Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chocolate World
457
Cacao Sampaka
Pushing the Envelope
Barcelona, Spain
We have the Spaniards to thank for bring-
ing chocolate to Europe, so perhaps it's
not surprising that one of the best choco-
late shops in Europe is in Spain—or more
precisely in Catalonia, in the great culinary
city of Barcelona.
Stylishly sleek and minimalist, Cacao
Sampaka is the flagship store of an artisa-
nal chocolate manufacturer that sources
its own cocoa beans and produces quality
chocolate in its own small factory. (There
are also Cacao Sampaka boutiques in
Madrid, Málaga, Torrelodones, Valencia,
Lisbon, and Berlin.) Their boxes of choco-
lates follow many different flavor themes—
mixed with dried fruit and nuts, flavored
with herbs and flowers, filled with liqueurs,
filled with fruit, whipped into truffles, or
spiced Mexican-style—as well as an exclu-
sive line of chocolates made from the rare
criolla,
or “white” cacao bean. Browsing
around the blond wood-trimmed store,
you can find bins of unusual little tidbits
like fried corn with bitter chocolate, orange
peel coated in chocolate, salted sunflower
seeds enrobed in bitter chocolate—culi-
nary experiments that aren't always suc-
cessful but certainly stir the imagination.
(You've got to give their designers credit
for pushing the envelope.) Jars of all kinds
of chocolate spreads and sauces are on
display, as well as a wide selection of ice
creams (all variations of chocolate, of
course). You can only marvel at the cre-
ative combinations. Best of all, there's an
entire wall of chocolate bars, in all sorts of
intense designer flavors.
While there's also a shop in the historic
section of town (Calle Ferran 43;
&
34/93/
304-1539
), it's worth going out to the main
store in the Eixample neighborhood. The
trendy little cafe on premises serves hot and
cold chocolate drinks, mousses, pastries
and cakes, and a range of chocolate des-
serts. The place has such an air of utter cool,
it doesn't even feel like an indulgence.
Calle Consell de Cent 292
(
&
34/
93/272-0833;
www.cacaosampaka.com).
(
El Prat (13km/8 miles).
L
$$$
Montecarlo,
Les Ramblas 124
(
&
34/93/412-0404;
www.montercarlo
bcn.com). $$
Duques de Bergara,
Berg-
ara 11 (
&
34/93/301-5151;
www.hoteles-
catalonia.com).
Chocolate World
458
The Capital of Chocolate
A Praline Passion
Brussels, Belgium
Belgium may be a small country, but
there's nothing small about the Belgian
passion for chocolate—especially for the
mouthwatering little chocolate-covered
confections they call pralines. According
to the Belgian tourist office, this tiny nation
