Chocolat

J'aime du chocolat! Especially milk chocolate, mixed nuts and fruits. Yummy! I love chocolate milkshakes, chocolate bars, chocolate milk. I've to say the price of chocolates has sky rocketed that I can now only afford to buy a Cadbury bar perhaps once in 3 months. My fave Ferrero Rocher is definitely out of bounds! Snickers I can buy more often. Good Day milk I buy every full moon. What's with my obsession with chocolate? Like tea time, it gives me this lovely fuzzy feeling. I tend to be kinder to those who offer me a share of their chocolate : ) And that's why people say that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. I certainly love strawberries dipped in chocolate! It makes me feel oh so happy!

A little chocolate history by Wikipedia:

Chocolate (pronounced /ˈtʃɒklət/ (help·info) or /-ˈələt/) comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Native to lowland, tropical South America, cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground and liquified, resulting in pure chocolate in fluid form: chocolate liquor. The liquor can be further processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids (and thus does not qualify to be considered true chocolate). Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have some physiological effects in humans, but the presence of theobromine renders it toxic to some animals, such as dogs and cats.[1]. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Scientists claim that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure.[2] Dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, as it seems to possess substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicals.
Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, chocolate coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and hearts on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate.

My mum brought me to a chocolate boutique today. Yes, a choc boutique in the heart of KL! (Next to MATIC to be exact). Cocoa Boutique boasts to be Malaysia's Largest Chocolate Paradise. Spoilt for choice, they offer chocolates with Malaysia's King of fruits, the durian (which my mom bought), chocolate with Tongkat Ali for men who need a boost to their vitality, sugar-free chocolate (for those who feel guilty pangs about going off their diet), tropical fruit chocolate made from local fruits, gourmet chocolates with classy packaging, jumbo sized chocs (1kg) to be shared among family and friends (or for self indulgence!), assortment of universal delights, chocs packaged in tin boxes with KL's monuments and chocs packed in easy-to-carry boxes and cans.

What caught my eye as I entered the boutique was the

showcase of chocolates in the shape of 2 dragons

(can you imagine the intricacy of the scales?), boots and other objects. They also had a chocolate-making station where the chef teaches visitors the art of chocolate making.

Unfortunately, he wasn't around to give us a demonstration but we'll await his call when he comes back. We didn't walk away empty handed. The friendly staff managed to convince my mum to buy me a box of chocolates wrapped up nicely with a ribbon. I've not opened it yet but I'll let you know as soon as I do!

The chocolate making station sans chef du chocolat

Chocolate galore!

My box of chocs came from here!

Friendly Cocoa Boutique staff

Award sculpture outside the boutique

The chocs from the Cocoa Boutique can be found at MTC or MATIC, Jalan Ampang (+603-2162 2008), Off Jalan Imbi (+603-2141 7010), Rumah Kedai PPTD (Tugu Negara) (+603-2691-8080), Jalan Bergan Jermal in Penang (+604-226 7010) and opening soon in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

So chocolate lovers, what you waiting for? Take your pick right here in Malaysia!