Godiva

Monique's cousin Lawrence works with the Godiva chocolatier group in New York.  When Vicky opened a pocket-sized can of Godiva Pearls, the conversation inevitably went to wondering how he is doing at the moment (he's doing fine).  These pearl-sized chocolates are absolutely fun to munch on, and the while the brand is best known for truffles, the Pearls are also a delicious treat--not too sweet.  Godiva started in 1926 in Belgium, and after the war, the brand had already gained some international fame as a luxury maker of truffles.  In 1967, the Campbell Soup Company purchased the brand, and this affiliation allowed an expanded American and worldwide geo-presence.  With 450 stores all over the world, the chocolate company is currently owned by the Turkish consumer goods company Ulker, which purchased the brand in 2007 for a reported US$850 million.  The name is obviously derived from the 11th century Anglo-Saxon noble woman who rode on a horse naked through Coventry in order to protest the high taxes imposed by her husband, and the brand logo is very much the depiction of that legend.  Love the chocolates, love the lady!

Merci

I have liked Merci chocolates since first tasting them about eight years ago.  At that time, someone had gifted Kong Kong & Gwammy with a box, and I remember peeling off the individual wrappers together with the rest of the family over night time chocolate pow-wow in the main house.  A couple of weeks ago, I couldn't resist purchasing a box at Robinson's Otis--approximately P450 for a boxful of assorted chocolates, including coffee flavored chocolates, milk chocolates, dark chocolates and hazelnut flavored chocolates.  Not too sweet, the chocolates are creamy and packed with flavor.  I particularly like giving Merci as gifts because of the presentation quality of the packaging.  As a consumer, I like their stick wafer size--because there are two blocks in the stick, the second block fills my craving for another bite!  Merci is manufactured by Storck AG, and is a sister brand to Werther's Original, another chocolate brand that I love.

M&S Swiss Chocolates

It seems that Marks and Spencer, that British retail chain, has gone into every nook of the household, including the pantry.  Vicky came home with a couple of chocolate bars from M&S, and not having tried them, I was initially skeptical.  True, I'd find shirts and cologne as good store buys, but chocolate?  The verdict isn't bad at all--for P225, the bars were pretty smooth and even, the hazelnuts were crisp and fresh, while the raisins were chewy and not hard at all.  Creamy goodness was subtle and not irritating, and most important for me--the sugar was not overwhelming.  Next time I have to get the plain one though--Monique isn't fond of fruit and nuts!

Zarte Vollmilch

This is one chocolate brand that I haven't seen on the shelves of local stores.  Gwammy's tenant came back from Germany and he gave her this chocolate bar for pasalubong.  True to form, the whole family gathered together at the main house to taste and judge the chocolate bar.  Yes, we only had a few squares each, as we had to stretch the bar among all of us.  I thought Zarte Vollmilch by Rewe was creamy and had good texture--smooth, no "starchy extender" sensation.  The bar had just the right sweetness, and the "chocolatey-ness" rated high on my scale.  I'm pretty convinced with the quality of German chocolates, my impression is that they bring value for money (as opposed to French, Belgian and Italian brands that cater to the luxury segment).  Unfortunately, I don't think these brands are available locally, and it probably will take some time before I can get my hands on them again.

Royce

I've passed the Royce chocolate shops many times, but haven't paid much attention to the chocolates.  This Japanese brand is well-known for creamy and flavorful blends--the special chocolate bars taste quite lovely (my favorite is the chocolate champagne).  However, these 115g bars are priced at the P500-P600 range, and I think that is a bit pricey.  Nevertheless, Monique and I couldn't resist the shelf display on this trip to the Eastwood Mall, so we settled for a regular bar, which was 125g, and priced much less at the P300 level.  Well, I guess you get what you pay for--this milk chocolate was much like an ordinary supermarket bar, and there are probably a dozen or so brands that are of similar quality and texture and which you can get for half the price.

UPDATE (16 November 2012):  A good friend came from Sapporo and she gave me a box of Pote Goma cookies.  These light, crunchy cookies are individually wrapped and top-coated with Royce chocolate.  The coating consistency at local room temperature (26 degrees centigrade thereabouts) is almost creamy, and I would put the cookies in the fridge for around twenty minutes to get a harder topping.  The box was gone in a couple of days!

See's

Vicky received a box of See's peanut covered chocolate bars and we had a good time dipping our fingers in the box.  This was crunchy and tasted akin to the Roca butternut creations, although slightly larger in size.  In all honesty, I haven't been too fond of See's chocolates--I find them definitely too sweet for my taste--but this chocolate candy was not bad at all.

Paton's

Mikaela and Annella have been so busy with the renovation of Kong Kong's study room, and it was a welcome treat when Erica came over with some chocolate treats from Sydney--Paton's chocolate covered macadamia nuts.  This candy is usually associated with Hawaii, and it was interesting how the marketing folks at Paton's chose to put a Koala bear at the cover of their box in order to instantly differentiate the two competing products.  The chocolate was creamy and had just the right amount of sugar, and I'd say that the quality was on par with produced by the Hawaiians.  Great for mid-afternoon snack!

