because I can't bake

Lindt Chocolat Cafe in the Melbourne CBD.
Address	271 Collins Street
Opening Times	Mon-Thu    9am-7pm Fri              9am-9pm Sat-Sun      9.30am-7pm
Cuisine	Desserts, Bakery
Visited	22 & 23 December 2010
Rating

After months of trying to visit Lindt cafe after work, I finally managed to visit it during Christmas period where they opened until late-ish. Usually, they would have been closing by the time I got back home to the city after 6pm (so I mostly ended up at Ganache Chocolate instead). I went there once, back when they were newly opened and had not been back since then. I could not really remember what my first visit was like but the recent ones were exceptional.

Lindt cafe was bright and modern with a hint of luxury. It felt spacious, clean, and comfortable that was also supported by their great, speedy customer service. Lindt's staff were courteous, friendly, polite, and highly familiar when it came to Lindt's desserts and lunches.

At one visit, my friend and I ordered their Beef Panini from their lunch menu (that was pretty much available all day), some macarons, and Lindt Mocha. Macaron-wise, we were recommended by their staff to try the salt caramel and hazelnut, and we also ordered the strawberry one. 

Personally, I thought that some cupcake shops/cafes made better macarons than Lindt as their supposedly-best macarons did not impress me. The strawberry one was quite refreshing in taste but I loved neither the salt caramel nor the hazelnut. The Beef Panini, on the other hand, was surprisingly scrumptious with thinly sliced beef, rocket, and sundried tomatoes. Moreover, I also got a free drink by ordering from their lunch menu (you could order whatever drinks they had available) so I ordered a Lindt Mocha that was pleasantly unusual. With a name like that I expected it to be a cold drink but it turned out to be a hot one with thick chocolate at the bottom and coffee on top of it of which I drank unstirred. Hmm...

On another occasion, I tasted their Iced Chocolate which was pretty good though quite ordinary, and Strawberry Dipping Plate, which was strawberry fondue with chocolate dip, grated coconut dip, and and some kind of cracker-like dip. Its presentation was great and its dips were even better especially the signature Lindt chocolate one.

With dessert and lunch collections like these, Lindt Chocolat Cafe could potentially be my regular go-to cafe... if they could extend their opening hours, that is.