Francesca (已結業)

为了要答谢2位友人..........所以mar 23, 11来买礼物 : 1) sea salt & pistachios (hk$128)-因为这个口味很特别,而且食过嘅朋友通常都好受落,所以买来比友人试吓-详细意见,可以睇番我上次嘅食评2) maracaibo 65% rosemary & thyme (hk$128)-这是另1个很特别嘅口味,女店主以前都有介绍比我-知道友人喜欢香草味,所以估计佢应该会钟意/接受到-后来友人请了我食1格,很开心,因我好有想知喺咩味,但又唔好意思开声-黑朱古力本身同海盐1样,醇厚,不过after taste不重-个露丝玛莉同百里香味唔强烈,温和,不过都明显-很有个性的味道3) cd (送)-因为同女店主吹水,讲到我要送朱古力比友人俩嘅原因,令我谂起1串近来嘅心结同屈气,情绪突然来得很强烈,变得悲恸起嚟........幸好没有掉下眼泪, hahaha.....店主有见及此,喺我临走前送了我这张店内有售嘅cd............真喺好多谢她的窝心美意.............thank you so much for her kind gift-这张cd是由ian parkison compose的,西乐中带有很重嘅东方音乐元素*女店主同我讲近来佢推出1个叫love & destiny reading嘅test (单对单,1.5-2hrs),outcome会得到1个personal destiny analysis,包括有personality, job/career suggestions, supporting colors, matching partner and more insights............不过收货都几贵,要$1200/位 继续阅读

又上Yan屋企打搞，各人都买了点东西上去，我买的是Francesca & Giovanni的曲奇饼，而好食友小JJ买的是Francesca的朱古力。又是Francesca? 两者有否关系?后来，甜魔会长上网了解，原来Francesca是一个女生的名字，另一意思就是自由的心，两个品牌是没有关系的。真佩服甜魔会长认真的态度，我就懒得去查了。言归正传，在三款口味之中，我拣选了Trinitario 64% Sea Salt and Pistachio。朱古力味道不会很甜，却很醇厚，口感尚算幼滑细致。嗒真一点，可尝到柔和的咸味，就是海盐的成分了。再者，朱古力里头混入开心果仁，脆口之余，亦增添层次感，是很出色的。据闻这排朱古力要$98，可真不便宜呀！感激好食友JJ的一番心意。 继续阅读

上周日很巧收到两份店名都有Francesca的礼物，好奇之下就上网查查；原来这是一个女生的名字，在意文中指白色的鸽子，而追溯至拉丁文字根寓意的话，就是自由的人!　至于这家以FRANCESCA为名的瑞士品牌朱古力店，来头也一点不少，连投资推广署也特别就著朱古力的开张，发表了新闻公报，大意是创办人Cornelia Maeder在高档朱古力市场拥有近20年经验，其出品是专为懂得欣赏生活美事的顾客而制作，产品选料来自全球的优质素材，并以瑞士传统方法制造，云云，全文可见：http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200905/08/P200905060266.htm　是日jj很客气带来的，就包括精致的小盒装Bari Almonds in Grand Cru Chocolate，以及3款不同口味的黑朱古力bars，Java 64%、Trinitario 64% Sea Salt and Pistachio及Maracaibo With Hazelnuts 65% 。上网一搜，优质朱古力的定价殊不便宜，一排朱古力bar就是$98了；金色的小礼盒未找到标价，但相信索价也不低，在此真的感激食友的心意! 　派对当日未能抽空细嗜各款朱古力，两日后与老友饭聚才开启了精致金色礼盒，一起共嗜Bari Almonds in Grand Cru Chocolate滋味：大小平均的清脆杏仁，被甘醇细滑的朱古力包裹著，口味不会过甜，可可味与杏仁香则齐放异彩，风头谁也不盖过谁，是款很可口的朱古力小吃。当时还有半杯餐酒未饮尽，伴上这杏粒自是惬意极了!　至于另一排Java 64%朱古力bar，为不破坏旅行前减肥大计，又不想摆放太久影响风味，决定忍痛割爱转赠老友。不过对这间标榜自由与优质的瑞士品牌朱古力店，小妹心中还是无限向往的；见到小店也有开办不少朱古力鉴赏班，内容广泛包括朱古力与绿茶、朱古力与健康等，一于8月旅行回归、回复饮食自由后，再来这里大开朱古力戒，甚或一起约去参加workshops吧! 　FRANCESCA的官方网址：www.enrichyourpotential.com各式Workshops：http://www.enrichyourpotential.com/chocolate-connoisseur/ 继续阅读

