Chocolate roses from Chokola

Celebrate this Valentine’s Day by gifting a beautiful ‘Chocolate Rose Bunch’ by Choko la and express your love to your special someone.
The limited edition ‘Chocolate Rose Bunch’ is completely inspired by romancers who would like to say ‘I love you’ to their loved ones on this special occasion. Every Chocolate Rose is specially hand decorated with a personal touch and is presented in a very romantic packaging.

About Choko la
It is believed that the word chocolate is derived from the Mayan verb choko la'j, pronounced Choko la, which means, "to drink chocolate together”. Choko la, therefore, is a celebration of the universally loved food, to be enjoyed in the company of family and friends.

Choko la has brought the finest coverture chocolate from Europe right here to India. Committed to using only the best and finest quality ingredients, Choko la has perfected the art of making chocolate. From delicious, handmade chocolates and pastries, to artisan creations

Driven by a passion for chocolates, the brand Choko la was born out of a desire to share that passion with the world. With that in mind, Ms. Vasudha Munjal, a third generation entrepreneur from the renowned family of Hero MotoCorp fame, created Choko la – A boutique for only the finest chocolates

Website
www.chokola.in

Social media
https://www.facebook.com/ChokolaChocolates

Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Choco Meltz

I'll have to admit that I'm quite partial to the ITC Sunfeast's Dark Fantasy brand. While their other food products have fared an average, they've cracked it with Dark Fantasy. I've reviewed their Chocolate Cream biscuits and centre-filled cookies, Choco Fills, before, and I've bought them over and over. They recently launched a variation of Choco Fills called Choco Meltz and it immediately went into my shopping cart.

Basically, Choco Meltz are a richer version of Choco Fills, because these cookies have chocolate not just on the inside, but outside as well. It might be one of the first indigenous product, inspired by the famous Tim Tam format. Tim Tams are chocolate-coated cookies that relatives from the US/UK brought you during their annual visits. But Tim Tams are now easily available here too. More about that later.

Choco Meltz basically are the chocolatiest biscuits there can be and are quite awesome. And here's what you do to make them awesome-er. Dunk them in hot chai or coffee to let the top layer of chocolate melt a little and go mmm...But frankly, it's a little overwhelming. As a product concept, I think I prefer Choco Fills to Choco Meltz, because the former has a crisp cookie shell that complements the filling. In the case of Choco Meltz, the outer coating of the chocolate dominates, and the inside filling is kinda lost. But hey, no one died of an occasional chocolate overdose, right?

A 120g pack costs INR 60 and has 6-7 individually packed cookies. Try it, I say.


RATING: 3.5/5

Chokola Nut Studded Dark Chocolate

Thanks to their extensive media buying on Facebook, many will be familiar with the name Chokola by now. A Delhi-based chocolate boutique, Chokola was started by Vasudha Munjal under the aegis of her brand, Cosmic Kitchen. The idea was to create a 'chocolate culture' in India by offering quality 'all chocolate' fare.

The name Chokola is derived from "is derived from the Mayan verb choko la'j, (pronounced Choko la), which means, "to drink chocolate together. interesting.

The company currently has offices in Guragaon and Mumbai, cafes in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurgaon and Chandigarh and retail kiosks at some airports. I spotted one at the Mumbai domestic airport and promptly picked up this Nut Studded Dark Chocolate bar.

With its matte finish and minimalistic design, the packaging looked sophisticated. I wanted to know if the product would hold up to the brand's claims of importing the finest of European couverture and using it for their chocolates.

Under the card paper box, the chocolate bar is covered with a plastic wrapper and a foil. Somehow, plastic and artisan chocolates don't go together, but the Cadbury worms have everyone scared, I guess. Regardless, the chocolate bar was dark, smooth and shiny to look at - the hallmarks of quality chocolate - and smelt good too. It was smooth to eat and melted nicely in the mouth.

