Wrapped in Chic

Featuring an assortment of colourful tarts,chocolate bars wrapped in light pastel shades and cubes of praline and ganache,Mumbai’s newest chocolate shop is a unique experience for all the senses. The store opened to the public earlier this week,and imports all its products — tarts,ice-creams and sorbets included — directly from Belgium. It is the first of its kind to tread into the luxury market for desserts. In other words,they aren’t cheap.

Over a cup of green tea,macarones and designer chocolate,Hans Pauwels,managing director of Debailleul,tells us about the products and the origin of their ingredients. “We don’t blend the raw chocolate ourselves,” he explains. “Instead,we import the blocks from different parts of the world — Tanzania and Brazil among others — and then craft the chocolate in Belgium before sending it to our stores all over the world.”

Among the assorted chocolates (Rs 95 per piece),we found ourselves quite partial to the pralines,most notably the caramel and hazelnut cubes,which tasted like nothing we’ve ever tried inside or outside duty free stores. The raspberry tart (Rs 350) is a blend of berry and sweet and sour cream,both of which were devoid of added sugar. But the Debeilleul macarones (Rs 91) were a clear winner with their crispy exteriors and soft and gooey inside. The cafe offers cakes,apart from coffees,teas and a range of Belgian hot chocolates.

What’s quite striking about the cafe’s décor is the display of gift boxes,which are devoid of the tried and tested velvets,golds and silks. Inspired by the Elizabethan era,they’re black and white with a thin gold border,and ornamented with a black ribbon. The brain behind Debailleul’s unconventional design is Belgian fashion designer,Reinhilde Gielen,who is married to Pauwels and serves as the franchise’s creative director. “I always say that fashion is in the eyes and the hands,” she says. “With Debailleul,I have tried to bring fashion into taste as well.” Her job at the family-owned business involves designing interesting boxes,commissioning art for the walls,making stamps to put on the chocolate and taking photos of Debailleul stores all over the world.

The cafe’s location — a street with limited parking just off Siddhivinayak Temple,bordering on Worli — comes across as an unconventional choice for a luxury chocolate shop. “I had some questions about the location but judging by some of the luxury buildings coming up in this area,I think we made the right choice,” says Pauwels.