Here’s a post on some chocolate and ice cream, because who doesn’t like chocolate and ice cream? This is Cherub Chocolate in downtown Nanaimo. It’s a small operation and often when I walk past this place I can see the owner/chocolatier making her creations at the back of the store. However, not today. Today it was a different staff member running the chocolate shop.

I actually went to visit today for a spot of ice cream, but I came away with some additional confections.
Remember when I said I’d attempt to sample ice cream in the downtown core? Well Cherub Chocolate happens to carry about half a dozen flavours from Sara’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream.

Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream ($2.95 small)

I think there is something not quite right with their freezer temperature today, because as soon as I see the senior lady staff member scoop the ice cream I knew it is not properly frozen. The ice cream is semi-melted when she dips the scooper in, and the tool just pushes a glob of too-soft ice cream into a mound. I want to change my mind about it right away, but she has already put the blob onto the cone. Oh well. C'est la vie.

You know when you leave a tub of ice cream out on the counter for too long and it turns super soft, somewhat “fluffy”, but not quite liquid yet? That’s the texture here. The chocolate sea salt caramel can barely hold its shape in the cone. A melty mess. The photo is of the cone immediately after she hands it to me. It is basically dripping sweet chocolate-ty tears by the time the treat crosses the over the counter. Since the texture is not that of properly cold ice cream, it isn't the best representation of Sara’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream.

Crispy Rochers ($1.49 each)

These are fun. I like the tang of the cranberries. I want a greater puffed rice to chocolate ratio, but I guess if that were the case it would be less a chocolate and more a rice cake. This makes me want to experiment with tossing some dried fruit in with a future batch of chocolate Rice Krispie squares.

Amaretto Truffles ($1.89 each)

These are my faves. Amaretto is deeply present and I like the texture contrast of the crispy outer coating and the smooth dark chocolate truffle center.

Dark Vanilla Truffle ($1.89 each)

These are straight up dark chocolate truffles. If you like dark chocolate you’ll like these.

Mirchi ($1.49 each)

Am I supposed to detect the white pepper in the description? These mirchi chocolates taste very buttery and smooth.

Generally, the chocolate is very good. I tend to prefer dark chocolate so I am pretty happy that the selection in store today is pretty much all darks.

This reminds me, I should stock up on some chocolate goodies this weekend for the ghosts, goblins and superheroes that will come a knocking later this week. Sorry to my Trick or Treaters, you won’t be getting Cherub Chocolates. Will Hershey’s do?

Cherub Chocolate website click here
Cherub Chocolate facebook click here

Locations