This Brisbane Chocolatier Is Hosting A Live Tasting Event On Good Friday
Krsna Rajalingam’s foray into chocolate began the way all good ideas begin - with booze. Back in 2016, long before we ever dreamt of a modern pandemic sweeping the globe, Krsna was in the process of building a small whisky collection with his best mate.
Inspired by the whisky tasting notes that accompanied the reviews and tasting videos he found online, BASIK Chocolates started with the concept of having degustation-themed bonbons, pralines & truffles.
“I used it as a guide to hone my olfactory senses, and it just happened that I was experimenting with chocolate in my home kitchen, subsequently I was in love with the versatility of chocolate and the journey that came through with pairings and from there I kept pursuing this path for mastery in chocolate.”
In the time we’ve all been in lockdown, Krsna’s been working to present the ‘At Home’ Live Tasting sessions, launching this (Good) Friday April 10 - an adaptation of his previous "Secrets by BASIK" degustation events, where 25-30 individuals would be hosted to taste in the intimate setting of Electric Avenue's secret whisky room.
With these types of events completely off the table for now, Krsna says after a bit of ‘business anxiety’ kicked in, he reflected on some of the ideas he had in the pipeline, and decided that an ‘At Home’ Live Tasting was the only way to recreate the interactive experience he’d wanted to achieve in the past.
“I only had plans to do it once the business grew and I could facilitate Live Tasting notes for new releases or new ideas, this way I would have the time and resources to have potentially other guest(s) on during the Live screening, like Sommeliers, Chefs, etc to see if we could push some boundaries together in the world of chocolate.”
The very first BASIK ‘At Home’ will be broadcast on Instagram Live from 7:30pm (AEST) this Friday, April 10. Krsna says it took him roughly a week to plan out what he wanted to include for the tasting packs he’s sent out to participants for the first live tasting event.
He’s steering away from the expectation for an obvious ‘Easter theme’ and instead focusing on the core principle he wrote down when he started BASIK. In his words, 'that every bonbon, praline or truffle made, gave you a culinary orgasm’.
"I set out to create a range of bonbons that were stable to withstand interstate postage without adding a metric tonne of additives. I had to ensure everything from an eating experience was consistent if they were to just eat the chocolates without participating in the Live Tasting session as well.
I also had to ensure there was something experimental that people could try, learn and hopefully develop their understanding about chocolate too. I didn't want to just whip up a few bonbons and send them out for the sake of it without that added experience that I feel is essential.”
Whilst he’s not expecting too many teething issues for the first event, he’s also not 100% sure what to expect either.
“I think tomorrow will be a learning curve to see how people react to the flavour combinations, but at the same time I've got a smile that runs ear to ear as we've sold out of every box created and for that I'll be forever grateful to all those that have shown their support!”
And on the topic of flavour combinations, how far left of centre can a chocolatier go?
“I'm still fairly new into this ‘chocolate journey’, and I think I strive to go as left field as I possibly can so far. I've used Black Garlic to create a Miso Caramel & Black Garlic bonbon (umami), I had a chance to feature native ingredients like Riberries paired with Ruby Chocolate.
I think one of my favourites' has to be using a 12 month Aged DOP Parmigiano Reggiano to recreate a "cheeseboard" olfactory sensory moment in a bonbon: Parmigiano Reggiano & Spiced Sugar Plum Jam.”
Krsna welcomes anyone and everyone to join in on the Home Recipe Demonstration (live this Friday April 10 at 7:30pm AEST on Instagram Live). Info for ingredients and more can be found on BASIK's IG stories.
If you can’t make the Live Tasting, you can also support BASIK by purchasing chocolate from their brand new online store.