


The roasted Malanda Park suckling pig at Pilu at Freshwater takes several hours to cook and is served in various cuts, on the bone, with transparent and thin crispy skin that leaves diners swooning (). In the interest of brevity, we went for variety, selecting standouts that bring nostalgia and oodles of contentment. Scores of pubs and restaurants, bars and pop-ups do wonderful things with roasted beasts, gilding them with glaze and serving them alongside parsnip mash and jugs of jus.

The palm-size potent dose of velveteen chocolate is thick and not too sweet, and will see you through to the spring. Sidestep the over-the-top confections at Max Brenner () and go for the cafe chain's single sign of sophistication, an Italian Thick Chocolate ($6). The charming little shop is a shrine to the bean, both coffee and cocoa, and it's literally open all the time. Potts Point's Cafe Hernandez () does Spanish hot chocolate so thick you can stand a spoon up in it, or just use one of the sugary churros that come with it ($4.50). Or find an elaborate concoction of creamy Belgian hot chocolate blended with a warming star anise, cinnamon and orange zest infusion at the recently opened Shaw Street Espresso in Bexley North ($5.50).Īnnandale's The Little Marionette trades used ground coffee beans for a neighbour's fresh mint and chillies, infusing each with Belgian organic chocolate to create "hot choc mint" and "hot chilli choc" ($3.50) (/thelittlemarionette). The sweet and cosy cafe also does remarkable pastries such as a flaky pear tarte Tatin. So go to Woolloomooloo's Flour and Stone () for a luxurious, creamy cup made from Valhrona discs ($4.50).

Sometimes something gentler than a drink of cocoa lava is in order. All ingredients are natural, so it's basically health food. But our favourite is the thick and dark traditional, or the chilli-spiked dark ($4). Never display translations Registered users can choose which translations are shown.The thick chocolate puddle in a cup at Kakawa () in Darlinghurst can be jazzed up with a hint of bitter caramel or a dash of cognac.
