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2011-03-21
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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.
... 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...
張貼
