For all of you chocolate-lovers out there, how well do you really know your chocolate? We don’t mean your Hershey bars and Kitkats. If you’re a chocoholic, you would have definitely heard of this budding trend in Asia and the USA that is craft chocolate.

With many consumers nowadays looking for higher quality snacks made with a little bit more TLC than the average chocolate bar, the craft chocolate trend began, taking root in the US and slowly spreading across Asia. Check out our guide on all things craft chocolate to find out more about how chocolate can be more than just Cadbury bars and Twix sticks!

THE ORIGIN OF CRAFT CHOCOLATE

Craft chocolate started in America when consumers started to crave for higher quality chocolate. The chocolate making process had been highly factory-line focused and there were hardly any variations between chocolate bars.

However, an increasing number of chocolate manufacturers discovered that different cocoa beans yielded different tastes and flavours when roasted properly. Thus began the advent of the modern world’s craft chocolate pioneers such as Dandelion Chocolate and Mast Brothers.

The final products are coined as bean-to-bar chocolates as the process is highly curated all the way from the sourcing of the cocoa beans to the packaging of the finished bars.

THE PROCESS: HOW CRAFT CHOCOLATE IS MADE

The Bean-to-Bar process may seem simple but it’s extremely labour-intensive.

The very first step would be to start sorting cocoa beans — the main ingredient of all chocolates. They are harvested from cocoa trees that bear fruits called the cocoa pod. The beans come in all shapes and sizes and may arrive at the chocolate manufacturing facilities in varying standards of quality. Bad beans can’t be used as they may affect the quality of the chocolate.

The cocoa beans have to be roasted to release their flavours, cracked and winnowed to separate the nibs from the husks. Nibs are edible while the cocoa shells are not.

Cocoa nibs have to be ground by stone mills called melangers until they are a fine, liquid-like paste. This is when sugar and milk may be added to the mix. Chocolate has to be ground to a super fine consistency so as to not be gritty so it may take up to 50 hours!

Once the chocolate is of good texture, it is taken out of the melangers to, age, “temper” and mould into whatever shape and form. It is important to age the chocolate to ensure the volatile flavours are not lost. After that, the process of tempering allows chocolate to be stable and not melt even at room temperature.

The total amount of time needed to make a single batch of chocolate could span over weeks.

BENEFITS OF CRAFT CHOCOLATE

Since craft chocolates rarely have any preservatives or extra colourings and flavour, they tend to be a lot healthier and contain less sugar than most factory-processed chocolate bars!

Craft chocolate also helps farmers earn more as makers purchase in smaller quantities, paying premiums for single-origin beans. The farmers are often paid directly and without any middle-man involved. This helps sustain the farmers that are paid a lot less by bigger manufacturers who purchase in bulk!

So the next time, should you buy a bar of craft chocolate, you’ll truly understand the difference and appreciate the unique characteristics of each bite!

If there was ever a good enough reason for you to put your dieting plans on hold for chocolate, Christmas would definitely come up tops. A season where eating and indulging in decadent treats is a vital part, this is the time where it’s totally fine to go full beast mode on all things rich and luxurious. And where better to stock up on quality chocolates than at ROYCE’?

One of the top chocolatiers in Japan and our personal favourite, ROYCE’ really goes above and beyond your standard truffles and chocolate bars. Established in 1983 in Hokkaido, Japan, ROYCE’ chocolates have gained itself international recognition for their original, superior quality confectioneries. Bringing together the best ingredients from all over the world, together with the rich and creamy dairy products from Hokkaido, ROYCE’ never fails to impress with their offerings old and new.

This season of giving, what better way to put a smile on the faces of your loved ones than to gift them with an assortment of decadent treats from ROYCE’? Newly revamped with a brand new look, their ION Orchard outlet promises a better customer experience, in addition to boasting a wider array of the brand’s signature products.

Feeling lucky? Be sure to snag yourself a complimentary gift during their in-store promotion from 10 to 25 December 2018, where, for every S$100 spend, you get to participate in a lucky dip, winning you a special Christmas gift courtesy of ROYCE’.

Newly-furnished to allow more space for customers to browse, the outlet at ROYCE’ is where we would recommend heading to. Run by a team of helpful staff that commit their utmost to provide excellent customer service, you will find yourself well taken care of.

CHAMPAGNE NAMA CHOCOLATES

If there was one significant quality that differentiates ROYCE’ from the many chocolatiers out there, it would be their undying commitment to originality and impeccable quality. We are die-hard fans of their Nama Chocolates and if you haven’t tried it, boy you’re missing out.

Their most popular product, the iconic Nama Chocolate is made from pure, rich Hokkaido cream lavishly mixed into the chocolate. Available in a variety of flavours, the one we always look forward to most is the ones accented with prestige liqueurs.

Gracing this festive Yule is their Champagne Nama Chocolate (S$15). This decadent treat comes armed with a bright, luxurious flavour profile of Pierre Mignon champagne that does well to elevate the experience altogether. Good champagne and solid chocolate, how much more luxurious can you get?

PURE CHOCOLATE 

Made using the finest dairy from the pastures of Hokkaido, tuck into total, melt-on-your-tongue luxury with their individually sealed Creamy White off their Pure Chocolate line. Intricately designed the beautiful ripples serve to enhance its texture.

