Vero Chocolates   (Closed)

Could not believe in my eyes when I received the email that Vero would bid farewell to farewell to Fenwick Pier. Originally I thought there would not be a slim chance for me to say goodbye to this lovely lounge, but fate has once played a part that here I was, with two of my favorite persons, spending an enjoyable afternoon right after the storm.

Maybe they were preparing to depart from the lounge, lots of lovely chocolate decorations were gone already, boxes took half of the venue so only 3-4 tables were still available. Glad we were still able to secure the last table. Since we were pretty familiar with what was offered on the menu, we decided to make it a chocolate tasting afternoon.

The three of us ordered Hot Chocolate 70%. It was as good as ever, so rich in texture, and so satisfying to the palette that the aroma still lingered after every tiny sip. I did not want to finish up the small cup in one go that I just had a spoonful from time to time. It was such a luxury to sit in tranquillity, drinking Vero's hot chocolate while enjoying sunset at the harbor.The drink just marked the start of our chocolate journey. We ordered both pastry and chocolate selection to pamper our tummy and we picked Chocolate Raspberry Tart. It was made with 70% dark chocolate ganache, raspberry paste in between and pralined crust. Loved this cake! The strong raspberry taste was an awesome complement with the rich dark chocolate that it made the cake less filling while the crunchy pralines were like sprinkly touch up for a heavenly piece!Then we moved onto a Chocolate Selection of 5 which you could pick 5 flavors out of the 8 offered. We picked Golden Hazelnut, Orange Grissini, Lemon Drop, Noccioline Bark and Yoghurt Cluster.

Golden Hazelnut was definitely my favorite out of the 5! Loved thick crispy layer of dark chocolate coat with roasted Hazelnuts inside! My second favorite went to Noccioline Bark, which was actually another twist of roasted Hazelnut chocolate, but they came in a chocolate bar shape. Loved the combination of rich chocolate with crunchy whole hazelnut. The third would go to Orange Grissini. Have I always been a fan of orange dark chocolates, so there would not be any chance that I missed it out if it was offered on the menu. In this version of Orange Chocolates, sugar coated orange peels were laid of thin and dark chocolate bars. I could feel taste the refreshing sweetness in orange, but I found the sugary coating a little too sweet for my liking. I preferred orange zest to be infused in the chocolates. Then we had Lemon Drops. Loved the refreshing scent of lemon dark chocolate, but would rather have the top part of white chocolate removed. Last of all, we had Yoghurt Cluster. I tried a bite only, since I was not a huge fan of white chocolates, glad there were raisins or dried berries inside to neutralize the sweetness. Though I am a all-time fan of chocolates, I am 100% biased towards dark chocolates, with a perfect blend of bitterness and sweetness.One of the contributing factors to Vero's success was that eating is not only about putting the food into your mouth, chewing and swallowing it, it is about the whole journey, the experience which makes it complete. I have always loved Vero's white interior design that faces the Harbor (even though there were lots of constructions going on outside). It gives you a place to breathe in the city while relishing awesome chocolates. A little sad to say goodbye to Vero lounge, I did ask the staff if there were plans to move the lounge to another venue, but it seemed like there weren't any concrete plans yet. Thanks to Vero for all the lovely memories and encounters I have had all along the years. So fingers crossed, I wish fate would kick in some time in the near future and that's when Vero and I meet again.

Signature hot chocolate: PURE chocolate. A bit bitter for me. recommended to all chocolate lovers.concerning the cakes, nearly ALL OF THEM WERE UNAVAILABLE. It's 2pm but nearly all of them had been sold our=__=
to be honest, we were a bit disappointed as we initially planned to try a variety of cakes, eg Earl Grey, Madagascar 71%, caramel cakes....
Finally, we could only order :Peru 70% & Dominican Republic 75%
Chocolate flavour is strong, which is honestly fantastic. Different layers have different textures. Feel good to eat them together

Dark, smooth, sensuous and a little forbidden... wafts of chocolate scent seduce and lure...

... But that's not the feeling at Vero. While one was greeted with the aroma of chocolate even before entering Vero, the bright and airy interior, the minimalist display of chocolate sculptures and structures conjured up the image of .... hmm... an architecture firm. As I approached our table which was towards the very end of the place, I passed by displays of beautifully crafted chocolates and cakes. The "kitchen" where the team of chefs created the chocolates was in full view much like a workshop. I would estimate that seating area at Vero took up less than 30% of the entire space. The rest of the area was made up of the bar where drinks were prepared, the kitchen/lab/studio and the display area. Quite intrigued by that arrangement.

The menu was a little hard to understand with all the percentages and countries of origin of cocoa under different categories of food and drinks. Or had the heady smell of chocolate dulled my mind? Somehow, I just felt that we were meant to treat this "meal" seriously.

