For love of chocolate

THE FOOD CLUB

As soon as I read Joanne Harris' book Chocolat, I estimated that over the next few months, chocolateries would mushroom rapidly in all our metros. I was partially right: two have come up, approximately six years after the book. Oh well, the alchemy of chocolate is obviously not as powerful a draw as the magic of money.

Theobroma in Cusrow Bagh, Mumbai and Choko La in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, have chocolate as their focus, yet not quite in the same form. While Theobroma started out as a pastries and desserts place that hastily revamped its menu after the first month, to include a preponderance of chocolate, Choko La sells chocolate bars, chocolate pralines and bonbons, along with chocolate desserts.

In a scenario where the Indian palate is spoken of only with derision, it is heartening to hear the stories of the ladies who own the places. Vasudha Munjal of Choko La is delighted that her chocolates of single origin have become best-sellers. Even she is surprised that the one from Sao Thome does the most brisk business.

Single origin chocolates are a novelty in this country: we have so far heard only of single origin coffees and whiskies. Choko La, the brainchild of Munjal and Manu and Sonia Mohindra of Under One Roof, restaurant consultants, uses only couverture from Callebaut-Barry. Single origin chocolate is at the uppermost end of the niche products. It includes chocolate from Tanzania and Papua besides Sao Thome.

In what must rank as one of nature's sweetest gifts, Papua produces cocoa that is creamy, buttery and lemony all at once. The variety from Tanzania, on the other hand, has the dark depths of well-roasted coffee. My personal favourite is the produce of Sao Thome.

A fistful of spices lurk in its depths, the most assertive being cinnamon. Choko La makes an excellent hot chocolate drink that brings out the flavour of each variety; there's a warm soup of the Sao Thome single origin that is outstanding.

However, the bars of the chocolate that are made in-house taste acidic. Chef Manu Mohindra puts it down to the temperature at which the product is consumed. And if that's not alchemy, what is?

Kainaz Messman of Theobroma keeps her distance from cocoa mass which she calls "artificial chocolate". She's right. It's given its texture with vegetable oil rather than cocoa butter, which is over five times the cost: tempting to any chocolatier who wants to make a fast buck. Messman's products include dipped chocolate pralines and truffles in addition to chocolate desserts.

The most popular include Tiered Chocolate, an orange cream and chocolate ganache confection that appeals to all her customers. Then, there's the white chocolate with vodka and green chilli: most first-timers have to be wheedled into trying it, but soon become hopelessly addicted. Next on her list is moulded chocolate, controlling all the elements for which are a challenge.

The sequel to Chocolat could well be shot in India.