This single-serving chocolate comes in 10 varieties with different percentages of cacao added to each varietal. One box (S$15) contains 40 individually wrapped morsels of pure chocolatey indulgence with 2 flavours.

POTATOCHIP CHOCOLATE 

Combining the salty, savoury goodness that is potato chips and coating them in a thin yet decadent layer of their velvety chocolate, ROYCE’ range of Potato Chip Chocolate (S$15 per box) offerings are just pure genius and a snack appropriate for any occasion.

The unique combination of potato chips and chocolate. Who can resist? Available in four flavours that are sure to tickle your taste buds, indulge in the edible likes of the Original, Caramel, Fromage Blanc and Mild Bitter. Disclaimer: it’s going to be hard to stop shovelling down these savoury-sweet bad boys.

CHOCOLATE WAFERS

Delivering a bright, berry burst that’s nicely enveloped in creamy, rich chocolate, the Wafer Strawberry (S$15) is absolutely perfect for folks who love strawberry.

But let’s not forget the other chocolate wafer options which include the Tiramisu Cream (S$15) and Hazel Cream (S$15) as well that delivers a flavour burst of nuanced espresso and nutty notes respectively.

MACCHA BAR CHOCOLATE

Great news for lovers of all things maccha-laden, ROYCE’ has a pretty stellar range of maccha fit for any craving or fancy. Nama Chocolate Maccha. Prafeuille Chocolat Maccha. Chocolate Wafers Maccha. Maccha Almond Chocolate.

However you like to enjoy your Maccha be it with a crunch or melting on your tongue, you can trust ROYCE’ to have you well sorted. A decadent triple-threat and one that we highly recommend is their Maccha Bar Chocolate (S$12.50 per box of 6). Each bar comes packed with a nutty crunch featuring the likes of almonds, pecans, cashews, macadamias as well as cookie bits and crispy puffs, all nicely underscored by the fragrance of pure green tea powder.

LUCKY DIP BOX WITH EVERY S$100 SPEND

From 10 to 25 December 2018, with every S$100 spend, you get to participate in the Lucky Dip Box, where you stand to win special Christmas goodies from ROYCE’. Who can and would say no to more chocolate, right? Just note that you’ve got to arrive as early as possible because the lucky dip is capped at 50 customers per day.

And exclusive to outlets at ION Orchard, Tampines Mall, Westgate & Tanjong Pagar, for every S$50 spent with at least 1 Nama chocolate purchase, customers can personalise 1 box of Nama Chocolate—talk about a gift that’ll turn heads.

ROYCE’ (ION Orchard Mall)
2 Orchard Turn #B4-10 ION,
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6509 9340
Daily: 10.30am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

This post was brought to you by ROYCE’. 

Rarely do we come across someone who dislikes chocolate. Chocolate has always been a classic sweet treat that people turn to, whether it’s for indulgence, to satisfy a craving or a gift idea for a loved one.

When it comes to hand-crafted, artisanal chocolate, we all know international brands such as Royce, Lauren Bernard and Godiva. However, did you know that Singapore’s artisanal chocolate-making scene is slowly starting to take off as well?

Here, we have a list of 8 local chocolatiers that you can go to for fresh, unique, handmade chocolates the next time you need your chocolate fix.
Photo Credit: Anjalichocolat

ANJALICHOCOLAT 

Ms Anjali Gupta was a banker who quit her job to become a chocolatier, and from there on, Anjalichocolat was born. She has been in the chocolate business for almost five years and is famous for her luxury handmade chocolates that have unusual, adventurous flavour pairings. All her chocolates are made from Belgium couverture, fruit puree, and whole spices.

An instance of such a pairing would be her very popular Earl Grey Tea Citrus Chocolates, where the chocolates are cleverly infused with fragrant tea as well as lemon juice and zest. We also have her Star Anise Bonbons, which is an interesting combination of dark chocolate and essence of star anise, which creates a very unique, spicy flavour.

73 Loewen Road, #01-15/16
Singapore 248843
Tel: +65 6509 6800
Mon to Sat: 10am – 5pm
(Closed on Sundays)
Nearest Station: Queenstown

AWFULLY CHOCOLATE

Awfully Chocolate is one of Singapore’s most well-known chocolatiers, and they have been in the chocolate business for almost 20 years. It all started when Lyn Lee, a Lawyer, couldn’t find the ultimate chocolate cake. She then decided to quit her job to open her own cake and chocolate shop.

Awfully chocolate boasts using their own blend of chocolate, which is something that you don’t see many people doing. Some of their famous chocolate items are the Super Stacked Chocolate Cake, Hei Ice Cream, Chocolate Banana Cake, Dark Chocolate Truffles, Cold Poached Truffles, Chocolate Tiramisu Cake, and their Chocolate Praline Cake.

313 Somerset
313 Orchard Road, #2-50
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 6341 9437
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Somerset

Photo Credit: Demochoco

DEMOCHOCO 

Founder Lim Jialiang discovered his passion for chocolate during a trip to Paris in 2014, where he was blown away by the amount of chocolate available there. The name Demochoco comes from the smart wordplay in Japanese, with ‘Demo’ meaning but, and ‘choco’ meaning chocolate.