I knew I wanted to try the hot chocolate, so I left the ordering of other items to my friends and Mr. Waiter with the silent hope that they would not go overboard.

The drinking chocolate came first. My Ecuador was thick as expected. It had the consistency of a thick creamy soup and so I drank it with a teaspoon, unlike V who drank her Caramello out of the cup and ended up looking like Joker in Batman with every sip. She did make a comment about the drink but I forgot what it was - sorry, V!S ordered the signature hot chocolate which looked visibly less robust than mine and she said it was very palatable. J liked her cold signature chocolate, especially the crunchy bits inside. YW, on the other hand, did not enjoy hers at all, kept mumbling that she would sure break out after this chocolate drink...The biscuits and cakes came shortly afterwards. The biscuits received mixed reviews: J and S liked them, while the V and I didn't, as the biscuits were similar to biscotti, something of which we were not fans.The arrival of the cakes was a bit of a spectacle - they came in a chocolate latticed orb. Mr. Waiter assured me that the orb was inedible, though curious me was very much tempted to try...We had an orange crisp and a chocolate cake of some sort. Both were rather small but surprisingly light, very welcoming after the thick chocolate drinks. I particularly liked the orange crisp with bits of real orange flesh hidden in the midst, the orange taste was not overpowering at all.

So, what's the verdict? It was enjoyable enough but not memorable. I can't help but feel that the owner of Vero approaches chocolate as a craft, it's mission to wow rather than to woo. But to me, chocolate is more than a cocoa derivative, it's supposed to be evocative, emotive... Surely perfection is not just about technically superlative? Perhaps I'm just overly sentimental...

First of all, the cafe is not conveniently located, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I'm not a chocolate fans, but my Canadian friends are ... .and that's why I suggest that we go to have afternoon tea there. With high expectations and great disappointments!
I've already seen reviews and pics on OpenRice .... so there should be no surprise.

As a chocoholic, i have always wanted to try out this place... however, my experience was rather .... disappointing.
We visited Vero on a saturday afternoon... for saturday afternoons, one would expect that this would be a prime time for business.... but business was slow and there were about 6 to 8 customers. What's worse was that 90% of the menu items were NOT AVAILABLE! (drinks or cakes!!!)
We wanted to order some cakes from the menu and the waitress said that ALL cakes were not available - and there are only 3 chocolate cakes available! The 3 cakes were made exactly the same way, the only difference between them was the chocolates' origins...Peru vs. Dom. Republic's... well it didn't make sense to order 3 chocolate cakes made in the same way so we just ordered a random one, PLUS the only other food choice that was ävailable from the menu "THE MUFFIN SET".
The muffin set came with 5 mini (TINY!) muffins - there should be 5 different tastesto them (rosemary, mint & banana, caramel, chocolate and i forgot the last one) but we could not taste any difference betweeen them at all... sigh...for $78, we would much prefer muffins from anywhere else....
For the drinks we ordered - my friend's "hot chocolate" - Vero's signature - tastes sooooooo thick that no one could drink it... it taste like a melted chocolate bar... so..we decided to "use" the hot chocolate drink as a "dripping sauce" for our muffins...
The rest of us ordered Mocha and it was ...ok.

This was my second time to go to Vero, I love it so much!!

I ordered Ice Raspberry Chocolate instead of Signature Hot Chocolate. I like the ice chocolate more because the chocolate topping in the hot drink which made the drink too sweet.

The Madagascar 71% was very good, rich chocolate and not too sweet. If memory serves, one piece of Madagascar was $38, and one whole cake cost $300 per pound.

Orange Crisp was so bad, it was a frozen cube but not a cake. The fork was not sharp enough to cut it..... well.....sword might be better!

Last time, I called Premium Jar Collection which had 5 different tastes of chocolate. Lemon Drops was the one that I still remember -- it was so fresh!

I am sure I will go again but it is not easy to find a friend who loves chocolate. If you don't like chocolate, then no meaning to go to Vero!

On this visit ordered a hot white chocolate and the signature hot chocolate drink.

As the weather was hot, the chocolate layer on top had melted quickly.

Since my previous visit, they finally have a proper menu and more choices for the hot chocolate drink.

The white chocolate basically is white chocolate and yoghurt, although I was disappointed I couldn’t taste the yoghurt.
I had some sort of expectation in mind, I was thinking of those yoghurt-covered raisins at the time of ordering. I was expecting that sort of taste, the sweetness of white chocolate and some yoghurt tartness.

Anyway the first sip, was shockingly sweet! It was the sweetness that gives your throat a sting.

The whole drink was very sweet, probably equivalent to 2 white chocolate bars.
The taste reminded me of Nestle’s milky bar in liquid form and the white toberone.

Halfway through I was wondering what it would taste like adding some strong black earl grey into it.