The flip side of the bar had halved cashews studded into it, just like the pack suggests. However, the nuts add nothing to the taste or texture of the bar and are there for mere decoration. The pack doesn't mention the percentage of cocoa, but judging by its semi-sweetness, I would peg it around 55-60%. Most Indian chocolatiers don't seem to want to gamble above that point. Overall, the chocolate was passable, and I wouldn't buy it a second time, especially because an 80g bar costs INR 180. It's not as steep as some of the foreign chocolates I review here, but its quality is not comparable either. Try it. Or not.

RATING: 3/5

Nestle Alpino

By now most people will have seen the Alpino TVC, where a husband makes a big faux pas and then appeases the wife by offering her these chocolates. Mush seems to be the selling point of this new product from the Nestle stables. Also luxury. Nestle India makes its debut in the high end chocolate segment with the introduction of Alpino, which is a centre-filled wafer chocolate.

Also called bonbons, Alpino seems to me as the first real competition to the wildly popular Ferrero Rocher. Similarly packaged in golden colours, the product is meant to exude luxuriousness. Inside the plastic wrapper is a card tray printed with the words "mine" and "ours" upon which sit the two bonbons. On opening the gold foil wrapping, one can find 'love' messages printed on plastic strips.

My pack, as you can see, had these two extremely cheesy lines: "Two of us fit together like these two bonbons in the pack", and "Dogs are for you, cats are for me. This is for us." These remind me of fortune cookies or Dove chocolates (the Indian version is called Galaxy), which have similar messages inside their wrappers.

The chocolate itself is ho-hum. The texture is great, but as always, I find it disappointingly sweet. The sweetness of the milk chocolate overwhelms and takes away all finer points. The taste would have balanced so much better had the centre filling been dark. However, most Indian consumers will find it palatable. What they might not like is the price. Two bonbons, weighing 22 g in all, cost INR 25. But because the product is being positioned as a luxury one, people might just buy into it.

RATING: 3/5

Sweet Passions assorted chocolates

This beautiful box of assorted chocolates was a birthday gift from an uncle-in-law. Although he is an old bachelor boy, he knows best what makes women happy. And that chocolates will please yours truly is a no-brainer. This beautiful card-paper box with gold stars and a gold ribbon is so festive-looking, I'm sure it'll cheer up even the grumpiest.

The chocolates are from a Chembur-based bakery called Sweet Passions. It is a very popular place and rightfully so, given the quality of their products, and (surprise surprise!) customer care. I'm a big fan of their cakes, which are absolutely moist and lovely and their blueberry cheesecake is to die for. But before this assortment, I hadn't tried their chocolates. I obviously had high hopes. 

The 250 g box had an assortment of roasted almond (dark) chocolate, dry fruit (dark) chocolate, hazelnut supreme (dark) chocolate, orange surprise (dark) chocolate, crunchy caramel (dark) chocolate and milky bliss (milk) chocolate and a very helpful label to help identify what is what. Although the colour blind among us (and most men) would have difficulty distinguishing between the beiges, browns and coppers. [Sorry, couldn't resist that one!]

Each of the chocolate pieces weighs around 10 g and have pretty ridges created by the chocolate moulds. They look quite homemade with the elementary foil packing for individual pieces, but the quality is professional. The chocolates are remarkably smooth and rich in ingredients. However, the dark chocolates are a little too sweet for my taste.

The Roasted Almond was my absolute favourite because the nuts were roasted to perfection. The Crunchy Caramel came next with a gooey caramel filling with rice crisps for the crunch. The Dry Fruit Delight came a close third. The other three I'd pass because the Orange Surprise and Hazelnut Supreme are artificial flavour based and milk chocolate (Milky Bliss) has always been my unfavourite stepchild.

Since this was a gift, I cannot be sure about the price, but I will totally recommend it for gifting or indulgent purposes!

RATING: 3.5/5

BlackForest Chocolates - part deux

The stash!