Most of his chocolates are made from single-origin Valrhona couverture, with other ingredients used to make the chocolates coming from both local and overseas sources. He also likes to come up with creative inventions, with one example being his unique salted egg and cereal creation.

National Design Centre
#01-01, 111 Middle Road
Singapore 188969
Tel: +65 9683 2136
Daily: 12pm – 8pm
Nearest Station:  Bras Basah & Bugis

Photo Credit: Fossa Chocolates

FOSSA CHOCOLATE 

Fossa Chocolate is named after a wildcat-like animal native to Madagascar, which came from the time the owner, Jay Chua, had a life-changing taste of Madagascan chocolate from the famous chocolate line, Dick Taylor. Chua painstakingly makes the chocolates himself in a factory in Tuas, and it can take him a month to make a 30kg batch of single-origin chocolate.

His chocolate beans are sourced from countries such as Haiti, Indonesia and Guatemala, and they all undergo a seven-step process which results in smooth and rich liquid chocolate. He has also come up with interesting chocolate flavours such as satay sauce inspired chilli peanut praline, white sesame and seaweed, and salted egg cereal blond chocolate.

The Glasshouse – CHIJMES
30 Victoria Street, #01-03
*Singapore 187996
Tel: +65 97930234
Mon to Fri: 8am – 5pm
Sat to Sun: 9am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Bras Basah & City Hall

National Orchid Garden,
Tanglin Gate & Nassim Gate
1 Cluny Road
*Singapore 259569
Tel: +65 6467 0380
Daily: 8.30 – 7pm
Nearest Station: Botanic Gardens

*(You can find these at multiple outlets islandwide)

Photo Credit: Patisserie G

PATISSERIE G 

With a pastry diploma from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, the founder of Patisserie G, Gwen Lim, certainly knows what she’s doing when it comes to chocolates and desserts. She also learned how to make all her chocolates herself from attending a chocolate-making course from French master chocolatier Jean-Marie Auboine.

She recently expanded her range of products to include in-house chocolates, which consists of bonbons, chocolate bars, as well as panned chocolates, which are fruits and nuts that are coated in chocolate. She also has come up with interesting combinations such as melon seeds covered with Szechuan pepper-infused dark chocolate.

9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-40/41 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6338 7578
Mon to Thur: 7.30pm – 9pm
Fri: 7.30am – 10pm
Sat: 9am – 10pm
Sun: 9am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Promenade

Photo Credit: The Dark Gallery

THE DARK GALLERY 

Ms Li Lihui, another former lawyer, was inspired to start The Dark Gallery after she had mind-blowing chocolate experiences in San Francisco and Japan when she tasted their single-origin chocolate.

The pride and joy of The Dark Gallery would be their Single-origin dark chocolate that comes from Venezuela and Madagascar, with single-origin here meaning that the chocolate beans used comes from a specific place and have a distinctive and unique taste profile. This has resulted in their signature item, The Five Single Origin Platters.

9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-K5 Millenia Walk
Singapore 039596
Tel: +65 6255 0368
Daily: 11am – 9.30am
Nearest Station: Promenade

Photo Credit: Wimbly Lu

WIMBLY LU  

Wimbly Lu is a popular cafe that sells desserts, crispy waffles and ice cream, but did you know that they sell chocolate truffles too? Their chocolate truffles are all made in-house by their chocolatiers who use a couverture that they got from Belgium.

Their truffles come in nine flavours, with some of them being dark chocolate, milk chocolate, salted caramel, rum and raisin and even milo! On special occasions like Christmas, they also have special flavours such as Christmas pudding, and fig.

166 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207570
Tel: +65 6291 8138
Mon, Wed & Thur: 12pm – 10.30pm
Fri: 12pm – 11pm
Sat: 9am – 11pm
Sun: 9am – 10.30pm
(Closed on Thursdays)
Nearest Station: Lorong Chuan & Serangoon

As Singapore’s number one chocolatier, we know that we can trust Awfully Chocolate to launch the most exciting chocolate products of the highest quality. Awfully Chocolate’s existing line of truffles—which includes their classic Dark Chocolate Truffles and Champagne Truffles—needed a little boost. Hence, they have come up with 4 new flavours: Gula Melaka Truffles, Butterscotch Bricks, Praline Truffles and Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffles.

This new range of truffles will be added on to the existing lineup and will only be available at 6 outlets currently: ION Orchard, Marina Bay Link Mall, VivoCity, Raffles City, Star Vista and Ninethirty. So if you want to treat yourself to some delectable chocolates, you know where to go.

Here is why you cannot miss out on the amazing new truffles from Awfully Chocolate.

Their classic Dark Chocolate Truffles are made of intense, decadent 70% chocolate. If you love a more potent chocolate taste, you will not go wrong with this choice. If you prefer your truffles with a hint of liquor, go for the Champagne Truffles that has a soft ganache center that is oh-so-satisfying to bite into.

The Gula Melaka Truffles is probably the one most of us are hyped-up about. 60% chocolate is paired with rich and fragrant Gula Melaka, resulting in a taste unlike any other. However, if you prefer something downright sweet that will send you on a sugar high, the Butterscotch Bricks Truffles will delight you; it comes with a handmade salty-sweet butterscotch center!

