Weekender Drink, Devour at Chocolate Cafes
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
With the weather getting chillier, cafes are catering to more people craving something warm to sip in an ambient venue. But for ``choco-holics'' many places can be disappointing, as chocolate items are usually limited to bland hot chocolate or cakes. Chocolate aficionados had little choice but to head to hotels or department stores for a box of gourmet handmade confections.
Fortunately chocolate specialty cafes have begun to spring up around the city, where you can find steamy drinks featuring different cacao percentages and an assortment of desserts that melt on the tip of your tongue.
Chocolate cafes began taking root here around 2005, when a ``cacao boom'' swept through the country. Dark chocolate, dubbed ``cacao'' here for its high concentration (50 percent or more) of the raw ingredient, gained popularity. It was easy to spot anything from slim bars to drinks and ice cream featuring cacao in convenience stores.
It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to enjoy the sinful sweets, in succulent squares or a hot steamy mugful at these cafes.
*Chocolate Castle
near Gyeongbok Palace is one of the first chocolate cafes in Korea. ``Paying 2,000 won for a tiny piece of chocolate can seem outlandish, but gourmet chocolate is more about quality rather than quantity. The concept of gourmet chocolate is now popular among Koreans and you see a lot of chocolate cafes,'' chocolatier Lee Hyun-suk told The Korea Times.
Chocolate Castle features colorful little pieces made with organic ingredients such as pumpkin, cactus, green tea and various fruits and nuts.
The shop led to the opening of the Chocolate Museum on Jeju Island (www.chocomuseum.org), the second largest after the chocolate museum in Cologne, Germany. It is the first of its kind in Asia, and showcases everything that goes into making chocolate as well as its history, and features chocolate-related movies.
In addition to the original shop near Gyeongbok Palace, the red chocolate box-shaped store can be found in Jongno near Changdeok Palace as well as in Apgujeong-dong and Naksan Beach, Gangwon Province. Call (02) 3210-3171 (Gyeongbok Palace Shop).
*Cacao Boom
in Hongdae takes its inspiration from Belgium's rich chocolate culture. The owner, Go Young-joo, lived in Belgium for eight years. Almond, organic strawberry and green tea truffles and dark chocolate-covered orange peels are the star items. Hot chocolate is served three ways ― mild, original and strong ― according to the milk-to-cocoa proportion. The chocolate cake, though not home-baked, is also popular. Call (02) 3141-4663.
*Leonidas
in Myeongdong is the first Asian branch of the Belgian chocolate giant. The cafe-confectionary offers a colorful range of chocolate drinks. Here, you can savor the famous Mexican hot chocolate that appeared in the movie ``Chocolat'' starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. It is a mix of dark and milk chocolate with a pinch of red pepper, providing for hot chocolate with a special kick and tang. Favorites among young women are Le Chocolatier (chocolate ice cream with chocolate flakes) and Chocolate Dracula (chocolate mousse cake with preserved strawberries).
*Chocolat Yum
in Hongdae now expanded its menu to include non-chocolate desserts like pudding but is still a hot spot among chocolate fans for its cute and cozy ambience. Call (02) 337-1027.
*De Chocolate
may not be as omnipresent as Starbucks but this chocolate caf? chain can be spotted with increasing frequency around town. Here, coffee has ceded the spotlight to chocolate. The menu includes both hot and iced chocolate drinks, handmade chocolates and chocolate cakes. Call (02) 514-7101 (Apgujeong Rodeo shop).
*Dear Chocolate
opened in Cheongdam-dong but now has branches in Daehangno, Yeouido and Heyri, Gyeonggi Province. Here you can purchase boxes of handmade chocolate but also sit down for an Italian-style meal. The two chains in Yeouido sell only chocolate and chocolate drinks, among which chocolate fusion beverages such as cacao earl grey and cacao caf? latte are popular. Call (02) 3446-7251 (Cheongdam-dong shop).
*Garu
in the trendy Sinsa-dong neighborhood is also a nice place to stop by. Here you can find artsy chocolate pieces and installations that are enough to savor with the eye. Call (02) 3444-0768.
Sinfully Sweet?
People think chocolate will cause cavities and other health problems but good, gourmet chocolate can be helpful.
There are many excuses to indulge in this sweet sin.
Chocolate contains:
*Cacao polyphenol, which helps prevent cavities and colds
*Catechin, which is also found it tea, and associated with improving high blood pressure and vessel function
*Flavanoids, potent antioxidants
*Theobromine, an alkaloid chemical that is a myocardial stimulation
``The darker (the chocolate) is, the better it is. The more highly processed, the more fat and sweet it is, the less it contains theobromine,'' a doctor at Yale University was quoted as saying by AFP.
A daily dose of dark chocolate is healthy for pregnant women and protects them from possible high blood pressure problems, according to the Yale study. It decreases the chance of contracting preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication with cardiovascular manifestations that affects up to eight percent of pregnancies, said the study.
In romantic comedies heartbroken character are almost always munching on a box of chocolates. That's because chocolate is linked to serotonin levels in the brain, thus having a calming effect.
Furthermore, it contains:
*Magnesium, which lowers hypertension
*Taurine, an amino acid designed to help in times of high stress or physical exertion
But apart from such scientific health benefits, it just plain tastes good.