BlackForest Chocolates seems to be becoming a Chocosophy staple! Look what I got sent by chocolatier Shilpi Chawla to taste and review. After I raved about her Sugar-free Fresh Apple Cinnamon chocolate in the first review, Chawla decided I ought to taste her sugar-free Belgian dark chocolates and rochers among other things. So the chocolates and some lovely cupcakes made their way to me a few days ago for a review - part deux!

White chocolate cupcakes

The cupcakes were part of Shilpi's cupcake activity that was held at Out of the Blue, Powai on July 14, 2013. This first colourful one was the egg-less white chocolate cupcake, decorated with blue and yellow frosting, some edible glitter and Gems! While I'm not a fan of food colour, these soft, moist and sweet cupcakes may be lovely things to serve at a kiddie birthday party, don't you think?

RATING: 2.5/5

Egg-less chocolate mini cupcakes

The next thing to try from the BlackForest Chocolates' oven were the egg-less min chocolate cupcakes. Because I'm partial to chocolate, I found these better than the white larger ones. The edible sugar embellishments gave them a great look (and my son picked and ate them all up), but again, I would have been happier without them. The cupcake itself was chocolaty and spongy and would I eat them again? Yes.

RATING: 3/5

Sugar-free Belgian dark chocolates

Coming to the chocolates, Chawla sent me the sugar-free Belgian dark chocolates in two shapes - one was shaped like an ice cream cone mounted on a stick (like a lollipop!) and the other was of a regular cylindrical shape. The first was without nuts while the second had some almonds. The chocolate was reasonably aromatic and flavourful as far as sugar-free products go. However, I found them to be a little grainy and they could probably do with a little more tempering. But, they'd make a good option for diabetic or weight-watching chocolate lovers.

RATING: 3/5

Belgian Rochers

The star of this batch of products from BlackForest Chocolates was definitely the Belgian Rochers. I'm guessing, by Rochers, Chawla means nut and rice crisp-filled chocolates, much like the famous Ferrero Rocher. These milk chocolates were delightfully smooth and crispy and Chawla would make a killing if she were to market them well. I absolutely adored them and they're easily one of the best homemade chocolates I've ever sampled.

RATING: 4/5

Visit www.blackforestchocolates.com to know more and place orders.

Mi Amere Chocolate Squares

Just how pretty are these? I came upon these recently at a grocer's in Mumbai and was absolutely delighted by the way they look. Mumbai-based company Holvin Foods Pvt. Ltd. makes chocolates under the brand name, Mi Amere and they are responsible for these beauties. In the business since 2009, the company makes artisan chocolates and their products range includes Chocolate Disks, Soft-Centered Bonbons, Semi Soft Centered Chocolates, Solids, Choc-A-Series and Chocolate Modaks. These chocolate squares seem to be a latest addition. They're definitely the first of their kind in India, at least as far as packaging goes.

More than the chocolates, it was the packaging that I was impressed with. At first sight, they look like single large chocolate squares - the kind you would see in a Lindt bar. But the pack mentions four squares, which are revealed once you open it. The size (18.6 g) is just perfect for sampling and ideal for chocoholics like me who like to try different varieties. Priced at just INR 10 per pack, they are absolute pick me ups. Beautifully coloured card paper wrapping , an easy flap, a custom note about the kind of chocolate and matte gold foil wrapping for the individual squares are all quite lovely, and give them an international appeal. The types available are Milk Chocolate, Intense Orange Dark Chocolate, Lemon Pistachio in White Chocolate and Hazelnut Chocolate.

The chocolates, however, are not half as impressive. The lamest of them all was the plain milk chocolate. Insipid, with little or no aroma, this is one product you may want to avoid.

The Intense Orange Dark Chocolate fared a little better, just by virtue of being the dark variant. There's nothing 'intense' about the orange flavour and the chocolate isn't exactly smooth either. But if you had to pick one from Mi Amere's chocolate squares, I'd suggest you go for this one.

While I dislike white chocolate, I appreciated this combination of lemon and pistachio in it. Lemon is a particular favourite and I would have liked it much better without the pistachio. But the two also work well together, and it gets brownie points just for its unusual character.

