The Mayans' secret weapon in fattening hence killing off the rest of civilization so they can take over the world

It's funny because I didn't actually fancy chocolate that much before. I mean, chocolate products were okay but actual chocolate (picture ubiquitous Cadbury bar) wasn't something I looked forward to. You remember that joke about the grandma who offers a young man some nuts and it later turns out she's sucked all the chocolate coating off them beforehand? Well, I'm like the reverse version - I used to eat the nuts, then throw out the chocolate.

But you don't move to a different continent without some tweaking of the tastebuds. I'm now on some form of chocolate everyday - Quick mixed into milk in the mornings, chocolate chip biscuits all day long, a variety of chocolate bars etc. And I had the most fantastic chocolate muffin in Melbourne, at the airport of all places.

However, I was told by my Christmas hostess of the divine Koko Black. She raved about it. She brought out a map and circled the area twice in pen. She even brought out a brochure to show me!

I wonder if she's deriving some sort of royalty/ commission/ benefit from this.

Nonetheless, she's quite the food snob (hence an excellent cook) so X and I headed to the Royal Arcade on Bourke Street. The shop is the most ostentatious one on the left.


It's quite prettily decorated. In keeping with the dark chocolate theme, the floral wallpaper was brown and gold; the chairs dark leather and the floor polished wood. It's pretty cramped though. I tried taking a better picture, but it was impossible to do so surreptitiously.


I had an Iced Chocolate (AUD6.50); X chose an Iced Chocolate Mocha (AUD6.50) and we shared a plate of Cake and Biscuits (AUD5), which came with some chocolate mousse. Everything was very good but really rich. And just a couple of hours before, X and I had The Second Best Pizza Ever (Best is in Kuranda, hidden beside the ship restaurant) at the Queen Victoria Market. AUD5 for half a large pizza only sweetened the deal.

But I digress. The point is, we were stuffed. And these Iced Chocolates were pretty solid stuff. Chocolate fudge, full cream milk, 2 scoops of ice cream (vanilla and chocolate), topped with chocolate shavings. After a couple of sips, I pushed my glass over to X.

We couldn't touch any food for many, many hours after. I know that this is probably how authentic Iced Chocolate should be, but I found myself missing Dome's version suddenly.