As soon as we decided to visit Malaysia, I knew we had to find Chocolate Concierge. At first, I was drawn to this brand because of its packaging. The boxes feature a clever optical illusion that makes it look like brightly coloured cacao pods are popping out of the box, each one a different shape and size. I knew that if I were ever lucky enough to visit, I should come prepared with a large insulated bag and extra cash because I’d likely buy a handful of bars based solely on the cacao pods illustrated on the boxes, and the rest based on the origins of the beans inside them.
And it is those origins that are the second reason I have been so drawn to this brand.
Cacao grows across Malaysia. But if you ask the locals, as I did throughout our two week trip, you wouldn’t know it. Repeatedly taxi drivers, tour guides, Airbnb hosts, cafe owners looked at me with a confused look when I mentioned this. “Maybe in the jungle, or in the highlands. For sure in Borneo. But no one really grows it. Maybe just Indigenous people. There is no money in cacao. The money is in palm oil.”.
While I was hoping to see the cacao, I saw a lot more palm oil. It stretches in endless mono crops, as far as the eye can see. Malaysia is the second largest producer of palm oil in the world, about 25% of global production.
I saw a sprinkling of cacao trees in people’s backyards in the country side. Most growers said they only enjoyed the sweet pulp. There doesn’t seem to be a widespread practice of making small batches of unsweetened cacao at home to use in drinks in cooking as in other countries in the region. Cacao, it seems, is still an undiscovered gem.
Chocolate Concierge is working to change that.
The brand has several locations, including a “Lab” not far from Batu Caves, but we wanted a location with a café and the shop at Bangsar Shopping Centre seemed to be the only one that fulfilled that requirement. We walked half an hour from Little India in Kuala Lumpur through a very quiet, affluent residential neighbourhood. If Bangsar Shopping Centre is where they all shop, the neighbourhood must be even more well off than we originally observed.
Upstairs, on the first level, Chocolate Concierge has a small cafe overlooking one of the main openings of the mall. It is packed with a mix of shoppers and informal business meetings. Whether any of them fully realised what they had stumbled upon, or were simply looking for something sweet, I don’t know. But they are there, which is exciting.
A small counter displayed the optical illusion boxes I had travelled so far to see in person. There were many more than I expected, each cacao pod representing a different region of Malaysia from which the beans are sourced. Beans have Kelantan and Kota Marudu in Sabah both were awarded by the Cacao of Excellence Program for their unique flavour profiles. We tasted the Chemor, harvested north of Ipoh, where the cacao is fermented for only three days (instead of the usual 5 to 7). Merdeka, a single estate in Tras surrounded by durian trees. There are over a dozen different origins, all with unique stories and flavors.
There was information on the tables about the origin and the farmers supplying some of the beans. A staff member offered us samples, though couldn’t share much detail about the origins. No matter, the chocolate spoke for themselves.
The main display case held dozens of beautifully presented bonbons of every colour, many featuring Malaysian flavours we had come to love during our stay; durian, teh tarik and laska. This is what I love about being on the Asia Pacific side of the craft chocolate world. No one experiments with flavours, both sweet and savoury, quite like the makers in this region.
The menu made me smile. Drinking chocolates were organised by origin, highlighting the beans and their flavours. We order a few different origins, and a lot of bonbons, and take a seat.
The bonbons are all delicious, crisp shells give way to clear, confident flavours. The way bonbons should be made. The drinking chocolates were text book, at least for my mood for the day. They struck the perfect balance: not so thin that the milk overwhelmed the chocolate, yet not so thick that they become dessert in their own right. Turning a good chocolate into bad hot chocolate is a crime (at least in my book). Too often the craft goes into the bar, and the drink is an afterthought. Not here. The Chemor was bright and lively with notes of berries. The Johor was darker, nuttier with a hint of spice. Batu Panat was rich and chocolatey, while the Koto Marudu was more floral.
We left with a lot of chocolate, though Chocolate Concierge wasn’t entirely to blame, or rather, thank. Downstairs is an upscale supermarket called BSC Fine Foods that sells another Malaysian craft chocolate brand, Benns Ethicoa, as well as the whole range of Marou chocolates (Vietnam). While we didn’t leave with luxury watches or tailored gowns, my overflowing insulated bag felt just as precious.
Verdict: Definetly worth the detour if you are in Malaysia, and even if you aren’t! The prices of the drinking chocolates vary from 16 to 26 MYR depending on the origin. Don’t Roget to bring an insulated bag! Chocolate Concierge, Bangsar Shopping Centre Level 1, 10am to 8pm open 365 days a year.