This last one - the Hazelnut Chocolate - is also pretty lame in terms of taste and texture. Hazelnut in chocolate has been done to death, but I've learnt from this brand that not everyone can do it well. A very weak-tasting chocolate with a few pieces of hazelnut is all that this one has to offer.

If I buy Mi Amere chocolates again, the company will have only the package designer to thank.


RATING: 3/5

BlackForest Chocolates by Shilpi Chawla

Remember the chocolate exhibition at OOTB, Powai I attended a few days ago? Well, the exhibition was by BlackForest Chocolates by Shilpi Chawla and since her offerings looked and tasted so promising at the exhibition, I brought back some home to taste and review at leisure. I picked up Blueberry milk chocolate, Mava paan dark chocolate, milk chocolate chikki, Oreo Bark and Fresh apple and cinnamon sugarfree chocolate.

Shilpi Chawla

I also brought home some warm impressions of Shilpi's enthusiasm for her chocolate business. I was intrigued and wanted to know some more about her foray into this arena. Our email tête-à-tête follows:

1. When and how did you get into the chocolate making business?
In 2008. During Navratras, ( it's an auspicious time of the year) I fasted and asked the divine to send 'something' meaningful my way. I had quit my corporate career and wanted to indulge in a fulfilling activity that was flexible in every aspect.

I stumbled upon some recipes and started making chocolates. I got a lot of appreciation and my first big order was for Ferns n Petals during Valentine's season. In 2011 I gave it a formal brand and started exploring more flavours, tastes, blends...the journey continues!

2. Where do you make your chocolates? Do you have any help?
I make my chocolates in the BlackForest Kitchen and that would be my home. :)
I do have basic help and I would hire based on size of the project for e.g. weddings, etc.

3. What's your vision for BlackForest Chocolates?
Every time I bake a cupcake or finish a batch of chocolates, I feel happy looking at what I created! Therefore, my vision for BlackForest is to do great flavours, quality products (I recently took a course on Belgium chocolates n cupcakes) and create with love as much as I can!

4. Why the pick this name for your brand?
Two reasons: I am very inspired by the BlackForest cake which has many layers and textures. On a Master Chef episode, I noticed that it wasn't easy to make one. BlackForest also happens to be a mountain range in Germany that provides the special liquor to make the cherries that are used in the BlackForest cake.

5. What are your specialities? Which are your most popular chocolates?
 I do many flavours - Chocolate Chikkis (caramalised roasted Hazelnuts n Strawberries or caramalised roasted Almonds n Blueberry), Indian flavours like Mawa Paan, Supari chocolate and Calcutta Paan, and Coconut Creme. Mawa Paan is a hot seller and amongst cupcakes, eggless chocolate with butter cream icing!

You can get more details on my website www.blackforestchocolates.com (Note that the stickers on the chocolates say BACKforest chocolates, but ignore the misprint!)

Of the assortment, I tried the Blue Berry milk chocolate first and found it rather mild in flavour. I mean, if you didn't know you were eating Blueberry chocolate or didn't pay close attention to it, you would probably miss the flavour entirely. Also, the fact that it is milk chocolate pushes it a notch down on my palate love.

Rating: 2.5/5

The next on the list was the White Chocolate Chikki. Even though it is milk chocolate, I like it for the sheer inventiveness in name. It's not really 'chikki' or Florentine as we understand it. To me, it simply was white chocolate with nuts in it. The edible glitter on the top makes it look appealing, but the taste experience is just so.

Rating: 2.5/5

The Mawa Paan Dark Chocolate is easily one of my favourites. The Mawa Paan flavour comes out strongly, as it is wont to do and the dark chocolate is smooth and balances it well. I think it makes for a great modern-day replacement for paan at Indian weddings, as not too many young people like it these days. And combined with chocolate, the traditional mouth-freshening item doubles up as a dessert as well No wonder it is one of Chawla's popular products.

