Niko B organic chocolates are bold in flavour and as luxurious as the various combinations sound: coffee and cardamom; lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper; anise and lavender caramel – to name but a few. Established three years ago by American Anthony
Niko B organic chocolates are bold in flavour and as luxurious as the various combinations sound: coffee and cardamom; lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper; anise and lavender caramel – to name but a few. Established three years ago by American Anthony Ferguson, Niko B (named after his young son Nicholas) has set up shop at the small and charmingly eccentric Avo Hotel on Dalston Lane in east London. Here Ferguson can be found at work most days in his Chocolate Lab (usually sporting a hat from his favourite uncle's company In 2 Hats), where he has an open door policy to the public, who are encouraged to watch as he develops new combinations, and to experiment themselves. He also has a stall at the organic farmers’ market in Stoke Newington on Saturdays, and on Sundays Ferguson cooks up an American pancake brunch at the Avo. From a recent visit our favourite dish was the fluffy and spicy pumpkin pancakes with maple syrup, served with proper American streaky bacon. You can also buy Niko B chocolate pieces and other unusual creations here – jasmine marshmallows, brownies, Pollock-splatter styled Easter bunnies – and to our minds, Ferguson is in the running for making the best hot chocolate in London. Deep, smooth and subtly spiced, it is as soothing as his chocolate pieces are stimulating.
"This year Niko’s teamed up with Monkey Shoulder whisky to create unique cocktail and chocolate pairings that will be served up at an adults-only Easter egg hunt"
With a background in science and engineering, Ferguson is originally from the small town of Flint, Michigan, but lived in San Francisco for 16 years before moving to London with his British wife. While still in California, he decided to start making chocolates after a trip to Europe. "I tried amazing chocolate in Spain, Italy, France and the UK," he tells us. "I wanted to do something but at the time I didn't even know how to melt chocolate properly. So I took a training course at the Richardson Research Institute outside of San Francisco where I learned all the fundamentals, the growth of the bean, how the flavours are developed."
Proving to be a quick learner, Ferguson’s open mind and generosity of spirit come through in his exceptional creations, many of which are inspired by the Thai and East Asian meals he enjoys cooking at home. “I love really fresh ingredients, and bright, sharp flavours” he says. And while he tells us that Easter bunnies “aren’t really my thing,” this year he’s teamed up with Monkey Shoulder whisky to create unique cocktail and chocolate pairings that will be served up at an adults-only Easter egg hunt, situated in a disused shop on Broadwick Street over the Easter weekend.
It’s free, and visitors will be encouraged to hunt for Easter eggs, which they can exchange at the bar for a whisky cocktail and chocolate pairing, including a rhubarb and rose julep with a lemon, ginger and cayenne pepper truffle, and a Monkey jam sour with a Masala Chai truffle. The cocktail and chocolate pairings will also be available at the three branches of the London Cocktail Club until 15 April. “The creative process that bartenders follow when creating a cocktail is similar to when I'm creating a new chocolate,” Ferguson explains. “Taking different notes and bringing different flavours together. And what we’re doing here is a twist on the traditional whiskey and chocolate pairing – we’re taking it to another level.”
The Monkey Shoulder chocolate trail featuring whiskey cocktails and Niko B chocolates will be at 63 Broadwick Street, W1F 9QL, until Monday 9 April. Midday to 7pm.
Ananda and Neil visited the London Cocktail Club on Goodge Street for a whisky and chocolate pairing on Saturday March 31, and the Avo hotel for a pancake brunch on Sunday April 1.
Ananda Pellerin is a London-based writer and Neil Wissink is a visual artist also based in London. More from The Hunger here, and contact The Hunger here.
