Valentine's Day Chocolates in Kyoto 2023

Valentine's Day is coming soon this year.
Department stores, convenience stores, Japanese confectionery stores, and various other stores in Kyoto are lined with Valentine's Day products, and it is exciting just to look at them.
This time, we will focus on sweets from chocolate specialty stores and hotels born in Kyoto.
Here are some of our recommendations!

Table of Contents

■Assemblage Kakimoto

■Kakaa 365 Gion Branch

■RAU

The Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto

■ Summary

■Assemblage Kakimoto

The first chocolates to be introduced are from Assemblage Kakimoto.
Assemblage Kakimoto is a patisserie and chocolatier.
I am always in awe of Chef Kakimoto's originality and exquisite combinations of ingredients, as he is a patissier, chocolatier, and cuisinier.

Recommended as a gift is a set of 10 bonbon chocolates.
Japanese ingredients such as rosemary and coffee, mango, ginger and thyme, celery and pineapple ganache, and shiso leaves are also sprinkled throughout.

The triangular shape is cute and easy to eat.

Another product we would like to announce is Sossison Chocolat.
Saucisson means "sausage" in French. It is a sausage-shaped sweet with plenty of nuts and dried fruits, and is sliced into slices as thick as you like.
The unique look and authentic taste make it a fun gift for someone close to you.
There are also variations such as "Sossison Oranger," which is milk chocolate infused with bittersweet caramel and the fruity flavor of orange, and "Sossison Pistache," which is a rich pistachio ganache.

Store Name:Assemblage Kakimoto
Address: 587-5 Matsumoto-cho, Teramachi-nishiiru, Takeyacho-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-202-1351

HP: http://www.assemblages.jp/

■Kakaa 365 Gion Branch

Next is chocolate from Kakaa 365 Gion. Known for its matcha sweets such as "Cha no Kwa," Mar Blanche's chocolate specialty store, the name of the store expresses its wish for customers to "enjoy the Kyoto way of life with cacao 365 days a year.

Koji Fujita, winner of the WPTC Grand Prix in the chocolate category, makes the chocolates, which are not only sophisticated in looks but also authentic in taste.

A recommended year-round product is Kakaa 365, which bears the brand name.
This is a limited edition product only available at the Gion store, made with a different design every day for 365 days.
When the thin, icy chocolate cracks open, the melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate fills your mouth.
With chocolates for 365 days all lined up, you will enjoy choosing chocolates for your own birthday, anniversary, and other days.

Also, don't forget to try the "Fluffy Trotto Cream Puff [Chocolat]," which is also sold only at the Gion store!
A chocolate version of Mar Blanche's well-known "fluffy and tasty cream puffs.
You can enjoy the trinity of fluffy puff pastry dough, cacao flavor, and milky taste.

Store Name:Mar Blanche Kakaa 365 Gion
Address: 570-150, South side of Gion-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City
Phone: 075-551-6060

HP: https://www.malebranche.co.jp/store/95/

■RAU

The next chocolate will come from the patisserie RAU, which started in Kyoto in December 2019.
“The brand continues to introduce innovative sweets based on the theme of ”confectionaries that no one has ever seen before.
iro-Soft" is an assortment of four types of "iro" bonbon chocolates.
IRO is made from carefully selected Costa Rican cacao beans and expresses the "colors" of various scenes in a single piece of chocolate.
A total of 13 varieties are available, ranging from those that allow you to directly feel the original taste of cacao to those that take advantage of the freedom of shades and combinations of flavors.

The four species in Soft are the following four.

Yamabuki: "fragrant wood" is the inspiration. The acidity of passion fruit is impressive.
Cha": hojicha flavor with both bluish and savory notes
Lilac": Mature taste with a hint of rosé wine
Turquoise": two layers of basil and orange with a gorgeous aroma

The distinctive feature is the diamond-shaped design. It is inspired by the symbol of the Burribuli people of Costa Rica, where cacao is grown.
The size of each piece is satisfying and large enough to eat.
The box design is also very sophisticated!
It will be appreciated by people in Kyoto and all over Japan.

Store Name:research student (authorised)
Address: 1-318-6 Inari-cho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City
TEL: 075-352-3724

HP: https://rau-kyoto.com/

The Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto

Next is the Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto's limited-time-only sweets box.
The Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto is a long-established hotel with a 130-year history.
Since its establishment in the Meiji era (1868-1912), the hotel has welcomed numerous domestic and foreign guests, including the Japanese Imperial Family, foreign heads of state, and celebrities from all walks of life.
A major renovation began in 2018, revamping the guest rooms, dining room, tea lounge, bar, and club lounge.
The opening of the Sukiya-style annex "Kashui-en" in 2020 and the SPA "Kadoing", a bathing facility with natural hot springs, in April 2021, are attracting more and more attention.

Available at the "Mayfair" tea lounge on the 2nd floor from February 1, the "Strawberry Nama Chocolate" has an elegant texture, the "Orange Peel Chocolate" has the bitterness of orange peel wrapped in the mild sweetness of strawberry chocolate, and the "Visitantine" is a traditional pastry from Lorraine, France with an impressive hazelnut aroma. The "Visitantine," a traditional pastry from Lorraine, France, with its impressive hazelnut aroma, and 10 other carefully crafted jewel-like confections, make it hard to decide which one to try.

Store Name:The Westin Miyako Hotel Kyoto
Address: 1, Awataguchi Katei-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City
Store name: 075-771-7111

HP: https://www.miyakohotels.ne.jp/westinkyoto/

■ Summary

Kyoto has a high level of Japanese confectionery as well as Western confectionery.
This Valentine's Day, please enjoy sweets from Kyoto!