Following on the success of Birley Bakery in Chelsea Green which opened early last year, well-known club-owner Robin Birley and his Executive Pastry Chef Vincent Zanardi, who have worked together for 12 years now, have just opened their latest venture: Birley Chocolate, also in Chelsea Green.
It is a logical step for Birley, as chocolate has been a hallmark of Birley establishments including 5 Hertford Street and Oswald’s and has also been available alongside their exceptional breads and pastry at Birley Bakery, giving Birley and Zanardi the opportunity to share their chocolates both in store and online with nationwide delivery, something the pair have dreamt of doing for some time.
So, what naughty but nice treats can you find at Birley Chocolate? Well, one of the key signatures is its beautiful boxes that contain a selection of either 12, 24 or 48 chocolates, covered with a design that echoes the interior of the shop. As Zanardi explains:
“The intention was to create a chocolate that is one of a kind, something distinct and elegant.”
Drawing inspiration from the Mendiant which is a French classic made, with a thin layer of chocolate topped with nuts and dried fruits, Zanardi and his team of chocolatiers took it up a notch by pairing only a single fruit with a chocolate that best complemented its flavour profile. This has resulted in a selection of sleek, shiny and rectangular chocolates that include dark chocolate and pistachio, milk chocolate and sesame and white chocolate and matcha-lemon with its lemon zest, matcha gunpowder tea, blanched almonds, feuillantine and Maldon salt.
There are plenty of other goodies to choose from in the store, such as almond, hazelnut and popcorn dragées, fragrant orangettes, which is candied orange from Corsica coated with dark chocolate. Or how about yummy chocolate bars with dark, milk or white chocolate topped with roasted and salted nuts and dried fruits.
They also have chocolate sticks and slabs with 12 flavours ranging from the Birley Reserve 80% plain stick, with top notes of Citrus and Honey, to a dulce chocolate and roasted pecan stick, combining roasted nuts with blond chocolate.
All the Birley recipes use the finest ingredients sourced from long-standing suppliers around the world, such as coconut from Sri Lanka, vanilla from Tahiti and pralines made with Piedmontese hazelnuts and Valencian almonds.
The interior of the store, created by Notting-Hill based JR Design, is a delight to step into with its hand-painted crimson walls of Birley Chocolate by artist Lizzi Porter, with depictions of fantastical birds in a style reminiscent of the exotic fin-de-siécle teahouse.
Birley Chocolate also stocks bars by Xocco Gourmet, based in Honduras, who work hand in hand with farms in South America and is the only producer in the industry using the grafting technique, ensuring control of their product from the tree to the bar and creating unique flavours, such as an intensely full-bodied 100% Dark Mayan red chocolate.
As well its diverse range of chocolate, Birley Chocolate also offers a delicious breakfast and lunch menu that can be enjoyed in the comfort of the store’s cosy seating area and banquette. Some of the highlights for me are the Crab Melt, which is a toasted sandwich using Devonshire crab and Red Leicester cheese between toasted buttery sliced bread. There’s also a seasonal courgette, pea, mint and barley salad, and a fresh tomato gazpacho with sourdough.
And if ice cream is your thing than Birley Chocolate has also created a space dedicated to their homemade ice creams and sorbets where you can try their unique vegan Alfonso mango sorbet or how about their Bitter Chocolate ice cream, which uses a special reserve of bitter chocolate created specifically for Birley since 1963, alternatively why not try a Lebanese-inspired rose ice cream. Tubs are available inside, but you can also buy scoops directly from the hatch at the front of the shop, so if you are on the go you can still enjoy the ultimate takeaway experience, especially if it’s on one of our rare hot summer days!
The Details
Birley Chocolate, 24 Cale Street, London, SW3 3QU, England.
Website: www.birleybakery.com
The shop is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00am to 6:00pm. The closest Tube stations are South Kensington and Sloane Square on the Circle and District lines.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man On The Ground, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Birley Chocolate
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