Part 2: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2021529
Raspberry and chocolate smoothie
Earl grey and taro cake

Part 1: http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=1971982
Simply hot chocolate

I came with a colleague to enjoy a cuppa hot chocolate before returning to work.
I had the signiture, he had the white.
The flavor was excellent, with a rich, velvety texture, a strong, bittersweet attack and a slightly sour finish.
It was a great cup of hot chocolate.... sauce
I wish I had a plain biscotti or some steamed milk.

The location had a in-store boutique and a see through kitchen. It had a class ambience. Unfortunately the large glass windows that brings in very nice sunlight overlooks the construction site. A tinted glass or shutters would have made it much better.
I suggest coming here for valentines shopping. More innovative product lines. Also, a great place to get personalized corporate gifts.

For the quality of chocolate the price is really very affordable!!

The highlight was the Signature 70% Dark Chocolate Drink - thick, chocolatey, very interesting indeed (thin chocolate disk slowly melted into the drink!!)

The cakes, although a little small portioned, was sufficient due to its filling and creamy texture.

Hot Chocolate - So good and so rich! Be still my heart. This is chocolate multiplied by a hundred. This is chocolate on steroids. And I have to say, that layer of chocolate on top is just brilliant. I derive intense pleasure from the sight of it melting into the cup of hot chocolate, and I am torn between wanting to see it melt completely, and wanting to lick the whole thing off before it disappears.

Brownies - I swear these are the best brownies I have ever had! The people at Vero stuff this piece of brownie heaven with so much chocolate and walnut chunks that it’s almost excusable to think that you are biting into a nutty chocolate bar. Vero, vero sweet, and vero, vero good!!!

see full review with photos here: http://www.jinlovestoeat.com/2009/11/vero.html

Have you ever had the problem whereby you are unable to come up with restaurant suggestions when you have a list of want-to-try places at the back of your head? It happens to me all the time! I have so many places I wanted to try but whenever someone asks me to suggest a place, I would somehow be speechless. My friend asked me to suggest a place where we can sit and relax in the early afternoon and chat over a cup of coffee. I was speechless once again! Thanks to my friend, we ended up at VERO which was actually on my list but somehow slipped my mind ... must be too early in the morning ! ... HAHA.

This place is definitely not a easy place to find due to its location but once you entered the cafe / restaurant, it was a totally different environment which I did not expect. The layout was very open, clean and BRIGHT. A minimalist decor in my opinion. The brightness is from the sun light shinning through the huge windows along the side. Its kitchen was of open kitchen style with pastry chefs busy working inside the chocolate and pastry workshop / studio. The various metal decorations were a nice touch, increasing the artistic feel of the whole atmosphere.

(1) Taro Earl Grey & Rosemary Cake
The cake on the right was the Taro Earl Grey cake. The Earl Grey flavored mousse was not too sweet but also lacked the flavor it needed. So where did the Taro go? Good question, the taro element was inside the cake. There were two pieces of chilled square taro in the middle of the cake which actually matched the flavors and texture of the cake very well. Thumbs up! As for the Rosemary cake, I only had one bit but it was very rich in rosemary flavors which I liked. A very interesting use of ingredient / flavor indeed.

(2) Espresso con Panna
I doubt it was due to the whipped cream but the espresso was not bitter but extremely acidic for some reasons. I tried the Lavazza blend before but it did not taste like that. I tried espresso con panna at other places as well nothing as acidic as this. I think it was due to the water temperature used to make the espresso, but then again it can be due to many other factors. Maybe the cream was the main reason? (Need your help on this one Babedolphin! haha, I know you love coffee and are quite knowledgeable on the subject as well.) The bottom line was that I did not enjoy the drink! Two thumbs down ! (Not my lucky day I bet, should have just ordered my usual double espresso)

(3) Muffins Tasting Menu
They were all warm and freshly baked. Since it was a tasting menu, each one has a unique flavor. Usually when you find one special ingredient being used on an item, it is very likely you will find the same ingredient being used on another item in the same cafe / restaurant. Same case applies here where you find a rosemary flavored muffins along with banana, chocolate, blueberries and dark chocolate. Another positive point of the muffins was that their center were all moist and soft, very nicely done. The rosemary one was indeed an interesting flavor and definitely worth a try.

(4) Spring / Summer Chocolate Collection
Just from the look of the chocolates, I think they were not as refined or delicate in terms of decoration when compared with chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat, Godiva or Wittamer. Maybe it was due to the TINY size of the pieces but still. The collection consisted of special flavors such as banana & mint, White forest, apple & thyme, mango & Kaffir line and Honey mustard. They were not too sweet which was good in my opinion. The most unique flavors in my opinion was the honey mustard because the taste really reminded me of the sauce!

(5) Cappuccino
I gave their coffee another chance because I had higher hopes for this place. Alright, the cappuccino was slightly better. The foam was creamy which I enjoyed but it was still weak of coffee flavors. I think another shot would be nice.