The two other selections are no less enticing. The Praline Truffles has a crisp shell with hazelnut filling if you prefer your chocolates a little nuttier. For all the coffee lovers out there, the Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffles is the one to try! Dark chocolate encases a creamy espresso ganache inside. Yes, you will not be able to resist these treats!

The truffles are so pretty and it will make a fantastic gift for any occasion.

The Truffles Collection will only be available at Awfully Chocolate in ION Orchard, Marina Bay Link Mall, VivoCity, Raffles City, Star Vista and Ninethirty.

Awfuly Chocolate
2 Orchard Turn #B4-50 ION Orchard
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6884 6377
Daily: 10am – 10pm
Nearest Station: Orchard

This post is brought to you by Awfully Chocolate.

The Dark Gallery is a popular chocolate-themed cafe from Malaysia that specialises in all things chocolate and good news—they have just opened their first outlet outside of Malaysia at Millenia Walk.

Expect to savour a wide variety of chocolate desserts from artisanal ice creams to pastries to truffles to the best hot chocolate you will ever taste at this chocolate-themed establishment. The sheer decadence from the chocolate goodies makes The Dark Gallery every chocolate lover’s dream and a must-try for all.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the immense variety of chocolate types, feel free to approach the staff. They will be more than happy to educate you on the different types of chocolates

We found it rather helpful as it gave us a better understanding of what we were having, allowing us to better appreciate the subtleties in flavours from chocolate sourced from different parts of the world.

The Ice Cream Waffle (S$14) comes with two ice cream flavours of your choice. We went for two different dark chocolate varietals with cocoa percentages from both extremes—the Madagascar Dark Chocolate (64%) and the Venezuela Dark Chocolate (72%).

Both flavours of ice cream were so incredibly decadent and we liked that they were not overly rich and sweet. The Madagascar Dark Chocolate struck a perfect balance between sweet, bitter and chocolatey, whereas the Venezuela Dark Chocolate was just slightly bitter in comparison. It was the best chocolate ice cream we have ever had.

Most of the hot chocolates at cafes usually taste more like Milo than hot chocolate so we were pleasantly surprised by the hot Signature Chocolate (S$7) here.

It is the epitome of a perfect hot cocoa before bedtime. It was rich and chocolatey with just the right amount of foam, making each sip so comforting.

The Signature Frozen S’mores (S$7.50) has a chocolatey center and it contains 80% dark chocolate ice cream. It had just the right amount of bitterness to it, and the sweetness from the toasted S’mores complemented the entire dessert really well.

Our first visit was truly a delight and coming from avid chocolate lovers, we must admit that The Dark Gallery hit all the right spots. We liked that their desserts were not overly sweet, allowing more emphasis to be placed on the depth of flavour.

The Dark Gallery is conveniently located at Millenia Walk and it makes for a good stopover during afternoon shopping trips or even a spot that chocolate lovers might find interesting to visit.

The Dark Gallery
9 Raffles Boulevard (#01-K5)
Millenia Walk
Tel: +65 6255 0368
Daily: 11am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Promenade

Note: Jean-Philippe Darcis is now closed.

I have been on a mission to try all the afternoon high tea places in Singapore. One would imagine that there are plenty of nice dessert places to go for a leisure afternoon tea. But the problem is, I have been to most of them, and sometimes, I end up going to the usual ones because there are only that few high tea places in town.

After having dim sum at Paradise Pavilion, my partner-in-crime and I were greedy for more food, and we I suddenly thought of the macarons at Jean-Philippe Darcis, Marina Bay Sands. Life is good when you have desserts after dim sum.

I have heard of the chocolatier before, but it was only when I did a quick search online, then I knew that he holds the prestigious title of Belgian Chocolate Ambassador along with other awards.

Anyway, back to Jean-Philippe Darcis at MBS. The chocolate cafe sells pralines, Belgian Waffles, Cupcakes, and an assortment of macarons (around 14 flavours to be precise).

At $3 per piece, the macarons are not exactly cheap. But still, no one can resist macarons. Death by macarons! Death by macarons!

We were debating if we should get a dozen macarons, but our common sense told us otherwise. We ended up getting 5 macaron (Almond Milk, Passion-fruit chocolate, Pistachio, Vanilla, Hazelnut) and a passion-fruit cupcake (a little dry).

Among the ones that we had, my favourite was the vanilla and hazelnut. We thought that the Pistachio was lacking in the nutty flavour, while the Almond Milk and Passion-fruit chocolate were decent, but not life-changing.

Do they have the best macarons in Singapore? Well, the macarons at Jean-Philippe Darcis are definitely some of the better ones that I’ve had. But I am not sure if it is the best. There are after all, so many patisseries and cake shops in Singapore. This gives me the perfect excuse of doing a taste-test of all the macarons in Singapore, but that’s a separate story.

All in all, Jean-Philippe Darcis at Marina Bay Sands is a nice place to have Belgian waffle, macarons and a cup of tea. It is not as popular as the chichi TWG Salon (yet), so I will definitely go back and try the other macarons.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Jean-Philippe Darcis
10 Bayfront Avenue, #01-38
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 7202

For more recommendations, read my list of afternoon high tea places in Singapore

Easter is coming! Easter is coming!

