocolate tart adorned with a royal blue sash, like miss universe.
they will be mine, oh yes.
13 Comments
Have you noticed all the signs in quotation marks at Bondi Junction Westfield? It is TERRIBLE
“new store opening” , “exit this way” etc….
I sooo wanna go to the Lindy concept store!
actually, i quite like “exit this way” because sometimes i just want to get out of there, quick!
Parallel food lives indeed. Everytime I have walked that way – it has been closed. One time The Boy wasn’t interested and grumbled so we pressed on and found ourselves in a food court. Eeek.
With all that chocolate, you must have felt very warm on the first morning of winter, especially after drinking a warm lindt ball. God that sounds good.
Just one question though: Your receipt only shows one chocolate. Was that a return purchase?
yes, also a question about the receipt. me, too, i was confused, because i thought that $3.50 was EXTREMELY MODERATE restraint.
also, did they offer you a free lindor ball? because in the lindt store on fifth avenue in the city, the store people come up to you with a basket of lindor balls, and you can pick whichever one you want.
also, just, OH MY GOD YUM.
also, when i read “gloomy bear claws,” my hands made gloomy bear claws.
shts, i cannot stop, for, ALSO, i like macaroons a lot, and i like the chocolate-orange combination a lot.
IN CONCLUSION, i want to see a sign that says: “exit” this way. AAAAAH HAHAHAHA
sorry, i know i said “in conclusion,” but now i remember that the other day there was a sign in the window of some bodega somewhere that said something like: serving “breakfast” “$2.50.”
color me “intrigued.”
Hey, I was at Lindt on Wednesday June 1 also. Must have been a different time to you as I don’t recall seeing you there. You would have to be doing the granny choosing vegetables face for me to recognise you anyway. I’m going there again right now. I work just around the corner. It’s the wrong thing for me. Also very pleased that Haighs Chocolates is opening soon in Strand Arcade. For a long time Australia’s best chocolates but the bitter and twisted chocolatiers from SA never branched out to NSW, until now – woohoo! Chocolate anytime!! (except when the shops might be closed of course!).
clearly, the newyork-sydney connection will be taking place at the lindy shop come august, hurrah!
saffron, nellie: you have eagle eyes which shall not be clouded over with brown chocolate fog. in fact, the beverage counter is a whole separate queue from the chocolate solids, hence i have a whole separate receipt.
the truffles from the “pick and pack” at $140/kg were $7, and four macaron were $3.60.
Ah Lindt… every girl’s best friend.
Did you like the interior? I find it a bit cold and sterile. It’s like buying chocolates at Tiffany’s. Except they’d probably get annoyed at you if you stood outside chomping on a KK donut.
tvdog: oh how cruelly you taunt me with your casual “i’m going there again right now”. perhaps you go so often you can recommend something for my return visit, please?
yes! i walked past the papered windows of “haighs opening here soon” last weekend, and was very excited. however yesterday when i walked past again and peeped into the open doorway, it didn’t look anyway close to being opening soon enough. pah.
DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED MARZIPAN BARS!!!
but i am intrigued; who do you consider makes australia’s best chocolate these days?
augustusgloop: yes, it was certainly bank-like. (did it use to be a bank?) but i didn’t mind so much because it was a bank of chocolate!
Hi Bowb … I’m still researching Aus. best chocolates. Like the quest for scene behind the Mona Lisa, I think it could take some time. Haigh’s are excellent but there is much sampling left to do yet. I have to resample Belle Fluer this w/end. At the affectionately named Lindy cafe there is much to recommend – the eclairs are great, if you turn up with 2-3 friends the Concorde cake is wonderful (take-home for $10 and impress your dinner guests), the dark hot chocolate is a favourite but the mocha is a worthy contender if you like coffee (which I do), chocolate frappe is worth a try in warmer times, which is between 11am and 2pm these days (what’s happened to winter?), there’s a wonderful raspberry truffle in the shape of a heart (awww) can’t remember the exact name but it’s to the left of the truffle counter. If you want something non-chocolate (as crazy as that sounds) the chicken salad is very good but sadly last time I went the Blue Swimmer Crab sandwich had gone missing, if you find it on the menu it’s an excellent sandwich. The dark chocolate tart is very good, hence the Miss Universe sash. I haven’t yet tried any of the ice-creams but the cookies-and-cream Lindor ball was good (nice to try things otherwise not readily available in Australia). If you’re a St Moritz person it’s a good version, Hazelnut Genache is great, the list goes on. I tried 99% cocoa chocolate, very bitter, very savoury. It’s the chocolate world’s version of green tea, Sanbitter or Campari, more an apperitif than a dessert!
hi bowb
i soooo wanna go to the lindt store! i have walked past it many times and it’s always closed! *sigh* I will just wait for the next opening time. While you were there, did you catch their store opening time? Dont think they open on weekend, eh?
Hi Bowb and Pinkcocoa, Lindt is open early til 6pm Mon-Fri, I think they close a little earlier on Sat and they’re not open Sun. Happy Chocolate hunting!
tvdog! thank you for your comprehensive guide to old lindy. i suspect you got a job right around the corner on purpose.
i feel somewhat apprehensive about the 99% cocoa chocolate. anything above 70% seems a little masochistic to me. perhaps i need to mature my palette?