L’Artisan Du Chocolat

My favourite of the posh chocolatiers, can’t fault L’Artisan. They even got me to like rose flavoured chocolates which I normally hate. I can’t imagine anyone not being happy with getting a selection box of their filled chocs, my default present for people I love.

I haven’t tried the other numbers, but Number 1s are the originals and are likely the most crowd-​pleasing of the bunch. Bring them to a nice gathering or a loved one and I promise that they will become obsessed with you. These are simple and blissful bites of chocolate and sea salted caramel.
The chocolate salty balls were invented just over 10 years ago by Gerard Coleman for Gordon Ramsay’s menu at Claridges. I just made a South Park reference in that sentence. High brow, low brow, mmkay?
They are: «a sweet liquid caramel with a pinch of Noirmoutier island’s grey salt, captured in a cocoa dusted shell of intense dark chocolate.» There’s also a whole pretentious bit in the description about how ancient and untreated the grey salt is and how this enhances the rich taste… mmkay?
Another point is that they have a stall at my favourite and most cherished London foodie haven, Borough market.
Stick ‘em in your mouth and suck ‘em!

My favourite of the posh chocolatiers, can’t fault L’artisan. They even got me to like rose flavoured chocolates which I normally hate. I can’t imagine anyone not being happy with getting a selection box of their filled chocs, my default present for people I love.

Great product, I used to love buying these and giving them as gifts to friends, family and clients.
3 stars because while ordering them online you eventually have to speak to someone on the phone and they are less than nice or accomodating at this business.
I got to speak to several snooty condescending young women who acted as though they were doing me a favor rather than helping out a valued client.
In the end it was too much of a hassle and I grew weary and gave up.
I now buy from a Parisian Chocolatier and while I never in my life thought I would say this they are far nicer. Newer therefore hungrier I suppose.
Still the salted carmel truffles are beyond good, amazing really. I lived in Italy when I tried to order from this business, once or twice it went well, the 3^rd time the order never arrived and the girl on the phone gave me grief, she was suprised I wanted a refund seing as the package never arrived. She felt it was not through any fault of her own, imagine that!
I am back in the US now, haven’t even looked into buying L’Artisan Du Chocolat chocolate here, don’t need to be hassled, So in essence amazing products, terrible service.
Their loss, and mine too as I love their product.

This chocolate shop is a bit out of the way, but they have two more branches in London and also sell at Borough Market.
You can pick your own couture chocolates in boxes starting with only four (who would be so stingy?) up to 99 pieces. They have a wide range of flavours and they are all amazingly
delicious.
Walking into the shop it becomes clear that much of this brand is about design as well as quality chocolates. The stores are very modern and the packaging is simple but has an expensive feeling to it. If you’re looking for a stylish but sweet present, this is your shop.

«I really wish I had a crack habit instead, it’s far less addictive.»
That line from one of my friends (who lives dangerously close to this wonderful shop) sums up L’Artisan quite nicely. In short, it’s all about the salted caramels — on the outside, they’re very unassuming, small, brown spheres in a coat of cocoa dust. I love seeing the way that people’s eyes light up when they bite into one for the first time, releasing a tide of salty-​sweet deliciousness (i’m trying my utmost hardest not to make this sound sexual. It’s hard work). The flavoured ones are great too: pink and black pepper; banana; balsamic vinegar; lemongrass; thyme and sage; passionfruit; spiced fig. The elegant presentation makes these great gifts — a small box of a single flavour costs 13.50, whilst a box of 48 (either original or assorted) is 25.00. I’ve not tried the other choccies on offer, but the quality of the salted caramels is top notch, so I’m guessing the rest is too. The staff were very helpful, although I knew exactly what to go for.
They also have a stall at Borough Market which, intriguingly, carries cheap bags of mistake bits. With the quality of the stuff which goes in, they can’t be bad either. In any case, I would love to be a regular here. One day, one day…

Candied Corsican orange peel. An explosion of flavour! Simply amazing!

i adore their salt caramel balls, however recent new flavours are not a patch on the original.
(the impossible to transport ice cream version they produced a year or two ago were amazing, but i havent seen them for ages)
From their flavoured chocolate selection, one of the finest has to be Lumi, the lime one, or banana and thyme– unusual flavours, but totally delicious.

Der Laden und die Schokolade sind echt ein Geschmacksorgasmus pur, mehr braucht man dazu echt nicht mehr schreiben! Dafür sollte es zehn Sterne geben!

