Radhika Shankar
Google
Charlie and the Vegan Chocolate Factory
What if I told you that you could have a delicious chocolate dessert and not feel guilty? What if I told you that you could have a beautiful sweet creation free of refined sugar? What if I told you that there’s a place named after your madness for chocolate?
La Folie Du Chocolat, which directly translates to “To Madness of Chocolate” is the cutest little gem buried in the dusty by-lane of Kalaghoda, Fort. As an ardent lover of chocolate, I’ve made it my personal mission to hunt down the most delectable chocolate heavens in Mumbai. This little patisserie is the birthplace of the prettiest, tastiest and perhaps the healthiest chocolate creations I’ve come across to date. The greeting on the doorstep which aptly says “surrender yourself” is beautifully aligned to the vibe of this place. That’s precisely what I did: surrendered myself to the dainty décor of the place, inhaled the light scent of chocolate, ogled at the creatively designed pastries and chatted with the friendly staff, ready to help with suggestions!
This little cake-shop is like a secret pit-stop for your dessert cravings. The soothing colour-scheme used to decorate the joint is sharply contrasted by the burst of colours used to create the wide array of chocolates, pastries, bonbons, cookies and macaroons. While I was tempted to go all out and try the entire range, I decided to start small and soak in the flavours of one beautiful creation.
Here’s what I tried:
1. Rocher Caramel
The Éclair-looking dessert is one for chocolate and caramel lovers. The base is a moist and soft sponge cake coated with a mix of milk chocolate and hazelnut. Next layer is five generous dollops of whipped caramel covered by a thin layer of milk chocolate decorated with specs of edible golden design. Lastly, the traditional cherry on top is replaced with a golden hazelnut on top and I’m not complaining!
Here’s the catch though, you can devour this entire creation and still feel light because it is completely VEGAN! That’s right, I was in a state of shock myself because I didn’t realise it was vegan till after I was done. The staff very kindly explained that the base was completely flourless and free of refined sugar and instead jaggery and avocado was used for the same. Most of their creations are completely vegan which means that you can go completely crazy and still not feel guilty about it!
Apart from this, I picked up a box of 9 gorgeous handmade chocolates as a present for someone. I cannot personally comment on the taste of it but going by the reaction from the person whom I gifted it to, I’m sure I won’t regret trying the chocolates on my next visit.
La Folie Du Chocolat creations are a must try! Be ready to keep your pockets full while trying the desserts here because it will surely burn a hole in your wallet (Price range: Rs. 150-350 per piece). For the love of chocolate, this place deserves to be visited and for the love of vegan chocolate, this place deserves to be loved!