Chocolate Heaven in London’s East End

Our Eat the East End food tour takes in many of London’s most talked-about food vendors. One of the most popular stops we make on the tour is Dark Sugars.

Dark Sugars is one of London’s premier chocolate shops. The shop can be found on the corner of Brick Lane and Bacon Street, right in the heart of London’s East End – it’s a spot you do not want to miss when you’re in town!

How Dark Sugars Began…

Dark sugars can trace their history to Spitalfields market. It was here where founder Fatou Mendy first began selling her (soon to become famous) chocolate truffles.

At the time, there were only two flavours: coffee and walnut, and stem ginger and honey. The stall was a roaring success, and it wasn’t long before Mendy moved to Borough Market, where she became a famous stall for 11 years.

Bringing the World of Chocolate to London

After working hard on her stall, Mendy decided on a change of pace. She decided to travel to a part of the world where cocoa is produced.

By doing so, she learned more about the crop and how the best chocolate is made. She spent a lot of time in Ghana, where she was able to work on a family farm and get to grips with the everyday challenges of cocoa cultivation.

Moving to Brick Lane

In 2013, Mendy returned to London and opened her first brick-and-mortar shop on Brick Lane.

The area has seen some significant changes over the years. One thing that has always held true though is its openness to communities from around the world and, in particular, their food.

Brick Lane is famous for its Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants (as we discussed in our recent What is the best Indian restaurant on Brick Lane, London? blog). Elsewhere, two Jewish beigel shops fight it out for the best beigel in London (they’re both great). And now we have truly wonderful West African-influenced chocolate.

Chocolate Heaven

When visiting the store on our London food tour, guests often don’t know where to look first. The shop contains different flavours and creations representing all parts of the world.

The Irish Kiss is a unique dark chocolate ganache with a pipette of Baileys that you squirt on the top. Some of our favourites are the sweet mangos dipped in dark chocolate or the chilli truffles, which use a Moroccan chilli blended into dark chocolate.

Whatever your taste, you’re sure to find something to surprise and excite in Dark Sugars. The shop is a real treasure trove of flavours, and it’s an excellent representation of the creativity we love to champion at London Bites!

Food should never be forgettable. Our food traditions stretch back hundreds – even thousands – of years, and food is capable of telling stories. At Dark Sugars you’ll be taken on a splendidly indulgent and sweet journey.

The Health-Giving Qualities of Chocolate

As an aside, are you aware of the health-giving effects of chocolate (when consumed in moderation, of course)? Okay, we’re not going to tell you to go out and binge on chocolate, but treating yourself to quality chocolate could prove to be an excellent decision for your health.

You may have read about the Microbiome and our increasing awareness of its importance in recent years. The Microbiome is essentially the bacteria we carry inside us.

A diverse and healthy mix of bacteria is unsurprisingly good for digestive health, but scientists are now telling us how the biodiversity of our Microbiome can be linked to our mental health, blood pressure, and much else besides.

Dark chocolate (normally 85% cocoa and above) is now regarded as a fantastic food for maintaining a healthy Microbiome.

Other studies have shown that dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure, provides essential minerals, and helps us de-stress.

So, the next time you’re craving chocolate, remember this wondrous food, cultivated since the time of the Aztecs, may be just what your body and mind are after.

Join London Bites and Travel Through Food…

By joining a London Bites tour, you can be assured of delicious food and fascinating insights into local communities and cultures.

We’re all about using taste experiences to tell stories – there’s surely no better way form of cultural exchange than sharing lovingly prepared food rooted in tradition.

You can find out more about Dark Sugars and all the other amazing vendors of Brick Lane on our Eat the East End food tour.

Visit London Bites for more info and to book your tour places.