“Tasting will be a big part of the experience,” Mork co-founder Josefin Zernell says of the chocolate brand’s new Centre Place store, which opened this past weekend.

At the CBD laneway flagship, there are daily tastings of Mork’s specialty hot chocolates and cacao tea (made from leftover shells after cacao roasting). Upstairs there’s an event space where, come July, Zernell and co-founder Kiril Shaginov plan to hold private tastings of desserts, experimental chocolate bars, and elaborate off-menu, non-alcoholic and boozy chocolate drinks.

Downstairs, where most of the action is, you’ll find espresso drinks and signature chocolate creations including the campfire hot chocolate – infused with smoke and served with a toasted marshmallow – and the Mork mocha. Other hot chocolate variations include the caramelised banana lime, where a caramelised banana custard is aerated and over a dark hot chocolate, before the whole thing is finished with fresh lime zest.

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To eat, there are shelves and trays filled with sweets including danishes, chocolate cake and kanelbullar (Swedish-syle cinnamon buns) from Mork’s Queen Vic Market store. Blowtorched-to-order s’mores with crisp caraway biscuits sandwiching smoked chocolate ganache and a house-made vanilla marshmallow are available as a special throughout winter.

The couple has named the store Looking Glass. “We want people to step into this store and feel like they're stepping out of the city,” says Zernell.

“I remember walking through [Centre Place] when I was new in Melbourne, looking for food and coffee and that exact Melbourne feeling of laneway culture,” she says. Zernell and Shaginov are both originally from Sweden. “We wanted to bring something to the laneway that captured that sense of discovery.”

The pair took inspiration from the Stockholm Archipelago for the store’s fit-out. They worked with interior architect Danielle Oerman and opted for a wintry colour scheme with marble stone, light oak and brushed nickel finishings.

The space also showcases Mork’s growing retail range, with chocolate morsels and treats, hazelnut spreads, granola and a new baking chocolate, plus bespoke bottled cocktails including a Spiced Chocolate Negroni and a Dark Chocolate Martini made in collaboration with Orlando Marzo’s Loro.

Mork Looking Glass
13 Centre Place, Melbourne
(03) 7015 6091

Hours:
Mon to Fri 7.30am–5pm
Sat & Sun 8am–5pm

www.morkchocolate.com.au