Pingo Doce

Here's another photograph that I found hidden in my USB flash disk.  We had dinner at Gwammy's a few months ago, and found ourselves trying out some Pingo Doce chocolates that a friend had given her as pasalubong from his trip to Europe.  Pingo Doce is one of the largest supermarkets in Portugal, and I was surprised that this generic chocolate came out quite creamy and flavorful, and was sweetened just right (the American brands have a tendency to be on the sweet side).

Ely Ramos

As a consequence of opening the Roca butter crunch candies at Gwammy's place, the conversation inevitably segued to the oft-repeated story of the Ely Ramos chocolates.  Together with Fernando Poe, Sr., Ely Ramos was a matinee idol and LVN contract star in the late thirties.  He happened to gift my grandmother with a box of Whitman chocolate samplers sometime in late 1938.  My lola put the box atop a dining room shelf, waiting for an opportune moment to open it, like when the whole family was together for some celebration.

Ever the chocolate lover, Gwammy would look at the box daily, dreaming of the time that the box would be opened.  Gwammy would pester her mother to open the box, to which lola would reply (in Spanish) something like, "Not today, but perhaps during a special occasion."  Now this went on weekly for several months, and sometime in the middle of 1939, lola finally decided to open the box.

To their dismay, the chocolates were half-consumed by weevils and/or ants!  And despite how lola tried to locate and carve out edible portions, Gwammy and her siblings just lost their desire to eat the Whitman chocolates!  And since then, my grandfather decreed that the family should, "Eat while the eating is good!"  To this day, whenever we decide to open some chocolate goodies, we are reminded of this particular incident, and the wisdom that Ely Ramos brought upon the family.  To the chocolate lovers out there, note that Whitman's still sells the sampler in the same packaging today as in 1939!  I find the brand a bit too sweet for my taste though, but all in all, it's the memory that counts.

Giliw Ko (1939) with Fernando Poe, Sr.

Maynila (1946) with Tita Duran

Sumpaan (1948) with Norma Blancaflor

Roca Buttercrunch

The Roca Buttercrunch sometimes gets to be a conundrum--you either love em or you hate em!  Cousin Gene dropped off the box shown left in Gwammy's place and the clan gathered together over the weekend to unceremoniously open the box.  The original flavor developed by Brown and Haley (incorporated in 1914) was the Almond Roca, and this was a log-shaped chocolate candy with butter and chopped almonds.  It was packaged in a distinctive pink tin can and as such, was regularly exported around the world.  Today the candy has several different other flavors like peanuts, macadamia, cashew and coffee.  I remember the first time I tried this was when someone gifted Erica with a tin can back in the late seventies--I found the candy to be too gooey for my taste!  I didn't quite like the way my teeth kept sticking to each other while eating the candy, as this felt quite uncomfortable especially since my gums were sore from wearing retainers all night long.  It was a good thing that I later on learned to refrain from chewing the candy directly, and now that I can manage my bite, it seems that this is a good dessert to have around the house!

Minor

We opened another of Vicky's Christmas goodies--a box of Minor chocolate pralines!  The chocolates came in pillow packs, and we practically finished the box in a matter of minutes!  The praline had rich, creamy texture and felt smooth when eaten.  Moreover, the chocolate had nougat bits, which provided just the right contrast of gooey zing to the smooth chocolate paste.  This one literally melts like butter in one's mouth, and I'd say this is a great find!

Ghirardelli

Someone sent over a pack of Ghirardelli chocolates to Vicky during the Christmas season and I just had to prompt her to open the pack to satisfy my cravings--after all, Dark & Mint is one of my favorite flavors!  I understand that the brand is one of the oldest American chocolate brands (the second oldest, I think), and is now owned by the Swiss company Lindt & Sprungli, themselves a chocolate powerhouse.  I had first heard of the brand in the late nineties during a trip to San Francisco.  A friend asked me if I wanted to bring some of these back home, to which I ignorantly asked, "What is Ghirardelli?" since I hadn't a clue what it was.  In mock horror, my friend opened his eyes wide, and shot back with "You don't know Ghirardelli?  You are missing out on half the excitement of San Francsico!"  Since then, I've been an avid lover of this fine chocolate!

Hawaiian Host

Becca's sister-in-law just got in from Los Angeles and dropped off some Hawaiian Host chocolates for us to enjoy!  These chocolates contain macadamia nuts, and are considered an original creation from Hawaii.  The chocolate is smooth and milky, with just the right amount of sugar.  In contrast, the macadamia nuts are crunchy, providing a very interesting mix of flavors.  I usually take roasted macadamia as a salty snack, and having the nut inside a chocolate bar is a different treat.  The chocolate candy is bite-size and the come in random shapes, and I usually try to select the most appealing shape for me.  I'd love to spend a couple of weeks in Hawaii, and I'd probably stuff myself with these "Aloha Gems" when I do so!

Max Brenner

Chocolate by the Bald Man... Max Brenner launched his first Philippine chocolate shop along the street curb at the Makati Avenue side of Greenbelt maybe some 10 years ago.  The original location is now occupied by the Hermes store, and the chocolate shop has been transfered to the ground floor of Greenbelt 5.  The new shop is a much smaller place, but has a nice garden view.

