NB PULSE ROUNDS IT UP... 13 MARCH 2008 FASHION / SHOPPING / BEAUTY / LIFESTYLE
I Should Cocoa... From Buenos Aires to the Napa Valley via a remote Sicilian village, this Easter we have scoured the globe for some of the very best chocolate around. We say the egg has had its day. For a gloriously grown-up gift, nothing beats a big box of the dark stuff. Enjoy.
LONDON, UK. Paul A. Young Fine Chocolates. This Islington-based fine chocolatier has already been awarded several “Golds” by the Academy of Chocolate Awards, despite opening his eponymous shop only last year. Flavours are inventive: sesame and Greek thyme honey, lime and coriander and coconut and lychee truffles – not to mention their famous marmite line. All combinations are made freshly on the premises each day. Opt for the award-winning sea-salted caramel and dark chocolate truffles. Great for gooey brownies too. 33, Camden Passage, N1 tel +44 (0) 20 7424 5750 www.paulayoung.co.uk
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. Vasalissa Chocolatier. This marble-clad boutique in B.A.’s chic Recoleta district is doll house pretty, decorated in Ladurée-style pistachio green with boudoir-worthy chandeliers and old world fixtures and fittings. The chocolates don’t disappoint. Pick up sweet, simple Belgian-style bonbons and truffles, in classic flavours such as caramelized orange, cassis and Champagne. Packaging is beautiful, with crisp, delicate papers topped with vintage illustrations. Too pretty to eat. Almost. N.B. Mention your membership to NB Pulse to receive a free chocolate box with every purchase. 1940, Callao, Recoleta tel +54 11 4806 4158 www.vasalissa.com
BARCELONA, SPAIN. Xocoa. For avid aficionados of the chocolate bar, the range of dark, milk and white chocolate slabs at Xocoa is vast, with flavours including green tea, pistachio and rosemary. Citing their mantra as “Eat More and Never Share with Others”, this suitably edgy chocolatier illustrates its bars with fantastic graphics to tempt the cool Barca clientele. The latest offering is the 73% cocoa combined with edible gold leaf. Precious. 11-13, Calle Petritxol tel +34 93 301 11 97 www.xocoa-bcn.com
MODICA, SICILY. Antica Dolceria Bonajuto. These tiny, low profile Sicilian chocolatiers produce their spoils the ancient Mayan way: very dry, very dark, very little fat and with just a pinch of salt, fennel or chilli. Granulated sugar gives a satisfying crunch to the Xocoatl chilli-infused chocolates, which are presented in charming cupcake-style paper cases; the thick, single-flavoured bars come wrapped in pastel-coloured papers. Best for black chocolate connoisseurs – the flavour is strong, sophisticated and not for an overly sweet tooth. 159, Corso Umberto I tel +39 (0) 932 941 225 www.bonajuto.it
CHICAGO, USA. Vosges Haut Chocolat. Best for bling. From fine champagne-filled truffles to “libraries” of miniature chocolate bars in globally influenced exotic flavours (think wasabi, ginger, black sesame), the offering here is highly styled and unusual. Gift sets are uniquely conceived. Their “Luxe Groove” chocolate truffle selection is inspired by African-American music and comes in a Swarovski crystal-filled Lucite box, including a CD of the songs that inspired the recipes – from field songs and blues to contemporary rap. Strange, but true. Music aside, the chocolates are exceedingly good. 951, West Armitage Avenue, Lincoln Park tel +1 773 296 9866 www.vosgeschocolate.com
LONDON, UK. Cocomaya. For bespoke chocolates in exotic shapes and flavours, check out Cocomaya, a new artisan chocolate boutique in London’s Connaught Village. Opened last month, it is run by three of London’s key players in fashion and lifestyle, including Gail Meija, founder of high-style food stores, Baker & Spice. The new choco-concept boutique will sell a range of single-estate confections, alongside chocolate drinks, ice cream, brownies and cakes, incorporating some of the rarest and finest cocoa beans in the world. Bespoke items can be created – the more fantastical the better – and presented on semi-precious stones or in jewel-coloured boxes. Made on the premises by chocolatier Jonathan Suthee Phelk Deddis, all ingredients are derived from ethical sources and are free from artificial sugars, sweeteners and preservatives. What we like to hear. 35, Connaught Street, W2 tel +44 (0) 20 7706 2770 www.cocomaya.com
PARIS, FRANCE. Pierre Hermé. The best chocolatier in Paris, these creations are considered the couture of confectionery. The incredible boutique in St Germain looks more akin to an upmarket jeweller than a sweet shop. Hermé recommends his Absolument Praliné, an almond praline with toasted and salted corn enrobed with dark or milk chocolate, based on the salted and roasted corn served with aperitifs in Spain. We love the sesame nougatine, too. 72, rue Bonaparte, 75006 tel +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77 www.pierreherme.com
NEW YORK, USA. Mariebelle Fine Chocolates. Fine chocolates, beautifully packaged and presented in colourful papers and boxes. Find cardamom and cinnamon chocolates, fruit-based choices and their speciality “Aztec” hot chocolate – 72 percent pure Venezuelan cocoa and thick enough to lick from a spoon. Pick up several jars for the perfect send home. 484, Broome Street, NY 10013 tel +1 (212) 925 6999 www.mariebelle.com