Rating: 3.5/5

3-in-1 chocolate

The next was the 3-in-1 mixed chocolate bar that looks oh-so-pretty with its swirls of dark, milk and white chocolate. While it looks great in transparent packaging, the taste is quite uniform. You can't really tell the three types of chocolate apart and it scores an average for me on the taste test.

Rating: 3/5

Fresh apple cinnamon sugarfree chocolate

Last but not the least was the Fresh Apple Cinnamon Sugarfree Chocolate. To me, this was definitely the star of the BlackForest Chocolate line. I was immensely impressed by it when I tasted it at the exhibition and was impressed some more when I tried it at home. While it does not look all that great, with its slightly gooey and lumpy texture, it tastes absolutely fabulous. What I loved most about it is that unlike other sugar-free chocolates in the market that rely on artificial sweeteners, Chawla's chocolate uses completely natural fruit and spice sugars. The natural sweetness of the apple and cinnamon lend themselves beautifully to the chewy chocolate and taste absolutely delightful. My only grouse with this one are the small, hard flakes of what seemed like apple skin. With a little refinement and marketing, this product can become a massive hit among diabetic and weight-watching chocolate lovers. 

Rating: 4/5

Visit www.blackforestchocolates.com to know more and place orders.

Hokey Pokey Double Chocolate Therapy

Hokey Pokey Double Chocolate Therapy

So it was lust at first sight when a known food blogger Instagrammed a picture of the Double Chocolate Therapy, a signature dessert by an ice cream brand called Hokey Pokey. So when I spotted an outlet at Hiranandani, I had to give it a try because I was intrigued not just by the dessert, but also the company.

 Hokey Pokey is an Indian ice cream brand by DRUMS Food International Pvt. Ltd., established in Mumbai but the brand has quickly grown and they now have 14 company-owned outlets across cities like Pune, New Delhi, and Nasik. It is heartening to see at least one home-grown brand being serious about ice creams. The Amuls, Dinshaws and Kwalitys have only tabled the standard set of flavours over the years. In short, the Indian ice cream scene has been very vanilla. One would head to a Naturals (which, I love) or  Baskin Robbins occasionally when the palate craved some texture and different flavour.

But thanks to Hokey Pokey, ice cream eating seems to be taking a turn for the better.

The frozen stone slab is used to mix ingredients for the Signature Creations

Hokey Pokey serves a set of single flavours yes, but their specialty are the shakes and signature creations. Their Signature Creations are a blend of 2-3 ingredients, which are hand mixed on a frozen stone slab and served in a waffle cup. The Double Chocolate Therapy is one of their signature creations and boy is it sexy!

The Double Chocolate Therapy is a dessert created using Dark Belgian Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Fudge and Nutella!! The presentation is even better with chocolate sauce drizzled on it and a chocolate accent stuck on the top. The result is a fabulously tasty and variously textured dessert. The best part is that it is not overly sweet and one-dimensional like regular ice cream. A single serve (in a waffle cup within a paper cup) costs INR 85, but it is totally worth the money. I cannot wait to go back and try their other Signature Creations. Highly recommended.

RATING: 4/5

Chokovita by Kavitha Andrade

There's no other way to start this review than with the declaration that this post is about the best fudge in the world! I could write a poem about this one, I really could. Pune-based baker and chocolatier Kavitha Andrade's Choco-Mocha fudge has blown the Chocosopher's mind. The Choco-Walnut Brownies were lovely too, but this is a song in praise of the fudge, remember?

Kavitha Andrade

Now let's start from the beginning. Kavitha Andrade heard about Chocosophy on social media a while ago and asked me to review her chocolate-based products. I was more than happy to oblige, because it happened to be Chocosophy's first out-of-Mumbai review request. I also love to know and write about people for whom chocolate is not just business but a personal passion. Kavitha is one such person. I shot her a few questions, which Kavitha readily answered. Here goes:

1. When and how did you get into the chocolate making business?
I grew up eating Toblerone, Quality Street, Kit-Kat, etc and my love for chocolates still continues. Six years ago, I attended a two-hour workshop on basic chocolate making and decided to try making them at home. Whoever tasted it, enjoyed it. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur; so in 2010, I decided to start on my own with loads of help from my husband (Hector); he is always there guiding, encouraging,motivating and supporting me.

