They say that a true chocoholic travels the world in search of the best chocolate. Well, let me see: In San Francisco, I bought several bars of chocolate from Ghirardelli Square in the Fisherman's Wharf area. In Brussels, Belgium, I waited in a long queue to buy a few hundred grams of Leonidas. In Salzburg, Austria, I got to taste the quintessential Mozartkugeln, while in Germany I devoured every single locally made Schokolade such as Sarotti and Ritter Sport. I also visited the Chocolate Museum in Cologne, and had my picture taken in front of the Lindt building in Zurich, Switzerland. That should give you an idea about how much I love chocolate.
On our family's most recent trip to Hong Kong, I had carefully mapped out my shopping plans: some books and toys for my Bea and chocolates for me. I was determined to buy my stash of Royce' chocolates. Royce' originated from Hokkaido, Japan and has since been making the finest quality chocolates. I first tasted it when we went to Hong Kong last year and they were so good that I bought more this year. I passed by the Royce' store in Harbour City (facing the main entrance of PageOne, another favorite destination in Hong Kong) a few times just to get free samples, then on our last night I bought about HK$240-worth of the goods. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the box of Nama chocolate in the fridge when we got home, so it melted. But it still tastes heavenly after I let it cool. I also brought home some champagne truffles, a white chocolate bar, milk chocolate with almonds and a box of Pure Chocolate (creamy milk and white). Yum yum yum.
Because we came from a cruise vacation, we passed by the Ocean Terminal part of Harbour City and I noticed a new chocolate store that's very, very classy and sophisticated. I've never heard of Jean-Paul Hévin Chocolatier of Paris before, but I was more than willing to give it a try. However, the chocolates are really expensive, so I just bought 4 pieces in a gift box (HK$108) and a cherry macaron for my Bea (HK$15 for a tiny piece--no bigger than a ten-peso coin). French pastry chef Jean-Paul Hévin created an assortment of over 40 different kinds of extra dark ganaches, pralines and milk chocolate. The flavors and textures of those 4 treasures that I bought gave me a purely pleasurable and luxurious chocolate experience. It's not a sin to indulge in gourmet chocolate once in a while, is it?
Lastly, I was so happy to find a spacious Patchi store in Hong Kong. I've heard about how remarkably good this Lebanese chocolate brand is and I was only too excited to try it. The prices are also very steep, but the superior quality of the chocolate makes up for the exorbitant prices. I bought a small bag of Patchino chocolate bars for my Bea, and we would sit quietly in a corner of our bedroom bonding over chocolate. Patchi uses only cocoa butter (no vegetable oil, no artificial flavors and no preservatives), which explains the nutty, rich and luscious flavor of the chocolate. Patchi is my new favorite! I love its exquisite taste--definitely a treat for the palate!
While my husband was busy shopping for yet more pairs of athletic shoes, I spent my moolah buying chocolate. And why not? Chocolate never fails to make me happy.
