Chocolate: A Degustation

"A day without chocolate is a day without sunshine.
Life without chocolate is like a beach without water."

My intimate relationship with chocolate is no secret to anyone who can claim even a nodding acquaintance with me. So it should come as no surprise that I treated the news of a full chocolate menu café like it was the Second Coming, Nirvana by mouth.

In grand style, all the youngsters (yes, I did get counted as that) headed out one fine, hot, sunny afternoon to The Chocolate Room in the Navrangpura section of Ahmedabad city. There was loud talking and louder laughter in the car with the promise of riches to come and pleasures to behold.

With pithy advice, such as "If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves," The Chocolate Room styles itself as a hip cultural bastion of the yuppies and upwardly mobile middle class, not to mention, all tourists.

This boutique café's menu is a veritable choco-haven. With entrées such as chocktails (the non-alcoholic versions though, since Gujarat is a dry state), chocolate pizzas, coffee-chocolate drinks handmade by baristas, pastries, fruit-dipped slices of paradise, pancakes, and crepes, you could visit there for breakfast and stay through the dessert course post-dinner.

To fulfil the promise of their mission of "Creating a New Chocolate Culture In India," they offer chocolate appreciation evenings. Yes, really. Unfortunately, nothing was scheduled while I was there, but here's what such an evening would entail: As well as finding about the types of chocolate and its history, you can enjoy a demonstration of the Maître Chocolatiers' craft, a chocolate tasting, and shopping discounts. Chocolate tastings are in the form of hot chocolate, fondue, hand-crafted Belgian pieces, and a finale of a slice of cake.

"I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process...
It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?"
—Vikas & Kumar, Founders of The Chocolate Room India

Have you had an ambrosial exprience like this one? If not, this may be one of the top reasons to visit India, the Taj Mahal coming in second.