Chennai's Chocolate Factory! Fabelle Chocolate Boutique, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai

What: Fabelle Chocolate Boutique

Where: ITC Grand Chola, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai

Timing: 11 AM - Midnight

Cuisine: Desserts, Chocolates

Carving their third foot print at Chennai, Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates are open at ITC Grand Chola after their venture at Bangalore and Kolkata. And they proudly say, "Each Fabelle creation is a masterpiece, made from cocoas sourced from some of the finest cocoa growing regions in the world," like Ghana, Madagascar, Venezuela, etc. And the proof for their words are before you in the form of chocolate and desserts that taste mind-blowingly good and chocolaty. Travelling back their memory lane, their chocolate ideas were born in 2006. After the chocolate journey and exploration across world in the preceding years, it was in 2010 when they set a lab to finesse their art of chocolate making and that lead to the birth of Fabelle Exquisite Chocolates in the year 2015.

Making such an intriguing journey, Fabelle strives to master and present the best chocolate to their customers. Not just that there are approximately 26 ingredients that goes into the making of their chocolate creations; even the boxes that carry the chocolates are hand-crafted to such finesse that I didn't have the heart to throw them away after gulping up the chocolates. Enough of the history, let's get into the chocolate shop and see what they had in store for us.

As you enter through the gates of ITC, you have Fabelle Chocolate Boutique that is hard to miss. The ambience just screams elegance and glamour. Besides the beautiful array of chocolate and the open kitchen which lets you watch your creations being made, you can also relax your back comfortably and watch your desserts being made on the big TV screens. Yes, just remember to inform them that you would love to see how the dessert is being made.

A touch away from placing your orders!

So talking about their chocolate ranges, they have boxed chocolates, desserts and beverages. Their delicious chocolate boxes is an ideal gifting option. So there is three different boxed chocolate creations, they are Elements, Ganache and As You Like It.

Elements box is inspired from mystical elements of nature - Earth, Air, Water, Wood and Fire. Resembling the earthy character of our nature, the EARTH as a rocky chocolate texture that holds a smooth dark mousse inside the dark chocolate pod. The textural difference is key of this chocolate.

Though air is invisible, fabelle's AIR fills you with light and aerated mousse that is covered by a dark chocolate. Light in texture and tastes great.

So WATER is all about quenching your thirst. And as I bite the dark chocolate shell, the sweetness from the liquid with a hint of salt just fills my palate. And it's Acacia nectar (a type of honey) that drips from the dark chocolate mousse, the medley of different texture and flavour makes this an interesting addition.

And coming to my favourite two, Wood and Fire. Cinnamon is the first thing that strikes my mind when someone address wood (yeah, #JustFoodieThings) and WOOD treats your senses with zest of chocolate, cinnamon and coffee in their mousse; unbelievably delicious. And finally some hot encounter with Ancho chilli, the heat from the chilli thrills your throat. First bite was all about sweet candied mango and after that the heat is extremely high, and FIRE is definitely a favourite.  

Ganache in cubes and that already sounds sexy. The silky and smooth ganache melts in your mouth as you indulge into them. Initially the sprinkle of cocoa on top of the ganache packs your palate, but as you bite through the creamy ganache just mesmerises you. The rich and creaminess of the Creamy Milk Ganache and bitter yet delectable Rich Dark Ganache is blissful. In search of words to describe the taste #GanacheHeaven.

An extra special packing for Ganache so it doesn't melt!

As You Like It box, customise it as per your likes and dislikes. So induce the chocolatier in you, all you got to do is: (1) select your chocolate cups - milk or dark, (2) select your fillings (seven types) and (3) select your toppings (ten types). And your chocolate cup creation is ready. If you are not into creating your own then go ahead with Chefs Creation or let them know your preferences so they could design one for you.

I was so excited that I went ahead creating my cups: (a) dark chocolate cup with caramel, dark and milk chocolate cream and almond, choco nibs and sea salt (b) milk chocolate cup with white, milk and dark chocolate with almond and sea salt. Loved both my creations!

