Cheeky Chocolate, North Strathfield

Cheeky Chocolate Sundae w/ honeycomb creme chantilly, peanut caramel, raspberry gel and banana gelato topped with Cheeky Chocolate sauce ($18)

 Roll the Dice, is it Naughty or Nice: chocolate creme brulee, cinnamon ice cream and cherry gel w/ pistachio, sesame crumble ($18)

Cappuccino ($4.90)

Passionfruit, banana and caramel macarons ($3 each)

 Strawberry thickshake ($6.50)

So I don't know where they get the names from for the desserts, but they certainly are special. 

Cheeky Chocolate is a recent addition to North Strathfield's George St precinct. I was actually quite surprised by the area having never been there before. The cafes and restaurants that deck both sides of the street are upmarket and sophisticated, but also include Pancakes on the Rocks and Outback Steakhouse to cater to families.

Cheeky Chocolate is the work of proprietor Jennifer Dibs, but also has the touch of an angel. That angel being Adriano Zumbo. This man, who I would regard as quite heavenly after tasting some of his patisserie creations, designed the menu for Cheeky Chocolate. As a result, the chocolate haven offers an array of delectable cakes, cocktails and mocktails to suit all chocolate fanatics and those wishing to indulge.

The restaurant is decked out with beautiful Victorian decor, including great leather lounges, velvet chairs, burgundy curtains and chandelier crystal lighting. The ambience is perfect for an evening of indulgence, with perfect lighting- which doesn't make for the best photos but does make for an enjoyable, relaxing and decadent dining experience.

We visited Cheeky Chocolate on a Friday night. There were too many staff given the amount of customers. Consequently, the waitstaff seemed to be wandering around aimlessly most of the time we were there. And also surprisingly, when I approached the counter to check out the macarons (they were so tempting- forgive me waistline), the staff were slow in noticing and acting on my interest in placing an order. One of the waitstaff was overly friendly and made the dining experience positive, not so much the others who seemed apprehensive of their customers.

The food and coffee on offer was in my opinion overpriced. $4.90 for a standard Toby's Estate latte or cappuccino was a bit ridiculous, especially when it was nothing special and the standard no where near that of such places as Pausa on Harris St, Broadway which serve the same blend. However, my friend's thickshake was delicious and I think $6.50 was a reasonable price considering. The desserts were AMAZING but although well-priced in comparison to offerings from such places as Guylian Cafe, were generally expensive given serving sizes.

I had "Roll the Dice is it Naughty or Nice." I couldn't pick the flavour of the icecream at the time, but my memories three hours later are of a velvety and creamy ice cream that was perfectly paired with and contrasted to a crunchy pistachio and sesame crumb. The chocolate creme brulee was a smart appropriation of traditional brulees but overall the weaker element of the dish. The caramel crunch added another excellent texture and taste as did the cherry gel. I would pay $18 to taste other items on the menu, as long as money wasn't tight. Cheeky Chocolate is definitely an evening of indulgence that would be best experienced on the rare special or celebratory occasion.

I also just couldn't refrain from ordering a macaron. I usually stick to caramel flavours, so this macaron was a bit different with the addition of passionfruit and banana. It wasn't the best macaron I had ever tasted. The passionfruit overrided the other flavours and the texture was a bit off. We did receive a bonus macaron on accident and thus for free. Always a bonus.

I just asked the consumer of the sundae what his overall opinion was. He said: "Good." I know, very enthusiastic. That's boys for you. Oh sorry, he corrected me: "men."

Cheeky Chocolate, 11 George St, North Strathfield