One word: Indulgent!
So I finally went to indulge in the Dandelion Chocolate café’s brownie flight—because how can anyone say no to a brownie flight?! It’s literally a sampler of fancy brownies! This café/chocolate shop had been recommended to me months ago by a coworker, so it’s nice to finally get my butt over there and try it out myself. (And what a great excuse to not study for that Japanese test tomorrow…)
As you’d expect, both from the super adorable shop and from the slightly-steep price tag, it was amazing! <3
What I Ate
The Brownie Bite Flight
I ate this right at the shop, so it was served up on this absolutely adorable platter, complete with information card and teeny-tiny cutlery!
The information card says:
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BROWNIE BITE FLIGHT ブラウニーバイトフライトカカオ豆の産地による風味の違いはもちろんブラウニーにもあらわれます。私たちはテイスティングしてそれぞれどんなフレーバーなのか考えてみました。でも、味覚は人によって異なりますよね。みなさんはどんなフレーバーを感じるでしょうか。 |
This approximately translates to: The flavor difference of the brownies depends on the cocoa bean’s origin. We tried tasting and thinking about what kind of flavors they have, but the taste is different for different people. What kind of flavor do you experience? |
My favorite was the Ecuador brownie. It was the sweetest of the three—Belize being the most bitter—but all three were amazing. There is a particularly indulgent feel to eating these, and the quality of the chocolate is really evident.
Also, for all of those chocolate lovers out there, these are chocolate chunk brownies. (As in, there are actual chunks of chocolate in the brownie.) It was a bit too much for me, as I’m not a chocolate fan even on my best days (yes, I recognize the irony of that). That said, these are incredibly rich and very high-quality!
My recommendation: Come hungry and share this with someone! These brownies might be small, but they pack a punch.
The Chocolate Chip Cookie
[There’s no picture because it corrupted! :'( ]
If you know anything about me, you know that I take chocolate chip cookies very seriously. As such, I have both high expectations and a very forgiving threshold for chocolate chip cookies.
I took this home with me (thank goodness I didn’t try to eat it at the shop, those brownies were surprisingly filling!) and warmed it up before eating. The to-go bag was just as adorable as the shop’s presentation, so it would make a great gift if you needed. It also came with a little insert about the Dandelion Chocolate café’s small-batch chocolate process. (That information is also available on their website, if you are interested:
Back to the cookie! I give it a 6/10. That’s a solid cookie, definitely not a failure in any way and I didn’t regret eating it at any point.
BUT!
It was a bit too bitter for me. But that’s not even the biggest detractor for me. No, that is the sheer size of the “chips.” These are basically small slabs of chocolate in a sugar cookie—the ratio and the dispersion was just too uneven and really took away from the eating experience.
One of the big pluses, for me though, was the texture. It’s pleasantly soft (though it’s definitely the sort of soft that will harden the next day, so definitely eat these the day you buy it!)
What Has Been Recommended
The Hot Chocolate
This has been recommended to me by multiple people, but I don’t like hot beverages so I forewent this option. However, my friends all spoke very highly of this. (They also caution, though, that it’s definitely a chocolate-lover’s chocolate drink. It’s a super rich, very dark chocolate that they use, so it’s not for the faint of heart.)
Given the cold but clear weather recently, if you’re a hot chocolate fan this is the perfect time to indulge.
About the Shop
ダンデライオン・チョコレート
20-24 Honmachi, Ise-shi, Mie-ken 516-0074, Japan
516-0074 三重県伊勢市本町20-24
Japanese Website: https://dandelionchocolate.jp/
English Website: https://www.dandelionchocolate.com/
As far as I know, this is the only chocolate-making company in Ise. I am confident, however, that this is the best one! It is also very conveniently located next to Ise Jingu Geku, so after you stuff yourself with delicious dessert you can walk (some of) it off while admiring the beautiful scenery and taking in some history and culture!
Caution: It closes at 5:00PM!