Discovering a new establishment gives me a sense of satisfaction not unlike feeling a new outlet where I can exercise my passion within. At times the discoveries are made en route to another destination, or at other times they can be found through an accidental detour on the journey. There it was, up in a dingy building in Central is the boutique that doubles as the office of FRANCESCA. First opened in Switzerland, and now a new location for this small business comprised of no more than a few people covering most of the companies’ duties. Cornelia Francesca MAEDA, owner of the company she named after herself, is no stranger to chocolate, and by that I mean chocolate itself and the chocolates her brand is all about. The boutique is located in a small space of minimalist designs not unlike a meeting space with a glass counter showcasing the chocolates. Marked at $25 each there are the truffles (Champagne, Rum, Rosewater, Pure Criollo). The special thing about FRANCESCA is that each piece is placed in a dainty golden box not unlike a special gift for friends and loved ones. The heart-shaped ROSEWATER Chocolate is comprised of a whipped ganache flavored with rosewater – sweet and floral without getting overly fragrant, encased in a shell so thin that gives way to the bite. The CRIOLLO is a dense one filled so intensely with cocoa (minus the overdose in bitterness) that has a slightly nutty finish. The round Rum truffle is also thin on the coating, but the ganache is denser than the Rosewater kin, and has a slight liqueur aftertaste not unlike roasted chestnuts. Other than the truffles, FRANCESCA introduces the chocolate bars (labeled “Grand Cru”) as well, which are equally exciting. There are typical flavours like almonds, but look for an herbal take on chocolate bars with rosemary and thyme folded within. I was assured, that it would feel like savoring chocolate through a brief stroll in the pine forest. Through brief conversations, our views on chocolate and preferences were shared, as well as pleasurable experiences on chocolates that were too good to be true. While many chocolate lovers count on the percentage of cocoa content to tell them if their choices are dark-enough, they seemed to have forgotten that the very origin of the cocoa bean itself can affect the taste of the chocolate. A 64% Java may be more smoky than nutty on the aftertaste compared to a Madagascar on the same cocoa content. It’s crucial to note that it’s not just about the percentage that we’re after, but also the type of chocolate used in the chocolates we consume. Throughout the enjoyable company of the brand’s owner I have come to realized that FRANCESCA is more than just a newly developed brand, or a chocolate boutique which displays its own creations, but one that show us other glimpses into the world of chocolate not unlike different variations on the same theme. The MILK (no sugar added) CHOCOLATE BAR ($68/100g bar) has minimal sugar content, yet when it enters the mouth it yields a familiar taste of caramel as the chocolate slowly mellows out and widespread onto every taste bud on the tongue until the dairy taste subsides, followed by a sharper hit of cocoa in the chocolate. The ORGANIC FAIRTRADE DARK CHOCOLATE BAR is another magical journey where the mild aroma of fresh walnut collides with the crisp texture of the chocolate bar. The intertwining sensations of bitterness, laced with the tinge of stimulating acidic notes, then sweet (like lollipop), and back to bitterness, and again the sweetness…excites the palates and seduces the mind as if chocolate has cleansed the mind anew. The brand is still relatively new, and with many activities planned ahead, Francesca (the owner) intends to expand on her repertoire to sharing views across chocolate lovers alike with sharing and tasting classes. In time there will be more adventurous flavors coming out. That’d be good news for Chocolate-lovers, and perhaps a good place to recognize that chocolate tasting can be something similar to wine-tasting – throughout the process you can locate a favorite of your own. Reveling in the sheer luxury of this experience, I savored the deceptive simplicity of the boutique and the chocolates it featured, as well as the aromatic notes of cocoa that lingered on my palate as I walked out of FRANCESCA, feeling the climatic joy that the city now has a place where chocolate is more than just a commodity, but something to be appreciated and treasured, in so many levels we have never imagined possible. 继续阅读