Always delicious and subtle chocolate flavours, superior to all the other posh chocolate outlets!

Heavenly, heavenly chocolates. It’s a bit like buying jewellery here, not just chocolate. The chocolate is expensive, but worth it. And a small box of their chocolates makes a fabulous and very appreciated present! (note to husbands)

Their iced chocolate frappé drink at Selfridge’s is the best iced chocolate drink I’ve ever had. Couldn’t find a decent cold chocolate drink in Paris, but London knows what it’s doing.

I came here to pick up a little something for my aunt’s birthday. I had previously been to their location in Notting Hill. But after browsing on their website, i noticed that they also have this shop which is a lot closer to where I live.
I must say that the customer service is just as excellent as the the branch in Notting Hill. Although this shop is a little bit smaller, it still has everything that you can find in their other locations. Plus free samples! Their new Jasmine choccies are amazing! And at under a tenner for 12 hand crafted pieces of chocolately goodness, you really can’t go wrong.

You know you’ve got a sweetheart to keep when they surprise you with a hamper of Artisan du Chocolat best sellers! Housed in a white fabric box tied together with chocolate satin ribbon, my chocolatel treasure chest arrived packed with the following delicious treats:
Box of couture chocolates — Exquisitely decorated milk and dark chocolates made with rare cocoa beans and infused with herbs, flowers, nuts, seeds and spices. My favourite flavours included Lemon & Thyme, House Tea infused with Orange Blosson, Honey, Basil & Lime, Coffee & Star Anise, Tonka, Green Cardamon and Lemon Verbena.
Lumi Bar — Distinctive and moreish milk chocolate infused with the flavour of lumis (ripe limes boiled in salt water and sun dried apparently).
Darjeeling Bar — Strong, dark chocolate — 72% cocoa content my friends! — infused with lingering tea leaves.
Jamaica Bar — Limited edition, milk chocolate bar with mouth-​watering and surprising notes of plums, liquorice and jasmine.
Original sea salted caramels — Created by head honcho Gerard Coleman, these are the definition of Chocolat Heaven. Rolled in dusted chocolate, they taste strong and bitter until you bite them and get an explosion of liquid caramel, sweet chocolate and sea salt on your tongue.
Before you ask, yes, Artisan du Chocolat do mail order. Yes, the website is open 24 – 7 and yes, they really do taste S*U*B*L*I*M*E.

Chocolate Couture at its finest. Chocolate Couture you ask?
Let me explain. Walk into this shop without seeing the front and you may think the boxes on display contain Chanel perfumes and fine jewellery. Until you notice that decadent displays of chocolate in all its forms. I can’t quite put it into words. It is magnificent, if not a little extravagant. But then what person doesn’t like a little extravagance every now and then?
L’Artisan Du Chocolat have single-​handedly redesigned the chocolate wheel. Each product is a finely crafted piece of art and I don’t quite know how anyone gets around to eating them. I’ve thought about framing my chocolate bar.
It doesn’t have to be expensive either. My tip: Salted Caramels of Pink and Black pepper, created exclusively for Gordon Ramsay’s at Claridges. And at £10 for a container and box that looks like a luxurious face cream, it’s the perfect gift for a chocolate lover who has everything.

Some of the best flavourings with one of the best bean blends I’ve had for awhile.
While the privilage of selecting your own beans is the privilage of only a few, this chocolate shop has created a delectible covering for their innovative and delicious fillings.
The chocolate covering is one of the most important things for me, with it blancing the filling. Not overpowering, nor detracting from the experience, the shell for mee needs to be thin as well as well made and L’Artisan Du Chocolat creates some of the best ‘shells’
Tea and chocolate make the best marriage and it was a joy to see such a variety of tea flavours. The coffee and stronger flavours were stored away from the more delicate flavours — a sure sign of a chocolate shop that knows what it is doing.
The staff are highly knowledgable and the tasting I went to introduced me to some flavours I would have otherwise been unwilling to try.

Nice shop! Nice post code too!
I’m a fan of Artisan du Chocolat’s excellent Mole Poblano chocolate bar. In fact, writing this now makes me want to hop on the Tube for Sloane Square to grab another few bars for safe keeping! They do lots of other yummies there of course. The gingerbread chocolate bar and the cardomom bar are both stellar choices too!