Lyla D.
Yelp
Everywhere in the world, there are tensions - economic, political, religious. So we need chocolate. - Alain Ducasse
I've been fortunate to have traveled worldwide for education, business, and leisure, yet I've never traveled in Japan. Well, I've had layovers in Japan's Narita and Haneda airports but never outside the airports. My contact with ROYCE' Chocolates, Japanese food, and culture has been in these airports. Yeah, I'm a chocoholic, so my discovery of luxurious ROYCE' Nama chocolate started here. Over the years, friends and relatives who visited Japan have brought back ultra-luxurious chocolates from Tokyo's Chef Antonio Koji Tsuchiya's Theobroma Cacao store or Chef Shunsuke Saegusa's Palet d'Or for me to savor and entice me to travel to Japan. Tsk, because the darned pandemic started and the Tokyo Olympics was rescheduled, we had to postpone our foreign travels in 2020 and 2021.
Thanks to Vancouver, WA's Yelp Elite, Michael S, for reviewing this ROYCE' Chocolate Store; I put them on my bookmark list. My first attempt to locate this store in late July was thwarted by misinformation. Still, when I returned home to Honolulu, I called the phone number listed on Yelp, where I could confirm their business hours and location. I made a note and told my husband that I "needed" to go to The Venetian Resort's Grand Canal Shoppes to get my ROYCE' chocolates. Haha. He knows better than not getting in my way when it comes to feeding my chocolate addiction.
Walking into the shop, two workers immediately greeted us and asked if we were looking for anything in particular or unique. I wanted to buy as many Japanese chocolates as possible but had to temper my buying to the room in my carry-on bag and purse. The employees were charming and knowledgeable about their inventory. But then again, you don't have to twist my arm very much when I'm in a high-quality chocolate store.
Fortunately, during our recent visit, the outdoor temperature didn't exceed 82 degrees F. I made sure to make my purchases before walking quickly back to our hotel on our second day in Las Vegas. I brought an insulated bag along with me to protect the chocolates from melting in Las Vegas' and Honolulu's heat, too. I bought a box of Nama Chocolate "Ghana Bitter," which I broke into immediately upon returning to our hotel room because I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep it stored at 50-degrees while flying home. Haha, that's my excuse for eating them FIRST! The chocolate ganache was delicate, creamy, and melted in my mouth with its subtle dark cacao bitterness. Hm, I stuffed myself with a few pieces before going out to dinner then returned to for more. By the end of our stay, I ate all 20 pieces by myself even though I did offer some chocolate to my husband, who claimed that I ate them all before giving him a chance to open the box.
In addition to the Nama chocolates (which didn't make it home), I purchased several chocolate bars, two gift sets (Chocolat No Shiki Hokkaido), and ROYCE' Pure Chocolate (Venezuelan Bitter & Ghana Sweet) and ROYCE' Origin Chocolates for gifts to our relatives and friends. I hope that they enjoyed the Japanese chocolates as much as I did.