Chocolate Seduction

by Monica Liau
on Friday, February 05, 2010

With the day of love coming up, romantics and chocoholics alike find their thoughts turning to silky and beguiling cacao temptations. Under normal circumstances, a simple bar of Dove chocolate from the local mart might suffice. However, satisfying the more discriminating of chocolate itches may call for a higher brand and a higher cost. But hey, who are we kidding? When it comes to chocolate, a little extra can get you something more than just a remedy to your late night cravings.

Mon Reve offers beautiful, gem-like handmade chocolates. Several are even painted with edible, pearlescent colored sugar. One luminous, dark chocolate truffle was filled with more dark truffled chocolate and subtle citrus; the flavors at once complex and arousing. Mon Reve no longer has their store on HongMei Road, but they still deliver goodness straight to you home. You can get on their website for more details.

However, as far as the kingdom of chocolates is concerned, I generally stalk the elusive praline. These confections that combine fragrant crushed almond with high-quality chocolate are rarely done right. The Belgium chocolates at Leonidas on NanJing West Road are on the sugar-filled side, but special accolades go to the Lingot Fondant with dark chocolate praline, butter cream and coffee flavorings.

Mio Miko on WuLuMuQi Road wins the most stand-out chocolate award of my self-induced praline binge fest. The praline a l'ancienne was smooth with milk chocolate, fragrant with almond, and filled with crispy bits that had the texture of Rice Krispies cereal. Not too sweet, not overly complicated and with a seductive finish. The walnut praline was also exquisite, due to its perfectly roasted adornment. When going with chocolates at Mio Miko, the box entitled Chocolats Barrette Decouverte were by far the best, the fruity chocolates providing less gastronomic excitement.

Finding the right chocolate in Shanghai can still be a chore but with the right selections, pure chocolate bliss can be yours to bring home for the holidays.