Anjalichocolat at Pasarbella

UPDATE - March 2015 - Since writing this post Anjalichocolat has relocated to Dempsey and is now based at 73 Loewen Road, #01-15/16.  They are open daily from 11am - 5pm.  Anjalichocolat now also has a school at Loewen Road where you can learn the art of chocolate making as well as their shop with all their delicious chocolate combinations available.  Get yourself to Dempsey asap and check out their Facebook page for more details!

Last Friday evening saw me pay my first ever visit to Pasarbella.  I was surprised by how big it is and just how much is there, it's clearly somewhere I need to return to.  My reason for visiting though was to attend a chocolate tasting at the one of the stalls, Anjalichocolat.  Having always loved chocolate and with a confirmed sweet tooth this sounded like a great way to spend my evening!


Anjalichocolat opened in August at Pasarbella and is clearly a real passion and love for its owner Anjali.  Her and her family have been very fortunate to live in many places all over the world which gave her the opportunity to explore her many interests away from her own career.  Whilst exploring these she discovered a love and a real talent for chocolate making.  Anjali was fascinating to talk to and truly passionate and knowledgeable about the art of chocolate making, something that clearly takes a lot of patience to get the chocolate just right.

The chocolate samples (white, milk and dark) to prepare our palates for the tasting

Anjali began by explaining that we would be sampling six different chocolates beginning with a white chocolate (the most subtle) up to a dark chocolate (71%).  She explained that when doing a tasting you shouldn't really try any more than about six in one go as after that point the palate finds it difficult to distinguish the taste and flavours.  It is also important to try the chocolates in order of the intensity of the chocolate.  The chocolates were paired with some sweet wines (after all chocolate is a dessert right so the wine should be sweeter) beginning with a light one to a slightly fruitier one for the dark chocolate.

Lemongrass Coconut truffles

For each different one we were to try we firstly had a small sample piece of the type of chocolate used to prepare our palates (see the photo above).  Anjali makes all her chocolates on site at her stall in Pasarbella and uses Belgian couverture chocolate alongside the finest ingredients, fresh cream, butter, fruit puree and whole spices and, of course, absolutely no preservatives.  These chocolates are meant for eating and enjoying now - not keeping!  

Salted caramel bonbons

Firstly we tried the Lemongrass Coconut truffles.  I'm a big fan of lemongrass and this chocolate was delicately flavoured, light and incredibly fresh tasting.  The slight crunch of the coconut on the outside of the truffle adding an extra wow factor to the chocolate.  These were a real hit with me!  

We then sampled the small piece of milk chocolate to get our palates ready for the next couple of milk chocolates.  First up were the Salted Caramel bonbons which were amazing!  I loved the lemongrass truffles but I think these were even better.  As you bit into them you got a real hit of comforting oozy chocolate.  I could happily eat these all night!  Next, before moving on to the dark chocolate, I tried the Earl Grey Tea Citrus, a really delightful mix of Earl Grey tea and citrus flavours.  These had a subtle delicate flavour and  I also loved the pattern on these chocolates.

Earl Grey Tea Citrus (in the foreground) and Fig and Ginger Truffles (in the background)

Finally it was time for the dark chocolate.  I would consider myself more of a white and milk chocolate person than dark and if I decided to buy some chocolate would not necessarily choose dark.  Anjali's love for chocolate making shone through again though as she explained to us that when customer's come and indicate preferences she will take the time to explain the subtle balance of flavours and encourage them to think about stepping out of their comfort zone and away from their usual choices.  

After sampling the piece of dark chocolate to get our palates ready once again I began by trying the Star Anise bonbons.  By this point we had moved on to the slightly fruitier wine which was a perfect compliment.  Star anise is not my favourite spice but the combination of this with the dark chocolate worked really well together.

Left to right: Earl Grey Tea Citrus, Fig and Ginger Truffles, Noir

Following that I tried the Fig and Ginger truffles and then the Noir.  I love ginger and the zing of the ginger combined with the sweetness of the fig was lovely.  The Noir was, as its name suggests, just pure dark chocolate ganache in a dark chocolate shell - all 71% of it!  Despite my natural leaning towards white or milk chocolate I was pleasantly surprised by all the dark chocolates I sampled.  So if you visit Anjalichocolat listen to Anjali and her wealth of knowledge and experience and be prepared to try the chocolates you wouldn't normally choose.

Star Anise Bonbons

The perfect combination chocolate and wine

I had a lovely evening sampling just a few of Anjali's wonderful handmade chocolates.  I truly never realised just how much of a labour of love chocolate making is and this passion shines through in the delicious and thoughtful chocolate combinations I got to try.  My personal favourites from the night were the Lemongrass Coconut truffles and the Salted Caramel bonbons which after a very informal poll of myself and the others there seemed to be the general consensus.  Go and buy them yourselves (and the others) to see whether you agree with me or not.  Anjali's chocolates would be perfect for a gift for any special occasion but also just for enjoying with some nice wine and good company!  I shall definitely return.

Selection boxes of chocolates just waiting to be eaten!


Anjalichocolat is open Monday - Sunday 10am - 7.30pm

Stall email: anjalichocolat@gmail.com

Telephone number: +65 9853 9663



This blog resulted from an invitation and represents the thoughts and opinions of the writer. All information on this blog is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy or timeliness and the writer will not be liable for any losses, injuries or damages from the display or use of this information. All text and photos on this blog are the original works of the writer unless stated otherwise.

Thank you to Anjalichocolat for the kind invitation.

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