If you are still looking for Easter Chocolate gifts, or trying to make a reservation for Easter Sunday brunch - here are some suggestions for your Easter Holiday celebrations:

Global Kitchen

Indulge this Easter with a sumptuous feast at Global Kitchen. Choose from an unlimited selection of premium crustacean, meats, cold cuts and platters. Highlights of the Easter Brunch Menu include a chocolate fountain, a crepe station, a salmon counter as well as a spectacular array of chocolate creations. Children will also receive Easter bunnies as a memento for the Easter Sunday Promotion.

$98++ per adult
$128++ per adult with free flow of Veuve Clicquot champagne
$28++ for children below 12 years old
24 April 2011, 12noon to 2.30pm

Level 3 Pan Pacific Hotel
7 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square
Tel: +65 6826 8240

Basilico Italian Restaurant

Enjoy a sumptuous Easter spread at Basilico. The Sunday brunch has different stations like seafood, antipasti & coldcut, grill, rotisserie & carving to satisfy everyone. Some of the signature items are Smoked Salmon with Caviar and Cream, Roasted Italian Baby Lamb, Hot Cross Buns and Simnel Cake. Kids will be thrilled with the Egg hunting activities with the Easter Bunny too.

$128++ with Free flow of Soft Beverages and juices
$198++ with Champagne, wine, martini, beer
$68++ for kids
24 April 2011, 12noon to 3pm

1 Cuscaden Road
Level 2 The Regent Singapore
Tel: +65 6725 3232

Artichoke Cafe & Bar

Not to worry if you are not a fan of brunch buffet. Artichoke Cafe at Middle road (the intersection with Waterloo Street) is a nice place to enjoy your Easter Sunday brunch. Try the ‘Self-destruction’ – big breakfast with crispy hash browns, melted cheddar, mushrooms and two fried eggs.

Sculpture Square
161 Middle Rd
Tel: +65 6336 6949
Weekend Brunch: 11am – 3pm

Recommendations: Easter Chocolate Gifts for kids (small & big)

Jewels Artisan Chocolate

With a new egg-tastic treat this Easter season, Jewels Artisan Chocolate presents their own take on the proverbial Easter Chocolate egg. Available in two flavours, the Praline Café and Maracaibo Gianduju, each individual egg is lovingly hand-crafted by Chef Then Chui Foong, the resident Chocolatier, using only the finest ingredients and chocolates.

181 Orchard Road #02-31/32
Orchard Central Singapore
Tel: +65 6509 8998

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier

Famed for its premium chocolate, Laurent Bernard Chocolatier has a few Easter chocolate special in store for everyone. Choose from Jojo the rabbit ($43), Medium Size Chocolate Hen ($48) or the Large Chocolate Hen ($78). They are the ideal Easter Chocolate gifts for your loved ones.

80 Mohamed Sultan Road #01-11
The Pier @ Robertson Singapore
Tel: +65 6235 9007

Truffs

My friend had the chocolate truffles from Truffs recently, and she couldn’t stop raving about it.

For those of you who are working in the Tanjong Pagar area, it is very convenient to drop by Truffs during lunch time. A box of 9 truffles (choice of 1 variety) goes for $25 while the bigger box of 18 (choice of 2 varieties) is $45.

179a Telok Ayer Street
Tel: +65 9088 2736

I don’t know about you, but I think the Easter Holiday (24th April 2011) is a very good excuse for us to indulge in champagne, chocolate, and brunch.

For more ideas, read my list of brunch places and buffets in Singapore.

Have a good Easter Holiday!

/ / The Chocolate Fondue giveaway is now closed, thank you for participating. The winners for my chocolate fondue giveaway are comments #403, 224, 389, 36, and 209. I will be emailing you very soon.

Jewels Artisan Chocolate cafe is located on the second level of Orchard Central. They have a value-for-money afternoon tea set, and their Black Palm Island Salt macaron is one of the best I’ve had.

It has been some time since I last did a contest, so I am happy to let you guys know that I am giving away 5 sets of Chocolate Fondue from Jewels Artisan Chocolate.

Last week, I met up with Singapore’s first artisan chocolatier Then Chui Foong, who is currently helming the kitchen at Jewels Artisan Chocolate. It is very interesting to hear her philosophy about chocolate and dessert, and I think the Singapore food scene needs more people like her.

Jewels Artisan Chocolate Cafe has recently introduced a new item, the Chocolate Fondue Set ($18.80) on their menu. It is the first ever chocolate fondue to give you 3 choices of premium chocolate dip – Dark chocolate, Milk chocolate or Brandy chocolate.

And now is the exciting part: readers of my food blog get to win 5 sets of chocolate fondue by answering a simple question.

HOW TO ENTER THE SINGAPORE FOOD BLOG CHOCOLATE FONDUE GIVEAWAY

1. FIVE lucky winners will win themselves a set of Chocolate Fondue worth $18.80 each.

2. Answer this question by leaving a comment: What is the name of the shop that is giving away the chocolate fondue?

3. Chocolate fondue giveaway is open to Singapore residents only.

4. Giveaway ends on Friday 12 noon 11th March 2011. All winners will be notified by email.

// Note that comments are moderated, they will appear after I approve it, so please do not submit more than once.

NOTE: Guys, it’s perfectly fine to take part in the giveaway even though there are already a lot of entries. I am using a random generator to select the winners, everyone has an equal chance to win.

