“AS long as Manchester likes Chocolate, we’ll be here,” explains the delightfully engaging Sharon, Manageress-come-matriarch of NQ’s newest guilty pleasure. Tucked snugly off Thomas Street on John Street (over the road from Oi Polloi), The BonBon Chocolate Boutique, a partnership between NQ favourite Teacup and Joey Collins of Troffel fame, delivers deliciously rich and alluring choco titbits with what can only be described as the most glorious hot chocolate in Manchester.
Oooohhh Boutiquey
With the danger of sounding like a bothersome M&S ad, This is no instantaneous supermarket powder abomination. This is crafted in-house from the finest and much revered Valrhona chocolate. No milk, no boiling water, no artificial anything. Just melted chocolate, a splash of spring water, a sprinkling of sugar and a dusting of cocoa. You can dabble in the flavours of orange, 66% dark or, on Sharon’s own recommendation, salted caramel (all priced at £3.50). Imagine a chocolatey soupy-espresso, not too thick, not too thin. Just rich enough to imply decadence but not so overpowering that you feel like Augustus Gloop drowning in Willy Wonka’s chocolate river.
The salted caramel hot chocolate with a hat-trick of treats
BonBon employs a dark luxurious interior with only two small wooden tables and lamp shades constructed of brown paper bags, quirky. With its intimate interior, welcoming host and charming environment it’s akin to popping round to a continental version of your Nan’s for a cuppa, only instead of stale custard creams there is the exquisite and initially oddly-sounding lemon curd and goat’s cheese truffle (four truffles for £5.60). Which is surprisingly delectable.
Sharon showcasing BonBon’s scrumptious wares - Perfect for Valentines
Ikea had really gone back to basics
Lemon and Cheese? Really? Actually… nice
Technically employing the now all-too-familiar term ‘pop-up’, Sharon explains that the BonBon venture is essentially an indefinite ‘suck it and see’ concept. Staying open till at least Easter, it is implied that if recent popularity is anything to go by, BonBon should be around for awhile to come. We certainly hope so. BonBon-effort.
9 John Street, Northern Quarter, M4 1EQ.
Tel: 0161 839 4416
Twitter: @bonbon_workshop
