I don’t know if it’s fate or pure coincidence, but just three days after the opening of Comptoir du Chocolat I happened to be driving through Rue Du Liban when a gold sign caught my attention. There was an empty space right in front of the shop, so I stopped and went in for a closer look.
Owned by Michelle Maalouli, Comptoir du Chocolat is located on the main street parallel to Monot Street leading to the Albergo Hotel. Maalouli used to work under the D-Box brand, a corporate gifts company, until she decided to plunge into the chocolate business. Comptoir du Chocolat is proudly a Lebanese creation. A professional logo, beautiful colors and creative designs are all the work of Maalouli and her friends. Inside a nice and cozy setup, built around white and gold colors, Maalouli receives her customers and introduces them to her wide collection of candies, chocolates and colorful madeleine cakes. A display of candies on a white square table welcomes you behind a glass door. To the right you’ll find a white wall where the chocolates take refuge into one of the many drawers while some candies and colorful cakes pend in closed bags.
White paper lights pending from the ceiling, add just the right amount light as well as an added touch of design. Move forward towards the other room up the stairs and discover more displays and designs. Relax on the leather sofa while you are offered a signature drink..., which I found way too sweet. To tell you the truth, I was not expecting to enjoy the chocolates. Often times, owners tend to capture the client's attention with a beautifully designed place, while the quality of their products turns out to be commercial. Comptoir du Chocolat's chocolates are good, actually even very good. Grabbing my iPhone to take notes, I helped myself to a couple of bites from the many choices on display:
- Abricotine
- Dattes
- Lait
- Noir Diet
- Pâte d'amande
- Gianduja
- Mandarine
- Lavande
- Plage de pistache
- Rocher cranberry
- Praline feuillantine
- Noisette
- Orange
- Gingembre
- Menthe
- Noir 70%
- Bouchon shot
- Barbe à papa
- Crêpe dentelle
I enjoyed the ones I tried:
- Pistachio: A square piece of dark chocolate with a layer of green pistachio topped on a thick layer of chocolate mixed with crunchy bits of nuts. I liked the way the filling occupies half the square leaving space from an adequate quantity of chocolate.
- Chocolate Diet: This is a success: The real flavor of chocolate without the calories
- Ginger: A square piece of condensed layer of chocolate is topped with another layer of chewy ginger that adds an interesting aftertaste without diminishing the chocolate flavor. A beautiful aftertaste stays around your palate afterwards tickling your taste buds and making you crave for more
- Cotton candy: WOW! My favorite. Inside a piece of cone-shaped milk chocolate is white barbe a papa. A thin layer of chocolate protects a generous filling of white cotton candy. Just imagine soft cotton filaments melting in your mouth, while the chocolate bursts in flavors. I enjoyed it without the feeling of a sugar overdose.
Comptoir Du Chocolat is an innovative chocolate boutique full of colorful boxes which include original molded pieces of chocolates from screwdrivers, pliers, lipstick and shoes to colorful ones in pink, white and orange and more... Champagne bubbles candies grabbed my attention. Design objects, colorful creations and easy to grab boxes of chocolates... now sweets have a new address... A new brand to compete with the fine creators of chocolate is worth discovering but a bit overpriced in my opinion.
Comptoir Du Chocolat, Rue Du Liban, Achrafieh, Beirut. +961 1 201013