When it comes to chocolate desserts, no one does it better than Laurent Bernard Chocolatier. Formerly known as The Chocolate Factory, the newly renamed Laurent’s Café & Chocolate Bar has two branches at Robertson Quay and Portsdown road. Whenever I’m having dinner at the Robertson Quay restaurants, I always find it hard to decide between Canele Patisserie or Laurent Bernard for desserts.

For those of you who are having a chocolate craving, I’m sure Laurent’s Cafe & Chocolate Bar can satisfy you with the chocolatey truffle cake, my favourite Plaisir Sucré, the delicious chocolate tart and of course, their famous Chocolate Souffle.

One of my favourite cakes from Laurent Bernard Cafe is definitely the Pleasure ($9.80). The classic Plaisir Sucré comprises whipped chocolate cream and ganache in between the beautiful and delicate chocolate sheets, and a base of hazelnut and praline; it is out-of-this-world.

The Trianon ($7.80) reminds me of the Plaisir Sucré. In place of the chocolate sheets, it has the dark yet rich chocolate mousse, and the base of hazelnut dacquoise is excellent. Look at the picture on top, the dessert looks so gorgeous!

Having the Chocolate Soufflé ($16.50) may takes time and patience, but straight out from the oven, it’s instant gratification. Once you start digging your spoon into the souffle cup, it’s almost impossible to stop, that is, until you are down to the last smear of the spoon.

The chocolate souffle is moist, dark, rich, and intense while the accompanying raspberry sherbet is sour, tangy and provides the perfect balance to the dessert.

There’s a waiting time of 15-30 minutes for the chocolate soufflé, and like they say: good things come to those who can wait. But sometimes, I’m not so sure. Between the chocolate soufflé and warm chocolate lava cake, I’m inclined to go for the latter – who can resist the magnificent oozing effect? Not me.

Chocolate bars are my Disney land, somehow they know how to make me happy. If you are in the Esplanade or Vivocity area, go to Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, and if you are somewhere near Robertson Quay or Portsdown road, then it’s a must to go Laurent Bernard Chocolatier to satisfy your chocolate craving.

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier
#01-11 The Pier at Robertson Quay
80 Mohammad Sultan Road
Tel: +65 6235 9007
Mon: 6pm – 11pm
Tue to Thu: 1pm – 12 midnight
Fri & Sat: 1pm – 1am
Sun: 1pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Clarke Quay

Sometimes, all it takes is chocolate and cake to make me happy. I’m very sure that I’m not the only one who feels this way, so if you like chocolate and cake too, you should drop by Jewel Artisan Chocolate for their afternoon high tea.

They are located on the second level of Orchard Central. At just $14.80++, I’d think that Jewel Artisan Chocolate has a pretty value for money tea set for those who are not willing to splurge $38++/pax to have afternoon tea at a Five Star Hotel.

I was caught in a dilemma for the title of this post. You see, afternoon tea typically refers to a light mid afternoon break from 3pm to 5pm and there’s usually sandwiches and scones, while high tea is an early evening meal between 5pm to 6pm. Technically speaking, Jewel Artisan Chocolate’s tea set cannot be classified under both afternoon tea or high tea since it is an all day affair from 11am to 6pm in the evening.

Oh what the heck, I’m calling it Afternoon high tea, you can figure it out yourself. The $14.80++ High Tea Set at Jewel Artisan Chocolate Orchard Central includes: 1 x truffle/praline, 1 pc macaron, 1 slice of 85% Dark Chocolate Gateau, 1 dollop x Ice Cream/Sorbet, and 1 pot x Gourmet Tea.

The two of us decided to share an afternoon tea set plus an additional Dark Chocolate Lava Cake from their cake menu ($10.80/serving). If you do not fancy the ubiquitous chocolate lava cake, there’s also the chocolate tart, chocolate crumble, chocolate gateau or chocolate mousse to choose from.

The mini slice of 85% Dark Chocolate Gateau which comes with the afternoon tea set was rich, smooth, and very cakey (if there’s even such a word). For the macarons, there are choices of Black Palm Island Salt, Raspberry, Butterfly Pea Bloom, Green tea, Passionfruit, Dark chocolate, Hazelnut and Butterscotch. We had a macaron from the tea set, and it was so addictive. In the name of research, we ended up ordering another two macaron ($2 each).

I wasn’t too impressed with the Butterfly Pea Bloom. Other than the seemingly-artificial colouring, the combination of kaya and pandan almond cream didn’t really go well together for my taste bud. The Raspberry wasn’t too bad, but it was the Black Palm Island Salt (atas name for Salted egg yolk) macaron that was truly phenomenal! It’s impossible to describe the intriguing flavor, please go to Jewel Artisan and try it out for yourself. It’s possibly one of the best macarons in Singapore.

It’s a shame that there wasn’t any vanilla ice cream on the menu to go along with the Dark Chocolate Lava Cake ($10.8), so we had two scoops of hazelnut and dark chocolate (one for the tea set and the other comes with the lava cake).

The chocolate lava exploded as I cut off a corner of the cake. Warm and luscious dark chocolate with a scoop of cold ice cream – life can’t get any better than this.

