Sweet-tooth finds solace in Venchi offerings

Choose one: chocolates or gelatos? Last week I attended the opening of a new Venchi cafe at Central and -what can I say? The foodie inside me finds solace in the numerous gelato and chocolate offerings!

Pick and Mix shelf of various chocolates: I feel like a child in a candy store, can I just bag them all?

Something for the weight-conscious: Tiny delicacies named "Chocolites" with low calories, the sugar it uses is Maltito (natural substance extracted from maize).

The cafe employs a "Stand and Drink" concept which makes it ideal to grab you daily cuppa and move on with the rest of your day: here they were making the classic "Venchino Experience" and Marocchino.

 I had a Hot Chocolate which is essentially melted dark chocolate with no added milk. Result? Intense and rich flavor, thick consistency (think molten lava) of cocoa goodness.

Then something caught my eye while I'm sipping away: this HUGE chocolate bar, weighing 1kg, made with nuts, retailing for >$600 HKD, makes a good gift eh?

A candy-store plus cafe in one! Below are the "Chocaviar" series which had dainty pearl-like caviar (made of chocolate) in the surface of the chocolate piece. There's an award for this chocolate series (Vassio D'Oro Award in a EuroChocolate Festival!), who'd have thought?

If you happen to pass by Central, be sure to pop by Venchi and have a scope or two of their gelatos - Earl Grey is my favorite and the seasonally-limited flavor "Durian" is absolutely amazing - just ask for a taste and you'll be able to smell without actually eating it! The durian flavor is made of real durians instead of chemical additives, the whole gelato range is free from chemical additives in fact. From what I heard, the green tea gelato is nice too.