Cupcakes with a chaser of chocolate - Max Brenner on the Gold Coast

So, my darling sister turns 20... one thing that has not changed over the years is her love for chocolate. After a huge dinner the night before, with some delicious cupcakes what better way to follow up the next morning than with chocolate by the bald man. Max Brenner is all about chocolate - the shops walls are lined with all sorts of chocolate mixes, drinks, cups, glassware & sweets with cabinets of hand-made chocolates and then the front counter home to a whole range of chocolate goodies, a warm pot of chocolate for drizzling and a coffee machine used mainly for foaming milk for the various chocolate drinks. The drink menu is a tad daunting, you look above the back wall and the boards are filled with each & every hot or iced chocolate concoction you could imagine - dark chocolate, spiced Mexican chocolate, Danish toffee, marshmallow, coconut chocolate, mint chocolate, hot chocolate with waffle bites & peanut butter iced chockie .... just to name a few! The little sis' goes for a suckao, milk chocolate.



As you can see, one very happy camper! A jug of warm milk and fine milk chocolate buttons sit on a little wooden tray and are added to a little suckao pot, with a tea light candle flickering below. The metal straw has a little spoon on the end, for stirring and collecting all of the melting chocolate. I have the hot chocolate with waffle bites and Mum the Danish toffee chocolate, both divine!

We share a chocolate souffle cake, with chocolate drizzle and vanilla ice cream.



That's definitely our chocolate quota for the day .... now time for a stroll along the coast.

Max Brenner
Gold Coast - Main Beach
Shop 24 Ground Floor, Marina Mirage
74 Seaworld Drive Main Beach QLD 4217
T: +61 7 5591 1588


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La Granja and Xurreria, Barcelona Spain

Our first visit to Barcelona we had some trouble finding authentic churros. We had read a great little piece on Barcelona Food Girl but after wandering up and down the little Banys Nous several times, it was clear both places were taking an Easter break. On our return, we are eager to hunt them down ... The Banys Nous was then alive, and all the shops were open. We first spotted the Xurreria with piles of fried goodness in the window.



So the deal is, you buy a paper bag full of churros, which are sold by weight. A few euros gets us enough for 2. Then you head next door into La Granja, or the Milk Bar, where they are more-than happy for you to bring in your churros and open on the table. They have an extensive drink menu, so there is bound to be something for everyone. Coffees, liquers, tisanes, tea and of course the hot chocolates.



We both choose a Xocolata Picant. It is thick, rich and spiced with chili and cinamon. We dip the churros into our cups, the sugar that has been sprinkled on the giving a beautiful contrast against the lick of heat from the chili's...

The tiled walls, bright paint, marble tabletops and friendly staff make this a place we could easily spend a lot of time. It might just be a good thing they were closed for the Easter holidays...



Banys Nous
Carrer dels Banys Nous, 3
08002 Barcelona, Spain
933 437 994


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Hittin' the road with Churros & Chocolate

Churros & chocolate are a bit of a breakfast staple all around Spain. Changing ever-so-slightly as we move through each region. The thinner, traditional churro was served when we were in Zaragoza although the thick spiral ones also made a breif appearance. The Churros in Sevilla are called Calentitos. They are the thick churro that is cooked in a spiral. When they are removed from the hot oil it is quite a spectacle.



We have arranged to meet our good friends Io & H early on this morning, we are driving down to Cadiz. Our contribution to the road trip is a cup of hot chocolate for each of us, and a giant bag of churros. When we order she just asks how many ...... 4 hot chocolate and then the bag of churros is enough for 4. It certainly is generous!



Even with the stop for road trip snacks, we manage to arrive a little early to our meeting place. The smell of the hot chocolates, the sugar, the warm bag sitting in my hands. It's too much. We are waiting a while, as we are sure Io & H are having some navigation troubles .............. We sample a few while they are hot .... and just can't help ourselves.

Lucky their appetites aren't quite as big as ours, they will never know how generous the initial portion was.

Chocolateria La Fama, Zaragoza

Could this just be the perfect breakfast? Fried dough sprinkled with sugar dipped into thick, hot chocolate.



We wandered past La Fama on our first night in Zaragoza, and it was still full at 8pm ... So it seems churros and chocolate can be enjoyed anytime of day. We had our hearts set on wine & tapas though, so we return first thing the following morning. The little churerria is full to the brim, people buzzing in and out - a coffee sipped at the counter with a churro or two, or people lingering over mugs of hot chocolate and mountains of churros if they were lucky enough to get a perch by the bar.



Lucky we were that morning, getting the last available table in the window, right next to where all the magic was happening. 2 hot chocolates & a plate of churros are passed over the counter. Wow! The smell of rich chocolate and the glistening sugar on top of the fried dough sticks .... we dive straight in, dipping the crisp doughnut-like treat into the chocolate.



We savor each bite ... enjoying how decadent a breakfast like this is, but thinking why it should not be done every single morning?! Just as we see a giant wheel of the fatter porra style churro being piped into the hot oil. It's coiled into a giant fried snail of dough, and it lifted out with such care. We catch the eye of the lady behind the counter and she must see the excitement in our eyes ...



She snips off a few pieces of porra, dusts them with sugar, and hands them to us. She warns us they will be very very hot, and we know they are going to be very very good. The temptation is too much, and I figure the chocolate is now cooling down, so dip the porra in and, mmmmm The porra still has a crisp outer shell, but is lighter and fluffy on the inside.



If only we could start every day like this, the world would be a much happier place.



Chocolateria La Fama
Prudencio 25
Zaragoza, Spain 50003

Checking in and Max Brenner hot chocolates, Sydney

We did the overnight flight from Tokyo to Sydney.  But it was a big day of travel .. we left Hirafu at 9am for a 2.5 hour drive to Chitose airport (I wanted to be there with plenty of time for looking at all the amazing Hokkaido products on offer).  We then flew into Tokyo Haneda, the domestic airport.  We had to get our bags and then lug them on a 2 hour bus trip across town to Narita, the international airport.  Luckily we found some Takoyaki whilst there to get us through .. as it wasn't until 9pm that evening we boarded our flight bound for Sydney. We managed to get a bit of shut-eye, and woke to see the most amazing sunrise over Northern Queensland from our little bitty window.



 We arrived at 8am and jump a Taxi straight to the new Hilton on George St.  We both just needed a shower and a freshen up.  Unfortunately, our room wasn't yet ready.  Grrr.  We didn't really want to head to the gym for a shower so just wandered for a while.  Kim suggested a hot chocolate from Max Brenner's.  Sweet idea!  We tried to cut through the David Jones food hall but there's so much construction going on with the new Westfield we couldn't get through ...  We go the long way.  And, ta da.



Kim has a comforting hug mug filled with delicious Mexican hot chocolate.  A nice little bit of spice, and lots of cinnamon.



I try the white chocolate chai.  A tall, empty glass arrives, and a rather odd plastic contraption sits to the side.  The guy asks if I know what to do or if I've ever had it before.  Eh, no and no.  



He demonstrated by resting the contraption over the glass.  This then pushes down and allows a flow of liquid to cascade out, while keeping all the bits up top to infuse.  Pretty clever.  There were good chai flavors, but once I was half way through I found the white chocolate a little to sickly sweet.  



It was nice just to sit down and people watch for a while ...  but now back to checking in and that freshen up.

Max Brenner, Sydney CBD
Lower Ground Floor, David Jones
Elizabeth Street NSW 2000
T +61 2 9283 1802

Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri: 9:30am - 5:30pm
Thurs: 9:30am - 8:30pm
Sat: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Sun: 10:00am - 5:30pm