Fabelle, the newly-launched chocolate boutique at ITC Grand Chola, feels a bit like Willy Wonka’s chocolate wonderland. Torn between a theatrical chocolate flower, where decadent petals part to reveal a rich mousse at its heart, and the unusual premium almond and coriander praline tartine with a heart of zingy coriander that plays a beautiful duet with the orange mousse, I’m in a dilemma trying to choose just one.
That’s when Deepthi Joji, the friendly junior sous chef, steps in with bite-sized ganache in creamy milk and rich chocolate, which have been rested at room temperature for 20 minutes, for me to sample first. “Don’t bite into it; let it just rest on your tongue,” she says. And I do. The chocolate melts, surprising me with how good the rich cocoa notes and butter taste. Then comes their popular Elements range — dark chocolate with a variety of fillings, each denoting an element of Nature. Most notably, there’s Fire with candied mango and Ancho chilli and Air that is filled with aerated mousse that really is as light as air. Fabelle also offers a range of chocolate cups with a variety of fillings and toppings to choose from, which are made to order.
Its most popular dessert is the Ghana milk chocolate mousse with a golden-brown dome with layers of chocolate, banana creme and caramel. The first bite is light as a cloud and yet bursting with complex flavours.
The extremely tempting Venezuela eclair and vanilla cremeux bar also beckon, but I’ll just have to come back another time.
Prices start at Rs. 375 and go up to Rs. 1,000 for a box of 12.
