Ottawa Foodies

I promise to offer more details later (names and places and manufacturer). Just landed on this site and my cupboard is tragically chocolate-free.

But let me note that when good chocolate is on the priority list, one can manage to find it in stranger-than-strange places. But you have to look (and you won't look unless it is a priority). I look wherever I find myself.

WalMart--carries a particular European imported chocolate, name escapes me (something extremely common, a person's name, perhaps)---but you would NEVER gravitate to even pick it up by it's packaging. It is cheap and good.

Giant Tiger (yes--historically, but not recently, although I do continue to check). It's usually some generic brand, large bars, cheap, quite often, Swiss, Belgian or German. When I see something, I try one, right in the store (yes, I do pay), and if it is good to excellent, I buy a dozen immediately. Because Giant Tiger buys lots, once gone, it rarely returns.

Kristl

Glinda: You can pre-order any of the things Stubbe makes to guarantee that they have it. You can also make custom requests. A friend of mine who briefly worked there (Where are you now Katherine?), told me he once made a wicked confectionary chess board...players and all... mmmm. As for me, I can take credit (maybe?) for the addition of coloured marzipan balls on his Christmas truffle trees. I asked for this on my special order many years ago, and noticed he has done it every year since!

I always trot down a week or so before Valentine's Day and get one of their truffle-stuffed chocolate hearts. They are very romantic, and you can choose the truffles you want inside.

I probably shouldn't have said anything--last year I went several days early and they were all out! Maybe you have to phone first.

Their truffle-stuffed Easter eggs are great, too.

Glinda

good truffles supearb baume kukken 'tree cake '
they dont always have this in germany this cake has to be mastered before ther apprentice chefs gradate it is challenging to make has marking in side resembling the rings on a tree produced by using a batter painted on a specil spit to cook this tool the owners inported from germany i am told i have eaten this in germany theres is very authentic.

These guys are terrific. I don't think I've ever had anything bad here, though some might find the white chocolate kirschtorte a bit incendiary, on account of how much kirsch it's soaked in! ;)

3 other friends and I are born around the same time and when we all lived here, we would host a mass birthday party and always got our cakes here. Except for one disastrous year when we went or a change and tried, G-d save us, pastries at (don't laugh too hard) Tim Horton's! Let me tell you - we went right back to Stubbe's, having learned our lesson!

Try the chocolate covered candied orange peel.

You can also get a cup of coffee or tea to go with your sweets.

Stubbe's does everything well. Their truffles are fabulous, but so are their cakes/tortes. Their streusel cake is a regular at our breakfast table.

I say this is really good chocolate and I'm a chocolate snob by birth! :)

I'm not much of a chocolate fan, and the 'organic' variety I bought is a bit too sweet for my tastes; should've got the semi-sweet, but -- still, thumbs up. Nice melt-in-your-mouth real chocolatey chocolate.

We've been having 'fondue nights' with friends about once a month and I've been in charge of the dessert portion lately. I bought the Callebaut foutain milk chocolate a few weeks ago and it was really great. It melted quickly and evenly, had great flavour and stuck well to anything we dipped in it.

Yesterday we tried the dark chocolate version and it was even better. I guess it's so good because it's made to run through a fountain?

I bought one chunk of "Callebaut chocolate" few days ago at Farm Boy Kanata. I always passed by the counter without checking them until Mark mentioned it here. I tried the "milk chocolate" kind. I finished them all in 2 days. Next time, I am going to try the dark chocolate kind. Boy oh Boy, I have gained another 2 pounds! Blame this to Mark for his recommendation!

I have to adjust my previous comment. I mentioned that Victoria and Calgary have 12 Callebaut stores between them, but that isn't quite right. See, those are in fact Bernard Callebaut chocolate stores. Bernard Callebaut is the great-great grandson of the original founder of Callebaut, Eugenius Callebaut. Same name, different company.

The world famous Belgian chocolate manufacturer, Callebaut, merged with a rival company (Cacao Barry) in 1996. The new company is called Barry Callebaut but the chocolate is still branded as Callebaut. The company headquarters are now in Zurich, Switzerland. So it's Belgian chocolate but it's actually Swiss. ;-) This is the stuff they sell at Farm Boy!

Thanks kt! The store in Westboro is "Truffle Treasures" and I just added it vendor 1160. :)

There is a small chocolate shop in Westboro that also carries Callebaut. She does not sell in bulk but all of her chocolates are made with Callebaut chocolate and she sells huge bars of their chocolate. I believe the shop's name is Truffles (just a few doors down for Mountain Equipment).

Farm Boy now carries Callebaut chocolate, and it's awesome! We don't have a Callebaut store in Ottawa yet (Victoria has 3, Calgary 9) so this is the next best thing.

