what makes me happy in the morning?

Good Cappuccino!

Leonidas, the belgian chocolate store in milan

leonidas is the first flagship store of the famous Belgian chocolate maker in the small space decorated with Dilmos furniture....the first thing that caught my eyes were not the chocolate, but the furniture in the store....it looked like something you can only see in the art museum....i asked whether people can sit on the chair...the owner, Cynthia, was smiling "of course, this is meant to be sit down"...

many pralines and new products such as cakes, cookies, jams, special honeys and ice cream boxes in the store....among which manon blanc, carré orange and spéculos....some wines for chocolate too...interesting factor: Cynthia said that the pralines are so expensive in italy now so it's much cheaper importing from belgium...
this store also carry the most extensive selection of amedei product...so if you are addicted to amedei, good store to visit...

address: via moscova 27, milan

visit Venchi flagship store @ milan....

the flagship store of the famous Piedmont company established in 1878... it produces and sells over 250 products called Gli Originali (historical products made since the company was established), I Classici (historical, typical products from Piedmont), I Prestige (sophisticated developments of historical recipes), I Cuor di Cacao (Pure dark chocolate), I Sugar Free (Special line sweetened with maltitol)...the store was really small, but you get to see the most variety of venchi product here...pride of the company are the nougatine (pralines of caramelised hazelnuts and dark chocolate) a specialty still in production. i found chocolate caviar, one of the recent product line from venchi. the staff said you can eat this with cognac or coffee....i didn't get a chance to taste choco caviar, but got one from the store....can't wait to taste this when i get home in sf......

address: via mengoni near piazza duomo, milan

the PECK-this is THE GOURMET STORE!

the peck was established in 1883 by Prague born pork-butcher Francesco Peck, one of the most celebrated names of international delicatessen shops, managed since 1970 by the stoppani brothers. over 3300 square metres, on three floors, with a selection of the best foods from the world (the first floor) and a wine cellar with more than 5000 labels(the basement). so unlike any other gourmet stores in europe, the peck is huge and has a very modern look. it has more than 100 different cheese selections, incredible variety for cured meats, olive oils, salt etc. this is also the first time i have seen this many kinds of pasta.the second floor is tea salon, where they also sell gourmet coffees and own chocolate brands.if you are foodies, this is definitely one stop you should try....

address: via Spadari 9 near duomo piazza

Boutique Nespresso in Milan

Located in Galleria San Biblica, Boutique Nespresso Milan is elegant and refined space with orange and chocolate colors, where you can enjoy the pleasure of fine coffee. they also sell things from innovative coffee machines to accessories, from a selection of precious blends to exclusive services for Club members. the 12 Grand Cru Nespresso coffees can be found with their different aromas and their quality. all of them are beautifully packaged with different color. The space, designed by architect Francis Krempp, includes the “Carpe Diem” area devoted to tasting. I tasted Arpeggio, which has strong flavor and made with 100% Arabica coffee. it has a bit sweeter and chocolaty flavor, which I loved. You can also smell different kinds of roasted coffee beans. My favorite for the coffee bean was the strongest, Africa Robusta grado1.

Try out the Limited Edition coffee during the FuoriSalone of Milan. the experience in this shop is really something.....

When you have french truffle cravings in SF...

the answer is: go to north beach xox truffles.

have you had a hot chocolate with a freshly made truffle in the morning? deadly...when i stop by the store, jean-marc was making truffles, which was a fascinating process for me. he didn't have a big space for the kitchen. just behind the casher, he stands there and makes truffles all day. 200lbs or about 16,000 truffles everyday. the store has been expanding to oakland and napa (opening in this october), however, he still has a plan to make all truffles by himself. fresh everyday and good ingredients are the key for his truffles.

xox truffles have traditional flavors and some unconventional flavors as well. where does he get inspiration? from everywhere. for example, the most recent flavor, champaign, which he came up with when he had his son about a year ago. earl grey from his wife, peanut butter from one of his royal customers. however, the most important thing for flavors is that he should like it. even though a new flavor is popular among his customers, if he doesn't like it, he doesn't continue to make it..

used to be a chef in france and st. francis hotel in SF, he started this store about 10 years ago. why? because he got a heart attack in his honeymoon. stress as a chef was a big reason. so he decided to open a truffle store because he was a chocoholic. doing something he loves about. (isn't that simple? if you don't want to get a heart attack, do something you love about =) his wife is doing marketing and sales, he was able to focus on just making good truffles. i found him as a real french craftsman. wasn't distracted to other things, just focus on one thing, really good at making good truffles and happy with that....he only expands stores in every 3 years and doesn't have a plan to expand too big. he loves small production with the best quality. isn't it wonderful? sometime when you go to a famous chocolatier, you are overwhelmed by their impeccable stores and luxurious packages. however, in xox, it feels like a small neighborhood cafe in small town in france...

xoxtruffles north beach store: on columbus between filbert and greenwich..
available flavors: amaretto, black and white ball, cognac, creme de framboise/raspberry, creme de menthe, a la kahlua, liquer de noisette, rum coco, rum raisin, sebastien's champaign, triple sec, vin rouge, caramel, casimira's favourite, citron/lemon, coconut, dark chocolate, earl grey, framboise/rapsberry, french roast, noisette, a l'orange, peanut butter.

charles chocolate: chocolate with attitude.......

"what is your attitude for chocolate?" it was my question because i started talking about spiced chocolates and chuck said he didn't like those flavors...his answer was "immediate pleasure".

he started charles chocolate 2004 october, since then this company has grown remarkably; the first year, in 50 stores. in 2006, in more than 300 stores....what was the success factor? chuck said "quality, and natural, fresh ingredients." charles chocolate is known for its peanut butterflies, which fill with caramelized sugar and crushed roasted peanut (it's not peanut butter!). another interesting flavor was mojito heart, which he got inspiration from the mojito drinks one day...

charles chocolate was not the first company he started. he started the first chocolate company, attivo, when he was 25 years old...he was neither a chocolate confectioner nor a pastry chef..he just really loved making chocolate and found out people around him loved his chocolate. that's how he started....since then he taught himself and getting inspiration everywhere for different flavors...i think this is why he became so successful in the chocolate industry....working on something he loves.....

the retail store in emeryville has not been complete....he showed me the blue print of the complete stores and cafe, which will be open this april...the space for the chocolate cafe was huge..the cafe will include seating, kitchen and some part of chocolate manufacturing process place...so once it is done, customers can watch the kitchen. most fun part, they can watch how the charles chocolate is made....in some restaurants, you can watch how the food is prepared, which is fun to watch...however, i haven't seen anyone tried this in chocolate cafe....so it will be interesting to see what's the experience like...i'm sure it will be a lot of fun!

the reason why he wants to open this chocolate kitchen to public is because he wants to *demystifying* chocolate..he added that the open cafe will contribute to people's knowledge of chocolate. they can understand better and will appreciate more....can't wait to see this open!!