Words by Aude Camus
Guys, I think I’m getting old. Not old-old, but the kind of old where I need a square of good chocolate before bed, and where my idea of a chic weekend errand is popping into a fancy chocolatier to carefully pick out the pieces that will carry me through the week. And on top of old, I think I’m a little snob — because no supermarket chocolate will do anymore. I want something that feels like a treat, looks like jewellery, and tastes like a trip around the world.
Which is why I was very happy — thrilled, really — to see that Belgian master chocolatier Pierre Marcolini has finally opened his first boutique in Hong Kong, right at ifc mall. I have my go-to places for chocolate in Hong Kong, but I have to say options are quite limited compared to Paris for example. So, to have the luxury of Pierre Marcolini’s pralines, and macarons just an escalator ride away is definitely something that makes me happy.
Guys, I think I’m getting old. Not old-old, but the kind of old where I need a square of good chocolate before bed, and where my idea of a chic weekend errand is popping into a fancy chocolatier to carefully pick out the pieces that will carry me through the week. And on top of old, I think I’m a little snob — because no supermarket chocolate will do anymore. I want something that feels like a treat, looks like jewellery, and tastes like a trip around the world.
Which is why I was very happy — thrilled, really — to see that Belgian master chocolatier Pierre Marcolini has finally opened his first boutique in Hong Kong, right at ifc mall. I have my go-to places for chocolate in Hong Kong, but I have to say options are quite limited compared to Paris for example. So, to have the luxury of Pierre Marcolini’s pralines, and macarons just an escalator ride away is definitely something that makes me happy.
For the uninitiated, Marcolini isn’t just any chocolatier. He’s a world pastry champion, crowned World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2020, and one of the rare artisans who controls the entire bean-to-bar process. That means he sources his own cocoa directly from smallholder farms across the world — places like Cuba, Madagascar, and even Hainan Island in China — and oversees every stage, from fermentation to conching, in his Brussels atelier. The result is chocolate that tells a story, one bite at a time.
At the ifc boutique, you’ll find his most iconic creations: the Les Cœurs (those pretty little hearts filled with flavours like raspberry, passion fruit, or pistachio praliné); the Grands Crus dark chocolate squares made with rare single-origin beans; and the aptly named melt-in-the-mouth Petits Bonheurs (my absolute favs), tiny praline cubes that come in irresistible flavours like hazelnut praline, gianduja, or caramel. There’s also bean-to-bar Tablets and Macarons. And because Hong Kong likes to feel special, there will also be Asia-exclusive gift sets and seasonal editions just for us.
At the ifc boutique, you’ll find his most iconic creations: the Les Cœurs (those pretty little hearts filled with flavours like raspberry, passion fruit, or pistachio praliné); the Grands Crus dark chocolate squares made with rare single-origin beans; and the aptly named melt-in-the-mouth Petits Bonheurs (my absolute favs), tiny praline cubes that come in irresistible flavours like hazelnut praline, gianduja, or caramel. There’s also bean-to-bar Tablets and Macarons. And because Hong Kong likes to feel special, there will also be Asia-exclusive gift sets and seasonal editions just for us.
I stopped by the shop just a few days ago and left with glossy boxes of pralines which I’m currently enjoying while writing this piece. Will I visit again? You bet I will! My top pick? The hazelnut praline from the Petits Bonheurs collection, which I may or may not have finished in one sitting.
So yes, maybe I’ve turned into the person who schedules chocolate shopping into her week. But when the chocolate is this good — sustainable, luxurious, and made with the kind of obsessive craftsmanship you can taste — I say it’s a perfectly acceptable form of adulthood (or at least the form I’ve signed up for!).
Pierre Marcolini Hong Kong
Shop 1040A, ifc mall, Central
So yes, maybe I’ve turned into the person who schedules chocolate shopping into her week. But when the chocolate is this good — sustainable, luxurious, and made with the kind of obsessive craftsmanship you can taste — I say it’s a perfectly acceptable form of adulthood (or at least the form I’ve signed up for!).
Pierre Marcolini Hong Kong
Shop 1040A, ifc mall, Central