Jewel Artisan Chocolate High Tea is a good option (11am to 6pm daily) if you are not able to make it during lunch time for the $12++ dessert buffet from One Ninety Restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel. Now, if only the chairs are more comfortable, I will be back all the time for a pot of tea, a nibble of truffle and a slice of cake.

Singapore Food Restaurant Review
Jewel Artisan Chocolate
181 Orchard Road #02-31/32
Orchard Central Singapore
Tel: +65 6509 8998

// Read my list of dessert places in Singapore.

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My adventure in Australia is drawing to a close, but I will like to share one final post with you: Adriano Zumbo. This is the patisserie that has caught Sydney by storm, this is the bakery that has created many lovely creations each season – this is the place in Sydney that I wanted to go the most.

Cakes arrived at our small round table, plated nicely. I’ve no idea exactly how the name Google it, Real life ($7.9) came about. But I do know for a fact that it is banana passion-fruit creme tart, and it is not just a pretty face. The diguise of almond croquante within the midst of the creme was clever; it added a crunchy dimension and provided a slightly salty aftertaste to the tart.

First and foremost: banana passion-fruit creme, a pretty orange-yellow layer on top of the crispy tart, beautifully dressed by the presence of the fresh berries. Banana and passion-fruit provided a good balance with each other, on it’s own, passion-fruit taste slightly sourish, but the banana is like the key to the lock, just like how chocolate always works with hazelnut.

The fine balance meant that neither fruits were overbearing, and in this case, it was rather surprising that both the banana and passion-fruit maintained a subtle, yet distinct flavor.

Your frund in the frudge.. toasted ($7.90), turns out to be a quirky interpretation of sandwich with tomato and cheese, in the body of a cake. I’ve ordered it solely based on the crispy puff pastry; the toast mousse had one of the weirdest taste I ever came across, flanked with the addition of the tomato jelly and the melted cheese creameaux, with hints of black pepper; I’d give it full marks for the creative idea, but it was too much for me.

Most of the creations have cheeky and whimsical names, and the 5, 6, 7, 8 ($8) is no exception. The flavors practically exploded on my tongue, each portion was trying to out-do the other; the lemongrass pandan & vanilla creame legere was by far my favourite among the three components of the cake.

You can discover the robust lemongrass taste among the smoothing and fragrance pandan; to the right of it there’s a case of identity crisis with the pineapple palm sugar sous vide – Adriano did something to it, but I’ve totally no idea whatever that is.

Coriander creamaux completes the trio with a peanut stable base the the bottom. 5, 6, 7, 8 is a highly complex creation, it looks good with the three complimenting colors, and there’s an intense mixture of different taste and texture involve – you’d either love it, or get lost trying to follow each and every unique flavor.

I’m glad we left the Not too S-h-a-b-b-y ($7.9) for the last, it was again, a combination of many different individual flavor, blend in to make one wholesome cake. There was flourless biscuit, muscavado creme brulee plantation chocolate mousse, and chocolate malt creme legere; all of which did not make sense to me. Tasting the stuff, one struggles for words, memories came flashing back and I felt like a kid again; I remember the first time I tried nutella, the first time I put foie gras into my mouth – I know my life will never be the same again.

It took every bit of discipline I had not to moan and giggle and rave after my first bite. I’m in love with this cake, so in love, she’s the reason for my very existence.

I’m really happy that I went to Adriano Zumbo patisserie before I left, his bold yet unique creations are indeed worth the effort to travel all the way there, I think Adriano Zumbo really deserves the accolade he has earned so far.

The fact that the patisserie is out of town in Balmain, yet managed to garner so much support, tells you everything about the desserts. Adriano Zumbo – he’s a genius! Thank you Richard & Simon for bringing me here!

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This is the last post of my Twelve days in Sydney. It is not exaggerating to say that I planned the itinerary based on food, and all these will not be possible without the awesome food blogs in Sydney. I had the pleasure of meeting 50 Sydney food bloggers at a Christmas party while I was there; Helen & Lorraine are practically food bibles of Sydney, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Billy’s, Howard & crew and many other great food blogs that is impossible for me to list all of them here.

I’m not sure when I will be back again, but there’s something I’m certain of: Sydney is a great city, with real friendly folks, and good food. See you there!

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie
296 Darling St
Balmain, Sydney

I, Willy Wonky, have decided to allow three children, to visit my Research facility this year. These lucky three will be allowed to see all the secrets and the magic of my facility. Then at the end of the tour, as a special present, one of them will be given enough chocolates and sweets to last him/her for the rest of the life! So watch out for the Choc Tickets!

The Chocolate room. An important room, this! This is the heart of the whole research facility. And so beautiful yes! Below the melting chocolate wall, are bars and bars of chocolate, 100 different flavours! There, it’s all chocolate!

The inventing room. All the most secret new inventions are cooking and simmering in here. The connoisseur, exotic, double fruit series are some of the ones which will make your saliva-gland start working. Not to mention there’s the classic, nut, coffee and tea series.

Only Brad Brat left. The winner, with enough chocolate & sweets to last him for the lifetime! The dark chocolate 70% from Saint domingue in the spotlight.