2. Where do you make your chocolates? Do you have any help? 
I make my chocolates at home. My husband helps me but I have no other help as such. My daughter wouldn't like it if I didn't mention that she helps me too... she enjoys baking with me.

3. What's your vision for your business?
I am satisfied with the pace my business is going at. I have a loyal list of customers who come back to me and they are spreading the word around. Presently, I am working towards getting corporate clients. Though my dream is to have my own chocolate cafe one day. A cafe that would sell brownies, fudge, cheesecakes, chocolates and all things chocolate. I am planning to conduct baking classes for beginners soon.

4. Is your brand eponymous? Or is there a name for your business/brand?
My business goes by the name of  Chokovita (coined by Hector).

5. What are your specialties? Which are your most popular chocolates?
My specialties in bakery products are Brownies, Blondies, Muffins, Cookies etc. The No Bake products are - Choco-Walnut Fudge, Mocha Fudge and Cheesecakes (with various toppings). In Chocolates, there are Rockies (with assorted nuts), fruit & nut, Mocha, Rum n' Raisin, Date Crunch, Roasted Almonds. I also make liqueur chocolates and truffles with assorted flavours. I am in the process of making a menu card, but the general price list of the products that are sold on a regular basis is as follows:
1. Brownies: Rs.40 per piece
2. Eggless Brownies: Rs. 35 per piece
3. Muffins: Rs. 20 per piece (Oat n' Raisin, Carrot, Apple n' Cinnamon, Banana n' Walnut)
4. Fudge: Rs.450/kg
4. Chocolates: Rs. 1000/kg
5. Truffles: Rs. 1200/kg

I could see why the brownies and fudge are among Chokovita's hot-sellers. The brownies were deliciously soft with a layer of finely crushed walnuts on it. I particularly like the fact that the nuts were finely chopped because large bits of walnuts tend to leave behind a bitter taste. But I've eaten brownies of this quality before.

What I hadn't ever come across was a fudge of such mind-blowing standards. My greatest association with fudges are the hard things one gets in Lonavla, and therefore it had never figured in my favourites' list. Kavitha's Choco-Mocha Fudge has changed that perception forever.

The fudge was melt-in-your-mouth soft. It had the richness of dark chocolate and the full-bodied taste of coffee, coming together to create an intensely flavourful experience. This is the kind of chocolate that satisfies you with just a piece or two. It's a different point that you don't want to stop eating it. And not just I, but the five people I shared it with agreed upon the perfection of the fudge. In short,you will be hard pressed to find a better fudge than this. Go get some!

RATING: 4.5/5

Kavitha can be contacted on 9923400379 or chokovita@gmail.com

Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Orange Peel

I am spoilt I am. With every exotic foreign chocolate I sample, Indian chocolates seem to slide a notch lower  on my scale. Not that all foreign brands and makes are good, but Cadbury India's (Mondelez International) mediocrity gets more and more manifest. Disgusted by their innocent (read messy) eating ad pitch, I had kept away from this product for a long time (which adult eats chocolate like that? Ew.). But I decided to give it a shot to see what the big deal was all about.

Cadbury Dairy Milk (or CDM as they like to call themselves on the website) decided to launch Silk as a premium product above their insanely popular repertoire. In fact, popular is an understatement, because no other chocolate brand in India offers any real competition to them.

What makes Silk premium are its shape, texture (apparently), packaging and price. I like the little paper note that is wrapped over the trademark gold foil, that enumerates Silk's finer points. I agree about the dome-shaped squares fitting snugly in one's mouth. But the chocolate DOES NOT melt in it. Even at room temperature, the chocolate does not dissolve in the mouth. Unless, of course, I try my Silk in Mumbai's sweltering summer. To me, the whole 'creamy, silky' chocolate business seems like a sham.