Likes:

* Decor / Atmosphere- great place to sit and relax (especially when the sun is out)
* Taro Earl Grey - interesting way to combine the taro with the cake.
* Muffins tasting menu - a nice combination of flavors, especially the rosemary

Dislikes

* Espresso con Panna - overly acidic (maybe due to the whipped cream?)
* More staff training is required - we had to repeat our orders for confirmation. (plus unfamiliar with the menu, including the chocolate collection)

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

Original Blog: http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/09/vero.html

bad chocolate
if the owner really a chocolate lover
I suppose he have traveled around the world and tasted what "good chocolate" is
the chocolate in Vero is really really normal (in fact, i categorize it in "bad")

about the ice-chocolate drink, they really put in ices which make the drink too light, terrible
even the hot-chocolate drink, the taste is still not condensed enough

about the brownie.........ai...........it is the worst brownie i have tried in my life, there is only taste of nut but no taste of chocolate

there are so many great chocolate around the world, but not include Vero
just try Koko Black's ice-chocolate and mousse
San Churos's hot-chocolate
Bing's brownie
etc~~~~~~~
then u can understand what i mean

me and my wife spend around $380 in Vero this afternoon
and i can tell u, Vero does not worth this price

Since my last visit in February, this place has even more amazing variety.

Previous visit:
http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=1971982

The cake selection is very appealing which reminds me of Cha Ke Li, chocolate infused with various chinese teas.

The cake that caught my attention was the earl grey with taro, earl grey is a tea that I drink, and taro a gorgeous delicate flavour, and the two combined, absolutely delicious.

The cake was light and smooth, and full of earl grey flavour, the taro cream was hidden in between the chocolate cream.
The taro was like cream, very light and the taste of taro oozes out.

As for the chocolate raspberry smoothie, I really liked the sourness of the raspberry.
The smoothie was a watery cocoa based texture, which matched well with the raspberry, because of its natural berry sourness. There were bits of raspberry pips in it too, and the cream was topped with dried raspberry.

vero, an italian word which means "true", is the first hong kong local-made artisan chocolate brand since 2005. it was founded by a guy named roger chan and his wife veronica (hence the name "vero") who are haplessly addicted to chocolate. vero first started as a small counter at lane crawford, a high-end department store in hong kong, and in early 2009 finally opened its boutique in wanchai.

the place prides itself in using only unadulterated premium cocoa from venezuela, ecuador, and south america. the location is very much out of the way (it's actually closer to admiralty than wanchai) at 1/f fenwick pier, but for chocolate lovers - they can really go the extra mile and get a fix.

having read about it for some time, i have always wanted to try vero but the shop is closed on sundays and always packed on saturdays. i finally found time to go with L in a lazy tuesday afternoon when the place was all very quiet. but obviously the place has been doing quite brisk business because when i walked into the pier gate the security guard already asked whether i was looking for chocolate...

70% hot chocolate - same as what i expected, the hot chocolate is very thick and forms a half solidified fudge around the rim. however, the texture is not nearly as smooth as what its thickness suggests, and i think they have used the wrong kind of chocolate that is too light on the bitterness. the chocolate may also sit for a little longer for better aftertaste. nonetheless, i think this is the best hot chocolate i have had in hong kong thus far, though FAR FAR behind that in paris angelina... L ordered the hot chocolate with mint. interesting flavor.

muffin - compared to most muffins available in hong kong that are either too buttery (standard run-of-the-mill muffin you get at most mass-market bakery shop) or too dry (:

1. blueberry - taste-wise, i honestly prefer the blueberry muffin at starbucks, but vero has better texture and more moist
2. pink himalayan - chocolate toffee inside, but it's a bit too wet and makes the muffin a little soggy
3. dark 70% - molten chocolate inside
4. rosemary - rosemarry aroma
5. banana & mint - this is the best of the bunch. very thick and fresh banana aroma, and interesting combo with mint

would i come again? probably. i haven't tried their chocolate yet, which i heard has very creative flavors. L and i spent ~2hrs there just chit-chatting, while the head chef jeffery koo was doing an interview with two journalists. one of them kept taking photos of us. i hope the picture won't show up in next issue of the magazine...

original blog post: http://randomnomad.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/vero/

Their Scone with Jam & Cream was real nice. The jam is very fresh & the cream is real creamy. Highly recommend !!

Rosemary cheese cak , was a bit disappointed. The rosemary was way too strong & it has catch all my taste buds.

The Caffe latte is below average. The coffe was a sour & slight burnt.

the 5 senses coffee ( coffee milk shake ) was real bad. The coffee milk is not creamy , the coffee is bad. Please do not order.

Their high light are chocolate, but unfortunately their choclate is below standard. Not creamy & unable to handle the coco favour.

The environment is ok, but they are over price.