My Father's Day Weekend with Vero's Chocolates

 

Went to the Landmark for Father's Day cake hunting (I was thinking about Sift's Father's Day special - CARAMOCHA but it was closed the time I got there, so I ended up in Vero). Its Signature Dark 70% chocolate is something I always wanted to try, so glad about the unexpected visit yesterday :) 

As a chocolate drink, Vero's Signature Dark 70% is intense as it's basically a cup of melted 70% dark chocolate. Taking a sip, you'd find it smooth and velvety in the mouth with a balanced bitterness and a slightly nutty flavor, and the fine and subtle sweetness kicks in as the finish - 70% is just a right number. The drink is more a generous portion of molten chocolate tasting than a "chocolate drink" - this expectation has to be set so you could enjoy the most out of it :)

Apart from a variety of chocolates, Vero also has a selection of patisseries. Except a couple (don't really remember which), all others have 1lb size to order. Wherein the "Chuao" was highly recommended by the shop manager. The patisserie is made of one of the best chocolate varieties in the world, Chuao, and chocolate and caramel mousse with fleur de sel, almond praline and chocolate flourless sponge - would love to try it next time! 

 

Okay, here comes the Chocolate Mud Cake I chose for Father's Day. It's one of Vero's best sellers and indeed it's a rich and delightful chocolate cake with consistent texture, one you could imagine as a moist soft brownie with smooth luscious chocolate throughout, in every bite. It's totally addictive and more importantly, my dad loves it :)

The service was incredible too. I visited at their closing time but the staff was still fun and welcoming. When I told them the cake was for Father's Day, the supervisor even offered to write a chocolate "Happy Father's Day" tag for me! It took them an additional 5 min to prepare so - really appreciate that not only because they made this cake special, also because of their spirits to serve. 

Highly recommend Vero for chocolate lovers!

Vero Chocolates

Central

Address: Shop 236, 2/F, The Landmark, 12-16 Des Voeux Road Central, Central 

Tel: 2559 5810

Tsim Sha Tsui

Address: Shop 23, Kiosk, G/F, K11 Art Mall, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: 9709 4868

 

Another beautiful piece of shop display...

Yahoo! Supermart - New platform for buying premium internationaldelicacies from Japan and beyond

Yahoo! Supermart is a new and unique marketplace offering premium international grocery goods online...with great discounts!! A collection of premium Japanese goods are first being introduced, though the product list is being updated constantly with new introductions, here below are some examples of yummy products for you to get an idea~ Visit supermart.yahoo.com.hk for more~

Japan’s No.1 Kuroge Wagyu “Miyazaki Wagyu”beef  

Graded by the Japan Meat Grading Association as top quality A4 grade with superior fat marbling, succulent and melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Price: HK$615 HK$398 (35% Off)


Miyazaki “Earl’s favorite” muskmelon - A monarch of melons
“Earl’s favorite” has only one piece of fruit produced by each tree. With a sweetness of Brix 15 or above, it is juicy and satisfying in the mouth, even better served cold.

Price: HK$1,292 HK$718 (44% Off)

Supreme Miyazaki mangoes “Eggs of the Sun” 
This delish looking “Apple Mango”, Miyazaki mango, has golden yellow flesh and a highly aromatic flavor (honestly it's seriously delicious and juicy). It is lovely and sweet with Brix 15 above in sweetness as well.

Price: HK$1,576 HK$898 (43% Off)

Sweet Okinawa “Snack Pineapple”
It is a rare and popular species in Japan. When ripened, the rind can easily be separated by hand into smaller snack-sized pieces to enjoy the luscious yellow flesh.

And many more, like Hokkaido hairy crabs and Fukuoka-ken Kyoho grapes (巨峰葡萄) are also on shelves now! :)

Fine fresh foods in offer are carefully selected and directly air-freighted from around the world. And a good thing is, delivery service is included which makes shopping so convenient having this being taken care of. The discounts are actually attractive and these special delicacies could definitely be considered as gifts / food to bring to parties or for celebratory feasts :)

Recipe: Eggs Benedict

Egg Benedict is my synonym for weekend. When I don't feel like going out on Sundays, DIY egg Benedict is quite a good option.

There are 4 basic components to make eggs Benedict, poached eggs, Hollandaise sauce, English muffins and ham/ smoked salmon/ spinach/ mushroom/ bacon, whichever style you'd like it to become.

Here's the recipe, serves 4 with 1 egg each (reference taken from allrecipes.com)

1) Hollandaise sauce

Ingredients:

- 2 egg yolks

- 80g melted butter

- 2 tsp lemon juice

- Some hot water

- A dash of salt and white pepper

- A little tarragon / dill weed

1. Bring water in the bottom of a double boiler to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, and white pepper.

2. Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated.  

3. Whisk in salt, then remove from heat. Place a lid on the pan to keep the sauce warm.

2) Poached eggs

Ingredients:

- 4 eggs

- 2 tbsp of white vinegar

1. Fill a large saucepan with 3 inches of water. Bring water to a gentle simmer, then add vinegar. 

2. Carefully break eggs into simmering water (or in a ladle to dip into water), and allow to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Yolks should still be soft in center. 

3. Remove eggs from water with a slotted spoon and set on a warm plate.

3) English muffins

- 4 halves of English muffins

- Butter for spread

1. Lightly toast the English muffins just to brown the surface.

2. Spread the butter on the halves.

4) Ham

Ingredients:

- 4 slices of ham (of any type you prefer)

- 1 tbsp butter

1. While the eggs are poaching, brown the slices of ham in a medium skillet with butter over medium-high heat.

The presentation

Garnish: Chopped chives or dry parsley 

1. Top each English muffin half with a slice of ham, followed by one poached egg. 

2. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce. 

3. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.