Chocoholics Alert! Find out where Fenwick Pier is. Then, start your pilgrimage to a very first LOCAL brand of chocolates -- VERO.

I wrote about Cha.Ke.Li and La Maison in Admiralty, it's inevitable, a matter of time before I paid VERO CHOCOLATE LOUNGE a visit. I decided that time to be today. Opening everyday at 9 am sharp, Vero occupied the entire 1st floor of the Fenwick Pier Arcade. At the entrance you'll already see the brand on one side, and on the other a piece of art on the wall depicting a cocoa pod. Through the glass door is an L-shaped lounge overlooking the Harbour on one side, with the other side of the room an insider's glimpse of an open pastry kitchen of Vero.

Vero was a chocolate brand first founded by local Roger Chan and his wife Veronica. They decided to name it VERO, as a combination of their name (VEronica and ROger). VERO, synonymous to TRUE in Italian, has every reason to celebrate chocolate with essence of creativity and innovation through its creations and line of products. Meet Chef Koo, who started his training in Mandarin Oriental and am now the mastermind behind the designs of all the chocolates and the tested palate of all the indulgent morsels. Koo insisted that Vero chocolate must be kept in an air condition room in store. I could see that room, featuring creative sculptures made entirely of chocolate, including one pictured here -- a Life-sized Terracotta Warrior, made entirely of Chocolate and Cocoa.

The decor was modest with minimalist designs. All white with brown edges and plenty of glass jewel display cases meaning to show off the chocolates as more than a confection, but an art that's meant to be appreciated on the taste and visually as well. In the chocolate room were boxes of chocolates on display. Some in plastic cases, some in simple but neat wrapping. The chocolate sculpture captured my attention as I turned to look at forms of Christmas trees made entirely of chocolate.

My first encounter of VERO was at Cafe O, where their crossover with VERO offered an exceptional Hot Chocolate, which was also available here. Flora, the floor manage, made it clear that I sit and have my camera ready while she made it. She was literally running, with a small cup in hand, and set it in front of me. I snapped a few pictures, one shown here. You'll have to see it to believe the dramatic part of this hot chocolate. It was made with VERO's very own Hot Chocolate blend ($400 for 1kg of it) and whole milk. It's almost as thick as the chocolate mixture used in Chocolate fondue. Then at the very last moment a piece of dark chocolate was placed on top. The heat from the beverage will quickly melt the chocolate as it spread out to enrobe the surface. The key was to witness the transformation of the chocolate melting. Clearly, Vero has a flare for drama even in their signature hot chocolate!

It took me 2 minutes to get through the fudgy top of melted dark chocolate, and still the beverage was warm and thick, with a whiff of steam coming out from below. The sip of sweet dark chocolate was no sugary sweetness at all. Instead it was an intensed blow sweeping me off my feet. Indulgingly rich with a special nuttiness to the chocolate itself, the earthy aftertaste gave me a rounded finish. I took a sip of water, before I indulged the chocolate all over again. If there is a guilt-free hot-chocolate heaven, that'd be it.
Creative packets of sesame grissini, pyramids of lemon drops, etc...All featuring chocolate as ingredient. Not to forget are the current collection of bonbons (9 pieces for $180, 25 pieces for $360). Flavours are essentially of local familiarity: Kalamansi mallow (柑桔棉花糖), Chinese Tangerine (陳皮), Red Hazelnut, Pink Himalayan Caramel, and Apricot & Prune Scotch, each matched well with chocolate surprisingly well. The Kalamansi was tangy but the liquid centre of Pink Himalayan caramel was the best in show!

As a "Chocolate Lounge", VERO has clearly established itself with its success in the hot chocolate part, There's an open bar serving coffees, espresso and liquors as well. On the eating front VERO is still developing future offerings including breakfasts and cakes and more. Patrons and Chocoholic pilgrims can sip hot chocolate and other beverages overlooking the amazing view on a clear day!

Knowing more about VERO I realized that succeeding as a local brand breaking out into the cut-throat chocolate market may be a difficult mission, but understanding the concepts and ideas behind keeping it simple, small-batch and local-based made me appreciate it more, and the same case applies to chocolate, as small servings of it at a time seduce our palates and desire to gastronomic climax, and never to take these little offerings for granted. This 'local ginger' is not just about luxury. It has a sharp competitive edge to it too!