/ FYI
Be My Valentine (Sweet loving)
by
on Friday, January 28, 2011 12:00 AM
Love is in the air, and that air is filled with chocolates, couple spa treatments and weekends away. Picking some of the most seductive selections out of the brimming boxes of earthly delights, there's something for romance seekers of all tastes.
When it comes to Valentine's Day, sweet treats are always a sure-fire hit. Amongst the myriad options, here are a few that will give any partner a taste for romance.
LEONIDAS
Belgian chocolate is often cited as the crème de la crème, and Leonidas is one of the top dogs in the market. The Celebration Collection contains liqueur-filled bites, from passion-fruit-flavored Passoa to orange-imbued Cointreau, sold in glittering gold or sparkling red boxes. Prices range from RMB388 for 18 pieces to RMB498 for 24 pieces.
More in keeping with the lovers' theme, the Love Collection is sold in pink, red or coffee-colored, heart-shaped packages in 9-piece (RMB198), 15-piece (RMB328) or 36-piece (RMB888) sets. Each set contains six flavors of chocolate pearls, including Africa Fondant and Pistache White.
SWEET EVER AFTER
Surprise your love with dainty vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, decorated by hand with love laden, luscious, butter-cream frosting. Spend RMB70 for a gift box of four, or RMB210 for a box of 12, and live happily ever after in Sugartown.
If you want to make and even bigger impression, present your beloved with a Valentine's Day lover's cake (RMB130): five inches of vanilla-flavored, double-layered indulgence. There's even the chance to do it yourself with the Valentine's Day DIY Cookie decorating set (RMB230).
CHEZ SHIBATA
High-quality desserts from this Japanese gem include the Romantic Chocolate Cake at RMB299, made with 85 percent dark chocolate, smothered in raspberry and cream. If pure cocoa is what your partner craves, Chez Shibata also has raw chocolate pieces, from RMB50 for three pieces to RMB88 for six pieces; or go instead for delicately rum-flavored chocolate truffles, at RMB75 for five pieces and RMB99 for eight pieces.