Max Brenner @ Nishi Building on NewActon (Canberra, Australia)

It was a late Sunday at night, York and I were craving for something sweet after our Sri Lankan cuisine at Camellia Restaurant. Koko Black closes at 6pm on Sundays, so we decided to see where is the closest Max Brenner on their website. It turns out that a brand new store opened at Nishi Building on NewActon on 5th July 2014. Without a second thought, we quickly rushed to that area. Since we are not familiar with Canberra, it took us awhile to find the Nishi Building.

The section of the store that sells chocolates

Delicious treats- Praline mixed with Caramelized Pecan

My first time having Max Brenner was in Sydney. It is an international chocolate restaurant based in New York, with more than 50 locations worldwide. They specializes in creating chocolate-based desserts such as crepes, fondue, milkshakes, hot chocolates served in signature utensils (such as “Hug Mug”, where the tip of the cup is in a pointy shape so you can hold the mug in your hand and drink from the tip).

Classic Dark Chocolat served in Hug Mug

This Max Brenner is the latest addition to the already existing Belconnen and Kingston Foreshore stores. Upon entering, you can still the smell the fresh paints and newly polished floors. The store itself was very spacious and is right next to Palace Electric Cinemas. Very good location for before or after movies treat. There weren’t many customers in store at 9.30 pm, probably because it was only second day from opening. They were handing out small tasting hot chocolates for customers, the one we tried was salted caramel hot chocolate. I probably had better ones before.

Newly polished chairs and tables

We ordered “Chocolate Soufflé: Max’s signature delight with a warm, melted centre” and “Classic Dark Chocolat served in Hug Mug” to share. The hot chocolate was a bit of a disappointment since it tasted very milky. It seemed like the staffs were not properly trained for day 2 of their opening. The Chocolate Soufflé tasted like an ordinary chocolate mud cake, slightly sweet for me. However York said that is what most soufflé tastes like. I was bit unconvinced, since I think AUD$10.50 was a bit too much for a soufflé this size anyway.

Chocolate Soufflé- Max’s signature delight with a warm, melted centre

Took us a good 10 minute to find this place. I am sure locals will have no problems.

In summary, we stayed there for half hour in total and got our satisfaction for sweet cravings. I do think the store ambiance is great for catching up with friends and the location is convenient for some desserts after movies or food places near by. We tried one of the other cafe near by Mocan & Green Grout- Espresso Bar (can read further reviews here) and it was great. This place is definitely worth visiting during the day time.