XOTIQ Chocolatier (Shaw Towers)

I love good chocolates (read: definitely not cadbury and the likes)!! But have sorta stopped taking them since Uni days, 'cos I seemed to reach a plateau of sorts in my interest for good chocolates. Partly also I don't fancy very sweet stuff as I age. :P

But ever since I saw this tv program featuring the finest chocs (Amedei, Michel Cluizel...) in the world, I was piqued! Was telling myself at that moment that if I have the opportunity, I must try those chocs. The opportunity presented itself in the form of the previous review.

And so on my bday, I trooped down here to check out the chocs. Boy, I sure did have a huge lesson on chocolate appreciation and the knowledge of chocolates. Blended, region and single-estate choc..Plantation names...Initial notes, middle notes and end-notes...Vintage choc, just like wine, has the year of the harvest labelled on the packaging...Information on how to keep choc properly..

Finally, I succumbed to buying the full series of vintage choc (3 bars in total) and also another bar of Michel Cluizel dark choc. Although its a freaking $49 in total but its the price for really fine choc. So its so worth it. :)

HSBC and DBS card holders will be entitled to 10% discount off the chocolates. Just need to show the card upon payment and the 10% will be given. Note that ONLY cash payment accepted here (so rem to withdraw sufficient $$ :P) and no GST levied.

**Note: The following description is purely based on my own personal prefences and love for the choc. Not necessary will b the same for anyone else as everyone's palate for choc is different.
*psst..tried the Michel Cluizel dark choc and its yummy! The smell of choc is intoxicating and I love it as I ate the choc. Can't wait to start on the vintage choc. mmmmm....

Oh man...I will be back and I think possibly gonna be a regular customer here. Esp to buy the most coveted Porcelana when stock finally arrives. :)

btw, Phyllis and her partner actually conducts Chocolate Appreciation workshops at the corporate level and apparently there will be one next month at Safra (Mt Faber). Think the public can attend for a fee. If interest, do check out the safra website for more info I guess. :)

Disclaimer: My first perfect 10 rating for Food/Beverage is all due to the wonderful finest choc. High rating for service is for the vast knowledge and passion that Phyllis has as well as her patience in sharing the know-how with me as I bombard her with queries. High rating for value is primarily cos I am very willing to fork out the $$ for the fine choc.

Warning! This post is all about gourmet chocolates. So prepared to be enthralled and even enticed into buying some of this luscious goodies!

So after watching a certain program on discovery channel regarding making of some of the world's finest chocolates on the tele several months ago. I was psyched to get my hands on some of the chocolates featured in the show. Brands such as Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Amedei, Amano and Michael Cluizel were featured and cheaper brands such as Hersheys, Cadbury and others were condoned.


Biting down on one of the fine bars seemed like a life changing experience and i was prepared to take the leap especially after noting that Green and Black's organic white chocolate bar studded with madagascar vanilla beans was SOOO much better than any other brands i could find in the market. And mind you Green and Black's white chocolate bar retails at $8.30 per 100g bar whereas you can get a 240g Cadbury Dreams Bar for only $3.90!!! the taste though is indeed worth the difference in price tags. So whenever i do have the urge for white chocolate (which is rather frequent) i would rather buy Green and Black's instead. A little of something good goes a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG way. And yesh.. i do know that white chocolate isn't technically chocolate.... *sheesh*


On the other hand, i do love my dark chocolates! The darker the better. Yet i had not managed to find one with a sophiscated underlying note. It's rather depressing actually. Watching the show on tv only made me crave for the finest even more. I searched and enquired but couldn't seem to find a place or company that imported these chocoalates into Singapore. To be more specific i was banking on Amedei chocolates as their produce have ranked among some of the best chocolates in the world.

Finally after a freak chance by luck, i came across a shop in shaw towers whilst waiting for a movie with Babe that imported in Valrhona, Michael Cluizel and even Amedei! i was so ecstatic i almost jumped thru the roof! Seriously, it looked like i was suffering from ADHD. *yikes*. a pity the shop was closed so i had to pay another visit on another day.


And for our 1st year anniversary gift, Babe got me a box of chocolates including individual samples of assorted Michael Cluizel, Valrhona and Amedei chocolates. YUM!!! as well as a bar of "9" Chocolate by Amedei. (Porcelena which i wanted sold out just before i arrived. sigh..) The grand total for these chocolates.. a whopping $54!!! now that's some mad amount to spend on chocolates. But even so, i felt that every cent was well spent. A fine investment indeed. And no.. eating these fine chocolates will not become a bad habit. I do however think of cadbury and others as cheaper, less satisfactory alternatives...


Then you would ask, why are these chocolates so sought after and so pricey? Simple! These chocolates are single-origin, made from beans that originate from one region or sometimes even one farm. Chocolate connoisseurs argue that chocolate has varied tastes depending on where the beans used to make it are from. When chocolate are made from beans from several regions (a.k.a normal chocolates that we eat), the tastes are harder to discern. With the advent of single origin chocolate comes the idea of chocolate blends that promote the best features of chocolate. Blending varieties of single origin chocolate to produce superior chocolate is actually a very old concept, made new by a generation of chocolate experts and tasters. So chocolates are very much like wines when being assessed. Wines made from different grapes originated from different regions possess different characteristics and flavors, aromas. So do chocolates in that sense. Terms like "finish," "snap" and "sheen" are often used to describe the differences between chocolates, and tasters may discern berry, vanilla, or coffee “notes” in chocolate from one particular region.

Intrigued yet? Yes, there is a whole lot of the world of chocolate yet to be explored in the local scenes. But still, there is a market for these fine morsels. And I'm so glad to have found a shop and its gracious owner who is so extremely keen on sharing the joy of gourmet chocolates with her fellow singaporeans!


Thanks babe for the awesome chocolates.. now i shall scamper to one corner to savour a bite of my Amedei Chocolate.. Mmmm...

for pictures please visit my blog

Since the mid of last year, I have been patronising this shop in shaw towers and I MUST say this is one hidden gem. Royce used to be my favourite chocolate until Michel Cluizel and Amedei entered the picture. Those 2 brands produce real chocolate and it so happens that Phyllis (co-owner of Xotiq) is the sole seller of these 2 top notch brands. She used to sell more of Valrhona until the company itself opened one in the 360 market on the top floor of Ion Orchard. However, after trying almost all the chocolates sold by Valrhona and Xotiq, I notice that Valrhona lacks the punch and complexity compared to Amedei and Michel Cluizel. One bar costs about 14 dollars but it's worth your every cent
If you do pay a visit to Xotiq, Phyllis will impart the best times to eat the chocolates you buy. The interesting thing is that these high grade chocolates taste different at different times of the day. The general trend is that darker chocolates taste better at night. Each bar of chocolate has its unique taste due to the type of cocoa bean used. And if you taste citrus fruits in those bars of chocolate, don't be alarmed! These additional flavours are inherent in the chocolate bars as the cocoa beans absorb the air around it and the soil affects its acidity as well. Eg. If the cocoa beans are grown on former mango plantation sites, you'll be able to taste mango in them. 
I recommend the Michel Cluizel bars before Amedei bars as I find them easier to distinguish the flavours. Amedei has a stronger emphasis on timing in order to taste the subtle flavours.
You may find Phyllis in Tangs but I'd recommend that you go to her shop in shaw towers as it'd probably be cheaper. Oh and I think she'll be shifting to somewhere in orchard so..do keep a lookout for her shop!