Sweet news for lovers of luxury chocolates
The luxury chocolate market just got a bit more crowded, with another maker from France opening a store in Pacific Place.
To kick off its arrival, La Maison du Chocolat's master chocolatier hosted a media tasting on Friday at Bulthaup's kitchen showroom on Duddell Street, where he waxed lyrical about handmade ganaches, pralines and macaroons. To hear Nicolas Cloiseau celebrate chocolate was like listening to others expounding on wine.
'I started as a cook in a restaurant but was placed in the dessert section,' the 2007 Meilleur Ouvrier de France chocolatier (best chocolate craftsman in France) recalled of his start in chocolate.
'Once I started working on chocolate in cakes and bonbons, I found I had an affinity for it. I believe I was born to discover chocolate. I eat at least 300 grams of it every day.'
If you and I did that it would be an expensive habit, especially if they were La Maison sweets. But when we do indulge, our Asian taste buds, said Cloiseau (below), are similar to Parisians'. 'We've found even in just the four days we've been open, dark chocolate is the most popular kind, more than milk chocolate. Hong Kong culture is closer to France in terms of taste. North Americans like milk chocolate more. But bitterness is not necessarily a mark of quality. It should be subtle.' Just like a good Chardonnay, non?
