Chocolates!!!

Frankly speaking, I had never been a fan of chocolates or anything chocolate. Only quality chocolates can covert me into a chocolate lover in an instant. And these do not include the likes of boutique chocolates, like Godiva, and the Belgian chocolates that many love. Boutique chocolates are more renowned for the brand name instead of the taste while Belgian chocolates are the best among supermarket brands only. Just check the list of ingredients to know if it is quality chocolate. More often than not, they have artificial flavouring, such as vanillin, and oil added.

Good chocolates will not feature these additives. The creaminess will only come from the cocoa butter, nothing else. Real vanilla is added, sometimes, some varieties do not even have vanilla incorporated. In fact, depending on the origins of the cocoa used, gourmet chocolates have unique tastes of their own, ranging from rich, smoky, smooth, acidic, fruity to tangy. The cocoas are sunned dry instead of being smoked dry to ensure the flavours are preserved and untainted by the smoke. Some of the best cocoas come from South America. Yes, quality chocolates will have the origins of the cocoas stated.

For le créme de la créme chocolates, go for Amedei, Valrhona and Michel Cluizei chocolates, which are from Italy and France. Chocolate cakes made with these chocolates are definitely a league above their counterparts.

Other chocolates that make great gifts or for savouring are Royce Chocolates and German chocolates. I like Royce for the nama chocolates, which are incredibly smooth and creamy due to lots of fresh cream added. This is very different from other chocolates, thus will definitely impress if given as gifts to family or friends. While German chocolates are not gourmet chocolates, I prefer these over the Belgian ones since these do not contain artificial additives and not as cloyingly sweet.

Chocolate and Gelato Shoppe - Mmmmmm, Gourmet Chocolates! And yummyGelato!

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Formerly known as Xotiq Chocolatier, this little shop is one of those few places which sells gourmet chocolates (No, I do not consider those famous boutique chocolates as gourmet).

Frankly speaking, Gourmet Chocolates are the only chocolates that I actually like since I had never liked chocolates. Something about that smoky smell, the sour aftertaste, blatant sweetness and my occasional bouts of allergy reaction (don't ask me why, it just happens sometimes when I eat some of those commercial chocolates) that make me choose vanilla over chocolate anytime of the day.

However for gourmet chocolates (think Valrhona, Michel Cluizel and Amedei), it is just pure love and indulgence. Why? Because these chocolates do not have that smoky smell (due to the fact that the cocao beans are sunned dry instead of going the faster way of being smoked dry), have none of those nasties that I encountered with commercial chocolates due to the quality beans used (namely from South America, instead of Africa where children are exploited as cheap labour) and stringent control of the processes.

All these show in the very quality of the chocolates themselves, rich, velvet in texture, complex (with hints of the taste of different kinds of fruits or nuts, depending on the origin) and with the taste lingering on the palate. It is kind of unbelievable that I can taste the distinct taste of citrus fruits in Michel Cluzei's Mangaro when no fruits are added inside.  Thus coming to this humble little shop is a gourmet chocolate's fan's sweetest dream, and they even sell those tiny samples (they do let customers sample some chocolates for free if they are interested in the bars) for customers to try all the different types of chocolates.

Besides Chocolates, there are Gelato of different flavours available and they taste natural and good.

The service is friendly and personal, and the lady boss even went the extra mile to pack the samples I brought into a nice packaging, completed with ribbons when I told her it was meant as a gift.

I always like to say, "If you want to eat chocolates, gourmet chocolates are the ones you should try."

My Thoughts: Very Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.