PISA, ITALY. Amedei. Brother and sister team, Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri, have built a reputation amongst cocoa-connoisseurs for their artisan chocolate, handmade in tiny batches using ancient methods, from rare, fairly-traded beans. Famous for their Venezuelan Chuao Chocolate, some argue that their lower-profile blends are even better – try the Toscano Red and Blond varieties, or the subtly-flavoured Praline da Meditazione encased in ultra sophisticated matte black boxes with gold trim. Utterly delicious and ethical to boot. A great all-rounder. 29, Via San Gervasio, 56020 La Rotta tel +39 (0) 587 484 849 www.amedei.it
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA. Lindt Chocolat Café. Located in Sydney’s CBD (central business district) on Martin Place, this is, surprisingly, the flagship concept store for Swiss brand Lindt, and almost all the products are exclusive to the outlet. Contemporary-styled in a Claudio Silvestrin, polished copper-and-marble-minimal type of way, this is a temple for chocolate devotees, where Sydneysiders can sit down to an extensive menu of handmade truffles, ice cream and cakes decorated in gold leaf. We favour the waffles with melted Lindt chocolate and ice cream. 53, Martin Place tel + 61 (0) 2 8257 1600 www.lindt.com
DALLAS, USA. Noka Chocolate. Grand cru chocolates are displayed in glass cases like gourmet jewellery at this reverentially-minimal boutique. Packaging is ravishing. Luxury gifting doesn’t get much better than their towering Sky gift sets – ten brushed-steel boxes filled with up to 220 pieces of their fabulous single-estate dark chocolates and truffles. Londoners, find them at Harrods. 2422, Victory Park Lane tel +1 214 740 9995 www.nokachocolate.com
LONDON, UK. Melt Chocolates. This chic, all-white chocolate boutique specialises in unusual flavours with a signature flavour of jasmine tea. Each mouth-watering recipe is crafted in the open plan kitchen, and the boutique itself is cool and contemporary. Create your own designs via the bespoke service or buy off the shelf – try the dark chocolate fondant mint discs and the sugar-free chocolate. Let us repeat that. Sugar Free. 59, Ledbury Road, W11 tel +44 (0) 20 7727 5030 www.meltchocolates.com
HONG KONG, CHINA. Vero Chocolates. This chic chocolatier produces bespoke sweets for Hong Kong’s brightest fashion brands. Flavours are varied and modern – think lavender, nutmeg and green tea. Their recent collaboration with Chinese luxury brand retailers, Shanghai Tang, resulted in smart limited-edition boxes of gold-embossed chocolate squares, and bonbons filled with honey truffle, sea salt caramel and rum raisin. The fashionista’s choice. Available online or at: Lane Crawford Shop 126, Pacific Place, Admiralty tel +852 2559 5882 www.verochocolates.com
NAPA VALLEY, USA. Woodhouse Chocolate. Handmade in the Napa Valley for lovers of sweet, milk chocolate. With the prettiest pastel blue packaging, these are the most feminine of the bunch – both in flavour and presentation. Try the “Quatre Epices” flavoured chocolate, or for a real sweet teeth, the chocolate caramel mousse is dangerously moreish. 1367, Main Street, St. Helena, CA tel +1 800 966 3468 www.woodhousechocolate.com
VALENCIA, SPAIN. Cacao Sampaka. The haute chocolatiers at Cacao Sampaka (“Chocolate Market”) are dedicated to exploring the vagaries of exotic chocolate. Their elaborate creations are grouped into eight different collections with themes such as “flowers and herbs”, “truffles coated in bitter chocolate” and “gastronomic innovations”, which works the popular trend for combining the sweet with the salty. The creation of Ramon Morató and Quim Capdevila, the Valencia store and new stores in Berlin (and soon Saudi Arabia, too), follow the success of the original Barcelona flagship, which opened in 2000. Their new Xoconusco chocolate is made from Royal Xoconusco Cocoa from Chiapas in Mexico – formerly the sole reserve of the reigning sovereign. Packaging is suitably sleek. 19, Calle Conde de Salvatierra, tel +34 96 353 40 62 www.cacaosampaka.com
INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA. Café Konditorei Munding. Just west of Innsbruck’s glittering Golden Roof, the Tirol’s oldest patisserie (open since 1803) is renowned for serving the best hot chocolate in the world. The accompanying DIY ritual is wonderfully old-fashioned – a silver tray arrives at your table with a glass of hot milk, a small bar of chocolate, a dollop of whipped cream and a glass of water. You then drop the chocolate bar into the milk and stir until the milk transforms into something altogether divine. Afterwards, pick up a box of their delicious pralines to take home. 16, Kiebachgasse tel +43 512 584118 www.munding.at
TOKYO, JAPAN. 100% Chocolate Café. In Kyobashi, this name leads the charge. With over 56 chocolate varieties, there is a choice for every day of the year (see their “365 Days” chocolates). Here, a cute clientele tucks into choco-themed cakes, tarts and pastries. Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall, one of Japan’s leading design firms, has created an equally eccentric interior, where a ceiling of enormous cubes of imitation chocolate hovers over a “chocolate-library” wall made up of deep tubs of chocolate suspended in glass-fronted refrigerated cabinets. Only in Japan. 2 - 4 -16, Kyobashi, Chuo-Ku tel +81 3 3273 3184 www.meiji.co.jp/sweets/choco-cafe