The menu covers the whole range of chocolate delights, from cakes, desserts, ice cream, shakes, hot and cold drinks.  I had the Ecuadorian hot chocolate, served in a cup with no handles (you have to hold it with both hands--it's hot at first but you get used to the heat after a while), and it was nice and thick.  If you take some pastries and drinks, expect to spend something like P400 per head.

A giant vat of hot chocolate!

The Bald Man?  He's part of the staff, but alas, he's not Max Brenner...

I lingered a bit after the fast business meeting, enjoying the last few drops of my cup.  It was a Thursday afternoon and we had the place all to ourselves.  Somehow, I missed the hustle and bustle of the old place, it was a bit livelier, but maybe you could attribute that to seasonality--Vicky and I would go to the old place on weekends, early evenings and for that after dinner cup of hot choco!

Truffles Fantaisie

I'm not too happy with the sweet chocolates (e.g. Whitman's and See's) but I'm a true fan of semi-sweets and darks.  After a long meeting with an old client, Vicky received a gold tin foil package of super delicious melt-in-your-mouth chocolates labelled as Truffles Fantaisie, which we opened an enjoyed yesterday.  Coated with powdered chocolate, the truffle pyramids were perfectly sugared, and the bitterness of the chocolate was just enough to make my eyes roll up in delight!  The foil package carried no description of the chocolate, however, and I had to search the internet for information.  I understand it's made in France by Chocolatier Mathez and comes in various types of packaging (the picture above is only one of them).  I haven't found a web picture to match the gold tin foil version we got though, and my only complaint to this volume packaging is that the truffles became misshaped, due to handling and heat.  Chocolates are definitely better and more presentable when individually packed and furthermore, in the case of truffles--refrigerated.

Kit Kat Hazelnut

Monique & I just finished the last bar of Vicky's stock of Kit Kat Hazelnut, and we both are showing some minor withdrawal symptoms!  We've been eating the 8 boxes that Vicky  purchased in Singapore as slowly as possible, savoring the crunchy goodness of this addicting treat.  Unfortunately, this flavor is not yet available in Manila (I've seen the orange flavor though).  Oh well, we'll probably shift to other goodies for the time being!

Hofbauer Wien

Andi's ninang (godmother) Bonney just arrived from Prague bearing wonderful gifts!  Yes, a box of delicious Hofbauer pralines from Austria.  Absolutely classified as melt-in-your-mouth goodness!  Sadly, most of the praline descriptions were in German, so Monique & I just had to figure out which praline had what flavor...  I understand that the brand was established in 1882, and was recently purchased by Lindt & Sprungli, themselves a known chocolate manufacturer.  For the young gentlemen out there, I fully recommend this as a Valentine present, as it will surely make your lass feel special!

Finetti

After raving about Ferrero Rocher & its Nutella brand of premium hazelnut spreads (this is the original hazelnut-cocoa creation), I was quite pleased to find a less expensive, but similar tasting version in Finetti, a hazelnut spread which I bought in Unimart.  Imagine, the 1 kilo tub I got was priced at slightly less than P200, and this would last us for several weeks!  I understand that this brand is made by Chipita, a Greek conglomerate that has a wide market footprint in over 35 countries, including the Philippines.  The Finetti brand is the market leader in both Romania and Bulgaria, and has consistently gained ground in the Philippine market due to its very competitive pricing structure.  I was quite impressed with both the taste and consistency of the product, and this closely resembles that of the original creation.  Very good for us, especially Monique who just loves spreading this over her monay and hot pan de sal!

Ghana

Lotte, the Japanese-Korean candy maker, has been around for some time, and I can remember their chewing gum being sold by the street hawkers in the early 80s, along with Juicy Fruit gum and Halls mentho-lyptus.  They've never been known for chocolates though, but despite that, I picked-up a couple of bars of Ghana choco bars in Clark Field during my last trip, just to sample the stuff.  To my surprise, the chocolate was smooth, had no greasy feel and had the right sweetness, that I thought I should have bought a few more bars, as the bar is priced quite reasonably (P60).  I understand that the chocolate bar is named after the country Ghana, which is one of the world's largest cacao exporters.  As an afterthought, I shouldn't be surprised, as Lotte, which was established in Japan, but grew to phenomenal proportions in Korea, is one of the region's biggest candy manufacturers.  In the Philippines, the group is in partnership with Lucio Tan's business empire, but I understand that the partnership concentrates on importation, not manufacturing.  A simple, fun treat!

Ferrero Rocher

 

The chocolate stash of Vicky is fast depleting!  Miguel opened a box of Ferrero chocolate balls yesterday, and the whole box was gone in 30 minutes...  It was our first time to try the coconut variety (shown on the right with the silver wrapper), and both Vicky & I were pleasantly surprised at the taste and texture.  This Italian creation is such a wonderful midnight treat!  Interestingly, in the corporate world, the Ferrero group is known to be very secretive of its hazelnut recipes (the company also manufactures Nutella, the spreadable hazelnut creme filling).  Like a lot of European chocolatiers, the company, which opened in the post-war years, is still run by family members.