Just nibbling on a Ragusa here. ($2.29/100g)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm tastey !!

The picture is a real scan.

Is this the Crack of Chocolate ? It sure is instantly addictive.

Got a few more brands in the Kosher section.

PS: Speaking of Kosher. Just picked up some Kosher salt. $2.99/3lb in the Kosher section and $4.29/3lb in the non-Kosher sectioon ... Huh ?? Different Rabbi rates ?

On a whim, I decided to do comparisons of some brands of dark chocolate offered at Loblaws (College Square).

1. President's Choice Organics European Dark Chocolate (70%), Italy - $1.99
2. Schmerling's Kosher Finest Bittersweet (72%), Switzerland - $2.79
3. Lindt Excellence Dark (70%), Switzerland - $2.99

All bars were 100 grams. I tasted them in order of increasing price.

1. The PC bar assaulted my mouth with a harsh sourness. Poor chocolate flavour.
2. Schmerling's was very good and seemed sweet after the PC one. Good chocolate flavour with an interesting depth.
3. Lindt seemed a little sour in comparison to Schmerling's. Good chocolate flavour but a bit harsh.

Schmerling's (from the big Kosher aisle) was the clear winner for me. Slightly higher in cocoa and fat content, and slightly lower in sugar than the other two, this one actually tasted sweeter to me. A nice find!

I tasted the Schmerling and Lindt bars a number of times while writing this, then went back to the PC Organics bar. I almost threw it out! I'll have to eat it with coffee or something, just to get it down.

I should add that I've yet to try an "Organic" chocolate that doesn't taste bad. I've tried many of the pricey options out there and they're just no good. Camino makes good hot chocolate mix but their chocolate is yucky. Your taste may vary. ;-)

Found another gem! In the Kosher aisle (go figure) at the College Square Loblaws they carry Ragusa. This Swiss confection consists of a truffle filling with whole hazelnuts and a coating of good dark chocolate. First time I've seen it for sale on this side of the Atlantic!

I made dark chocolate truffles from the dark Suisse bar and they turned out exceptionally well. I have been banned from bringing them to the office again as I ruined everyone's New Year Resolutions. Of course this is also available at Your Independent Grocer and other stores that carry President's Choice branded products.

Loblaws carries a good selection of Swiss Lindt chocolate. They also have a gem of a product, the President's Choice "Suisse" chocolate. This is actually a rebranding of the Swiss "Mahony" chocolate, made by the Migros company to compete with Toblerone. I think it's better than Toblerone, and my 91-year-old grandmother in Switzerland agrees! Highly recommended.

Yep, it's the same company as the one in Westboro: www.truffletreasures.com

There are reviews already of the chocolate they make here. Personally I enjoy it, although I agree it can be a tad too sweet. I tend to stick to the dark chocolate stuff, which cuts back on the sweetness.

A Truffle Treasures just opened in the Glebe. Anyone know if this one is the same, another location, and is it any good? I can walk up before Valentine's day--will save me from going to the Market if it is as good as Stubbe's.

This is my favorite chocolate store in the National Capital Region. Nathalie makes everything by hand. She's a very crafty woman. She even made a painting entirely with chocolate!

Her storefront is nicely decorated as well as the entire interior. You can see her making chocolates in her little kitchen.

Nathalie is very passionate about her art. You can even learn how to make chocolates by attending her workshops.

I love her "Riopelle" (combination of Dark chocolate and Ricotta cheese?) and also her Praline Makis.

Please note that she's accepting special orders like chocolates for people who has Diabetes. I've ordered some for my mom and my wife. They loved it!

She also makes wedding cakes, corporate gifts and more. They deliver everywhere in the Gatineau and Ottawa region.

Here's her website in English and French: www.misschocolat.com

Try it and you're not going to regret it!

I work right across the street from this store on Promenade du Portage in Hull.
She makes the most amazing and unusual chocolate. My bf LOVES dark chocolate and this is her specialty. Her truffles are the most amazing things. Soft and gooey on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
You can go in at lunch and pick out one or two chocolates for dessert and she puts them in a little bag for you. Perfect for a taste if you don't want to overindulge.

They sell a variety of italian chocolates here, most notably the Tuscan brand, Amadei.

I'm not a chocolate expert, but the 'Alprose' (www.alprose.ch/) dark w/almonds 74% bar I picked up here ($2.95) is a real treat.

This is one of the few locations where I can consistently find Dolfin Belgian Chocolate. It seems you can find it anywhere in Montreal and in a greater variety of flavours.

At Budapest they usually only have about 3 flavours at a time but the ones they carry vary. I haven't tried one that I haven't loved.

More info on the chocolate:

www.chocosphere.com