It will soon be Valentine's Day.
In Kyoto, the choco-enthusiasts' chocolate fever must be at its peak with the start of events such as "Salon du Chocolat" at Isetan, "Amour de Chocolat" at Takashimaya, and "Chocolat Promenade" at Daimaru.
Although Kyoto is most often associated with Japanese food and confectionery, it is actually a battleground for chocolate specialty stores.
Moreover, all of the restaurants are well-known for their originality!
Let us introduce you to the finest chocolates born in Kyoto that you can taste in Kyoto.
A world-class chocolatier was located in Kyoto! - "-Anne H.Chocolaterie Hisashi」―
The first store is Chocolaterie Hisashi, a four-minute walk from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Subway Line.
The owner-chef, who trained at Club Harrier for many years, is a leading chocolatier who has participated in and won numerous competitions.
The bonbon chocolat WPTC2012 was the winner of the world competition held in Las Vegas in 2012.
The "Cancer" on the left is yuzu ganache & praline coconut, the "Pisces" on the right is coffee ganache and walnut praline, and the "Vago" in the middle is caramel mixed with mango, passion fruit and banana.
When you put it in your mouth and bite into it, the difference in texture and taste between the outside and the inside is striking. The taste of nuts and tropical fruits spread out, and you can enjoy a moment of happiness. It was truly a sophisticated and high-level taste by a world-class chocolatier that made us realize the quality of the ingredients and the high level of his techniques.
Gorgeous looking and perfect as a gift! - "-JohnBelle Amer Kyoto Villa」―
The next store is "Belle Amer Kyoto Villa," which carefully crafts each chocolat in an atelier specializing in chocolates, where ingredients are carefully selected and humidity and temperature are strictly controlled to suit the climate and seasons in Japan.
Located a 5-minute walk from Karasuma-Oike Station, the first floor is a store and the second floor is a chocolate bar where you can enjoy chocolate sweets and drinks.
The most pleasing point of this product is that it "looks good"!
It looks really gorgeous and the gift box is elaborate, so I often use it as a gift.
This time we will introduce a limited-time-only chocolat, "Japanese chestnut chocolat.
Using the paste of Japanese chestnuts from Shirokawa, Ehime Prefecture, three types of chocolates (bitter, blonde, and milk) are used to express the marriage of chestnuts and chocolates.
Blonde, which is unfamiliar in chocolate, is a blonde (golden) colored chocolate that is somewhere between milk chocolate and white chocolate. It was mild and rich, with a savory flavor of cookies and caramel!
Personally, I preferred the bitter, which had the richest chestnut flavor.
Excellent chocolate sweets by a long-established Western-style restaurant.Oriental restaurantI'll be right back.
The last store we would like to introduce is not a chocolate specialty store but a Western-style restaurant, Toyotei, established in 1897.
The famous hamburger steak, loved by men and women of all ages, has the catchphrase "Hyakunen Yosoku" (100 years of Western cuisine), referring to its more than 100 years of history.
Located in a quiet corner of Kitayama, close to the Kyoto Botanical Garden, the main store draws a long line of customers.
The sweets here are also excellent!
The photo shows Terrine Chocolat.
No flour is used. The richness of the chocolate is accentuated by using 100% cacao from Valrhona of France and wasanbon sugar. The texture and melt-in-your-mouth quality vary depending on the temperature. At room temperature, the chocolate is rich and sticky, at warm temperatures it melts in your mouth, and at cool temperatures it has a texture similar to raw chocolate.
The generous size of 400g is also a great point. It is not too strong, so you can't help but eat too much (laugh).
Have you found a chocolate that interests you? Why not choose a chocolate born in Kyoto for yourself or for your loved ones?