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Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) is a chocolate boutique, which comprises of a retail store and a cafe. The interesting layout of the shop, the unique packaging of the chocolate bars, the intriguing combination of flavours available, meant that you need to grab a bar here! The chocolate are priced at $8, 10, & 12 for different flavours. I brought one bar, guess the flavour!

This post is inspired base on the story, Charlie & the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl. I have made some changes to parts of it, no intention of misusing the author’s right.

Chocolate Research Facility
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-30 Millenia Walk
Tel: 6338 5191
Website here

While co-owner and partner Mac excel in decorating the desserts, June enjoyed researching the use of new flavours instead. Perhaps it is the unique combination and strength in the partnership that gave Obolo Patisserie its success. ladyironchef decided to organise a dessert outing there and it went on smoothly with the support that the partners provided.

The interior of Obolo is very small, and could only fit in 15 people. Mac and his team rearranged the tables and did the settings for us, with the print of our dessert degustation menu, Obolo’s christmas catalogue, and a small gift in the form of cookies.

Our dessert degustation menu consisted of 12 desserts platter, namely 7 petite cheesecakes & entremets, 2 petite tartlets, 1 dessert shooter, and 2 les macarons. As always, i requested sampling portions for the menu as it’ll allowed us to try a variety of the desserts available at Obolo. Therefore, the pictures that you’ll be looking at are all mini-size, and does not reflect the actual size of the desserts.

Tartlet filled with milk chocolate & passion fruit ganache. The chocolate-passion was a sourish petite tart, mainly from the passion fruit used. Most of us found it too sour for our liking, and the sourness from the passion fruit completely overwhelmed the milk chocolate. I preferred it sweet.

Dark Chocolate ganache mousse, cassis ivoire mousse, praline feulletine base and moist dark chocolate-almond biscuit layers. Having tried Le Cassis before, i still enjoyed the contrasting taste between the slightly sour blackcurrent and the sweet of the chocolate ganache. I’m a big fan of the crunchy praline feulletine, but i thought that the layer was too thin, and not enough! Nonetheless, Le Cassis is definitely a hit with most of us.

Baked cheesecake infused with mango and passion fruit. While i didn’t really fancy passion fruit as i found it too sour, but in this instance the mango actually provided a better balance in the overall taste. The layer of biscuit crumb base would be nicer if it was thicker. The Mango-passion cheesecake had mixed reactions, with some finding it too sour, and some giving a thumbs up for the creative use of flavours.

67% caramel chocolate mousse, dark chocolate ganache, pecan chocolate fudge cake base. We were debating whether the nuts at the base were walnuts, but it’s actually pecan. The caraibe was one of my favourite of the night with the velvety chocolate mousse, dark chocolate ganache and chocolate fudge base. It was all about contrast and layering, really.

Tartlet filled with dark chocolate ganache. One of the few real chocolate of the night, the Chocolat Noir was better than the one that i had at Cova. One of the main feedback from the rest was, there was more sour than sweet dessert for the night. Mac explained that for decoration purposes, they liked to add in berries. But it ain’t the season for berries, and those that looked nice actually taste sour.

Some would prefer her to be drenched with liqueur, but the purist certainly say no! If you asked me, I’m on the purist side. The light mascarpone creme, dark chocolate ganache & chocolate genoise infused with coffee. Pull-me-up, of sugar and espresso. The tiramisu au chocolat.

Remember Pineapple tarts? You reminded me of Chinese New year, even though its only two months away. Pinada cheesecake, despite given a make-over, I still missed my pineapple tarts. The rum-soaked raisins didn’t help also.

Looking at the pistachio ivoire mousse, your eyes must be green with envy. Not to mention there’s still the cherry-raspberry gelee to deal with. I never like jam, definitely not the gelee in between the way of the dark chocolate ganache mousse, and the chocolate almond biscuit with kirsch. Almost prefect, the Nikta.

All the way from the states, there’s the New York cheesecake. Smooth, creamy, with a hint of lemon. At the pinnacle, seats the stunning strawberry. She’s the one that teased me all right, during our precious encounter. And now that I’ve conquered you, what do you have to say?

Appearance is secondary, they say inner beauty is more important. Nonetheless, the outer beauty sure makes a good impression. Sprinkle with gold dust, the ginormous strawberry garnished the top. There was tangy mascarpone mousse, and there was red berry gelee. Add in some kirsch-mixed berry compote, and i give you Summer Berries.

Miss macha was a last minute substitution, simply we got sick of Mr passion fruit. By common consensus, the shell was very thick, chewy, and a tad sweet. It’ll be better if she was lighter. But you couldn’t deny the fact that the macha macaron’s filling was prettily done.

Always a safe choice, the pairing of hazelnut and chocolate. Certainly a crowd teaser with that fulsome filling. Once my favourite, always my favourite. I don’t care what they say, i’m in love with you.

I’ll like to thank everyone who attended the dessert outing last night, and hope you all had a great time. There were old friends, and new faces, but everybody’s welcome! Also my thanks to Mac and June who supported and hosted us, for without them, this outing wouldn’t be possible.

For the rest of you folks who missed out on this dessert outing, not to worry. Details for my next food outing will be out tomorrow! So do let me know ASAP if you can make it for the lunch.

ps: read fen’s detailed review at sgcake.com
evan’s beautiful photos at bossacafez.com
jia xin at foodies queen

Cheers,
Brad