Lisa Lou's Chocolate Bar

I actually went to their shop to try out their cheesecake and other baked goods. Unfortuantely, they apparently have stopped offering any baked goods or ice cream for the holidays, and were only selling chocolate. I have to admit, I was really tempted to just leave, but the girl at the counter was so nice and friendly that I just couldn't bring myself to go without purchasing something. So, long story short, after quite a bit of frantic decision making, I ended up throwing my budget out of the window and purchased a box containing all 12 types of their popular layered chocolate bars for a whopping $50 (the bars are also sold separately for $5 a pop). I can't say that I was blown away by any of their chocolate bars (details on each below), but I did enjoy all of them - my personal favourites are Pete, Joe, Ruth, Marc, and Oscar. I do really appreciate the quality and attention that they put into making all of their products. Unfortunately, the prices are just way out of my grad student's budget range.

Marc:
4/5
Bourbon Caramel, Marcona Almonds and Whipped Malt Ganache
The flavour of the bourbon is quite strong. Even though I generaly don't like alcohol, I actually found myself really enjoying this bar. The bourbon lent a nice bit of bitterness that helped balance out the sweetness. The caramel was thick and chewy. The almonds of course provide a good crunch to contrast the soft fluffy malt.

Sue:
4/5
Sour Cherry Jelly with Crunchy Pistachio Praline
This is somewhat similar to Ruth in terms of taste. I loved the cherry jelly: it was really fragrant and tart. While I can see the pieces of pistachio inside the bar, I couldn't really detect much flavour from it. However, the praline did provide a good crunch that is always welcomed.

Lily:
3.5/5
Lemon Caramel and Crispy Coconut Praline
I loved the coconut praline; it was really crispy and light, and had a really nice fragrance. The lemon caramel was thick and chewy, and definitely had a bright lemon flavour. Unfortunately, I personally didn't really think that the flavours worked too well together with that of dark chocolate.

Joan:
4/5
Mango and Passion Fruit Jelly with Crunchy Pistachio Praline
The mango and passion fruit flavours were realy bright, fragrant and tart. The pistachio praline lent a nice bit of crunch, although I can't really detect any of the nuts.

Oscar:
4/5
Banana Cramel and Crispy Hazelnut Praline
I'm really impressed by the bright banana flavour that was in the caramel, which again was thick and chewy. The hazelnut praline was also light and crispy, and had a nice fragrance.

Joe:
4/5
Coffee Cardamon Caramel, Roasted Pistachios and Shortbread
I would actually argue that this is more of a shortbread coated in chocolate than a chocolate with shortbread as the shortbread took up probably 75% of the bar. The shortbread was crispy yet tender. The caramel was thick and chewy. My only complaint is that I couldn't really detect much of the coffee flavour.

Ruth:
4/5
Strawberry and Raspberry Jelly with a Crunchy Peanut Praline
The strawberry and raspberry jelly had a very intense, tart flavour that paired well with the chocolate. The peanut lent a nice bit of crunch, as well as saltiness to contrast the overall sweet flavours. This is somewhat similar to Sue in terms of taste, although I did enjoy this one a bit more due to the peanuts.

Kylo:
3.5/5
Raspberry Caramel and Crispy Almond Praline
This bar took me quite off guard. When I first bit into it, I thought it was tangy, but then I got a bit of a strange, savoury taste as well. For the first couple of bites I was a bit put off by the flavours, but they did grow on me as I ate onwards. I really enjoyed the crunchy, fragrant almond praline. I'm a bit less sold on the raspberry caramel, which I felt didn't really pair too well with the almond.

Frank:
4/5
Caramel, Spiced Pecans and Crispy Wafers
I loved the textures of this bar: the wafers were nice and crispy, the caramel was thick and chewy, and the pecans lent a nice crunch. Initially, I did find the flavours of this bar to be a tad too subtle; they did grow on me however as I continued on eating, and I ended up really enjoying this.

Zoe:
3/5
Apple Ginger Caramel and Crispy Pumpkin Seed Praline
The bar had a good amount of spice and a slight bit of heat. The praline lent a nice crunch while the caramel was thick and gooey, with a bit of tang. While I can't really find any glaring flaws with this bar, I wasn't too crazy about the flavour (just a personal preference).

Helen:
3.5/5
Blood Orange and Fig Jelly with Crunchy Almond Praline
The orange and fig jelly was soft and tangy, and paired well with the overall sweetness of the chocolate. The almond praline not only lent a nice crunchy texture, but also had a nice fragrance. The flavours are a bit too subtle however for my own personal liking.

Pete
4.5/5
Madagascar Vanilla Caramel, Pretzels, and Crunchy Peanut Butter
This was a wonderful interplay of textures and flavours. The peanut butter and pretzels were definitely quite salty, and paired very well with the sweet caramel and chocolate. The pretzel lent a great crunchy, while the caramel was thick and gooey, and bursting with vanilla flavour.

After years of dreaming, Lisa Gardin opened up her very own chocolate-focused shop this past summer.  Lisa Lou Chocolate Bar is a culmination of Lisa’s passion for all things chocolate and more.  With over 15 years of experience in the food industry and most notably having worked with well-known chocolatier Thomas Haas, Lisa is no novice to the business.  The shop is located at 1007 Main Street near the Main Street skytrain and Pacific Central stations.  Aside from artisan chocolates, Lisa Lou makes ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, sorbets and so on.  They also operate as a 12-seat cafe where you can enjoy a treat with one of their espresso-based drinks or teas.  Last month, I visited Lisa Lou’s to pick up a few sweet treats in time for Thanksgiving.