The sweets at Papabubble are popular with adults as well as children

The cliché of kids and candy shops doesn't work for Papabubble owner Ammy Ho Wing-yan. The shop makes its own sweets three times a day in an open kitchen, but it isn't the children who get excited. "People bring their kids in at the weekend, but actually it's the adults that stand and watch."

Not all the sweets are aimed at children, anyway. Near the back of the shop hangs an anatomically correct candy phallus, albeit an alarming shade of red.

It's a lengthy process turning flavoured and coloured sugar syrup into the various rock candies the company makes. It involves a great deal of manual labour by three dedicated master sweet makers - you wouldn't want to challenge any of the staff to an arm wrestle.

The shop's concept originated in Barcelona, Spain. Despite that city's dedication to chocolate, Papabubble doesn't make chocolate bonbons, only chocolate flavoured rock candy.

When Ho brought the franchise over from Spain, she decided to introduce some Hong Kong flavours such as milk tea and lemon tea. But she didn't go the whole stretch and make locally inspired candies like White Rabbit.

"I love White Rabbit. It was my childhood favourite but we only make rock candy," she says.