And that's not the only let down. The orange peel flavour is mild and there are almonds in it for no apparent reason. What I expect from a flavoured chocolate is an intense enough scent and taste; a lovely tang in case of orange peel. But the flavour in this is diluted and the nuts don't help. A 65 g bar costs INR 50, which I don't mind too much, but anything seems like a waste when I am given a sweet milk chocolate. All I'm going to say is that I have felt the Silk lately, and what an underwhelming experience it was.


RATING: 2/5

The Little Chocolate Shop

A while ago, I saw a Twitter friend (@BziB) talking about a new chocolate goodies' shop that her sister Michelle had opened. My curiosity was immediately piqued and I congratulated her on the opening. The sweetheart that @BziB is, she offered to send some samples across and I was thrilled that I would be one of the first people to be writing about it. And there it was, waiting on my desk this morning, a beautiful li'l batch made by the lovely Michelle!

A Sophia’s (HAFT) alumna, Michelle has worked in one of the most prestigious hotel kitchens in the country at the Taj Group of Hotels. She specializes in pastry and confectionery, and has continued to make and bake passionately even after she left the Taj. For a while, she has whipped up treats for friends and family, but she dreams of owning a café eventually. The little Chocolate Shop is the first step in that direction. She believes that because pastries and chocolates are indulgences, they should always be made only from the best, healthiest ingredients.

The little Chocolate shop was started on the first of May, 2013 and operates out of a kitchen in Goregaon. And it was from there that a beautiful pack of four goodies and a small pack of savouries was sent to me. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into them! The pack consisted of a wholewheat chocolate brownie with walnut toppings, a gooey chocolate almond brownie, a butter caramel chocolate tart and a mini Banoffee pie, accompanied by a small pack of Garlic Herb crackers.

I started with the Garlic Herb crackers first, and found them crisp and subtly flavoured, just the way I like them. I think I detected some cheese in it too, but I could totally be imagining it. The herbs used in savouries like these are all home-grown by Michelle, who believes in delivering only the healthiest possible treats to her customers.



Then came the Mini Banoffee pie, which I thought was a splendid idea. These bite-sized goodies are perfect for weight-watching, sweet-toothed people like me. Imagine all that yummy, chocolate-sprinkled banana-cream-toffee goodness in your mouth at once! What's not to like, right? :)

I tried the butter-caramel chocolate tart next. The crusts of both the tarts were beautifully crumbly, and in my book, that's what makes for a perfect tart. The tart crust was filled with butter-caramel sauce, with a layer of chocolate on top. As I bit into it, my mouth was filled with the sauce, causing the most beautiful explosion of flavours with the sweet of caramel and the slight salt of butter. It was easily my favourite of the four things.





































I tried the brownies next, starting with the gooey chocolate-almond variety. Perhaps because it was a day-old, the brownie had hardened a little. Tasty as they were, I did not find them 'gooey'. But I can imagine it going superbly well on a Sizzling Brownie platter with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce!

Lastly, I tried the Wholewheat Chocolate Brownie, topped with chopped walnuts. Considering there are few, if any, 'healthy' dessert options, this kind of brownie should resonate with the health-conscious. It had a dense, cakey consistency and was not excessively sweet. The chopped nuts added more character, making it quite a mouthful. Again, a little on the hard side, but I know many people like their brownies like that. A perfect choice, I repeat, for weight-watching dessert lovers.

Apart from these, Michelle makes lovely things like Baby Meringues, Dairy Free Pavlovas, Mango Tarts, Marzipan Cupcakes, and Rainbow Cookies among other things. You can check out their menu here.

Currently, The little Chocolate Shop takes only custom orders, but they will open a cafe shortly. They  currently deliver to locations between Bandra and Malad (other locations on request) in Mumbai. You can address your enquiries to Karina Varma on karina@thelittlechocolateshop.in and can check out their FB page too for latest updates on all good chocolat-y things.

RATING: 3.5/5