Chef's Creation

My Creations!!

Besides the mouth-watering chocolate boxes, they also have dessert collections that they categorise under: Entremets, Signature Creations and Dreams.

Fabelle Desserts!

The classic French creations that is presented with layers of mousse, creme, biscuit and crunchy element is Entremets. A fashionable banoffee pie is how I would address Ghana Milk Chocolate Mousse with Caramel and Banana Creme, the flavours of banana-caramel creme, toffee, vanilla and chocolate is layered beautifully and is hard to resist. The crunch from the hazelnut crisp and the light aerated sponge along with smooth velvety texture of mousse is a perfecto in taste.  

Black Forest Revisited, the distinct layers of cherry confetti, vanilla bean creme and dark chocolate takes you on a flavour ride. The sour, sweet yet bitter medley of flavours is sheer brilliance. Absolute delight!

Dreams creation is all about pairing interesting chocolate flavours that complement or oppose each other. Premium Almond and Coriander Praline Tartine, the blend of interesting flavours elevates the taste. Light and flaky cocoa-almond tartine and tiny meringue helps to balance the sweetness but the hero of the dish is orange and coriander. The intense zest of orange and crunchy almond praline not just dominates but makes the tartine taste divine.

Eclair Venezuela, they have done a remarkable job in piping such a thin choux pastry. The soft and flaky pastry filled with creme is subtle in sweet, if you prefer less sweet then this might be your dessert. Personally this one wasn't my type but I had to give it to them for the pastry.

Signature Creations are inspired from theatrical delights. These elegantly plated desserts are an delight to your vision, do remember to watch them plate these beauties. And we got to try the Chocolate Flower, the velvety chocolate mousse with contrasting flavour mix is the highlight of this simple yet fancy dessert. The hot and rich pistachio cream is too good but I didn't enjoy the sour taste from the fruits as they completely fill your palate. But I am more excited to try their other signature creations as they seem to fall under my interest.

And finally some beverage time, the menu as cold and hot beverages. Milk Cocoa, this hot chocolate drink has turned to be my new favourite, especially the rich and chocolaty pistachio almond torrone nougat chunks makes the drink unbelievably good.

Smores Chocolate Milk - even though the cold chocolate milk tasted alright, the drink didn't excite me much. My dislike for marshmallows may be a reason.

Smores & Milk Cocoa

You can take-away only their chocolate boxes, whereas the desserts and beverages are meant to be had there. That really was like a journey at Charlie's Chocolate Factory. I must appreciate Chef Harpawan, Chef Deepti and team for guiding us through the whole experience, do reach out to the chefs when you visit they would be more than happy to guide you through their creations and help you choose your dessert.

Fabelle Team

Breaking Down Points

Ambience: Elegant, glamorous and screams chocolate.

Food Variety: Chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates. The variety is really exciting that you would want to try everything on the menu.

Taste: Right now, definitely the chocolate place I would want every chocolate lover to experience.  

Quality & Quantity: It's undoubtedly their quality of products and presentation that makes them unique. Dessert and beverage portion would be perfect for a person. Boxes, you can choose according to your preference; either a box of 5 or 10 for elements and box of 6 or 12 for As You Like It.

Service: Courteous and attentive.

Price: Expensive. Cost for two is Rs.1400 INR. Personally, I find the pricing sensible and worthy considering the quality, taste, uniqueness and brand. The pricing of their chocolate creations in the menu is inclusive of tax.

So my Verdict!

Fabelle Chocolate Boutique! Chennai needs more chocolate places and this place excites me the most because of their unique chocolate creation. Their dedication to master the art of chocolate making is really impressive. Know your chocolate preference and pick your chocolate, you shall definitely love them.

P.S. On-the-house bloggers meet for tasting session at Fabelle at ITC Grand Chola. Remember, no two person's palate can be same.