God knows my chocolate making skills are close to non-existent, so no, I wasn’t exactly a master chef (this time anyway)! However, I did get to play with chocolate.
About Elsa Chocolatier
Established in 1994, the family-owned business, Elsa Chocolatier, opened its first shop in Mar Elias, offering Belgian chocolate of the highest quality to Beirut. With a strong customer focus as well as a vast and delicious chocolate variety, Elsa Chocolatier has won the hearts of many throughout the years.
Their specialty is chocolate making and chocolates (including custom-made) for every occasion with classic and modern innovative design.
Elsa Chocolatier Boutique in Downtown Beirut
Elsa Chocolatier opened a boutique in Downtown Beirut in December 2015, introducing Lebanon’s very first Chocolate Bar! At only LBP 30,000 (USD 20), you get to make your own chocolate – and then take them home!
It’s the ultimate place for any chocolate lover – have you seen an episode of Kid in a Candy Store? That’s how I felt once I stepped in.
We were first given a tour of the “Chocolate Museum” (as Elsa called it), where 47 exquisite chocolate masterpieces are displayed. At Elsa Chocolatier, chocolate is an experience, a memory, a journey – each piece has its own name, essence, and story. Travel to Versailles as you take your first bite into “Trip to Versailles” or feel like a queen (or king; I’m not discriminating) as you taste “Throne of My Own”. The exceptional flavours do transport you to another place alright: Chocolate Wonderland.
Make-your-own Chocolate Bar Experience
The chocolate addict in me had me jumping excitedly up and down (on the inside – I’m an adult, people!) as I saw our chocolate expert “temper” that melted silky Belgian chocolate on the white board in front of me.
“Do we have to wait until it cools down, Ahmad?” “If you sit still and watch, I’ll let you try.” “Okay.” *locks mouth and places key on the table*
It’s really a good thing I had this delicious cup of homemade hot chocolate to keep me calm.
After patiently watching how chocolate is tempered (that’s the process of melting and then cooling the melted chocolate, by the way), I gave it a go – Ahmad makes it look so easy, don’t be fooled!
Following that never-to-be-spoken-of-again tragedy, I (quietly) sat down and made my own chocolate creations with their mix & match ingredients on the chocolate bar!
This shouldn’t be too hard.
Lotus biscuits, Lotus biscuit crumbs (because you can never have enough Lotus), Oreos, mini colourful marshmallows, dried fruit (mmm, mangoes), different coloured sprinkles, and much more! The only thing missing was shredded coconut which is one of my absolute favourite pairings with dark chocolate. Elsa promised she will add that to the collection 🙂
I really enjoyed my Chocolate Making Session at Elsa Chocolatier – plus, I got to take a bag of my “beautiful” creations home!
This is me with my chocolate. Emphasis on the “my”.
Elsa Chocolatier
Address: Fakhreddine Street, Kantari, Beirut, Lebanon
Contact: +961-1-377525
Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-7pm
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That looks like so much fun!!! I will definitely try this out ^_^
It was a lot of fun! You should really check it out – plus now that the weather is getting worse, it’s a fun indoor activity to do! It definitely beats going to the movies!