ROYCE Chocolates is in Manila!

You read the headline right! Japan's most famous chocolates are now here in Manila and specifically, on the top floor of Rockwell's Power Plant Mall, right beside the chapel -- it's heaven beside chocolate heaven!

Now, everyone in Manila can get their boxes of the delectable chocolate treats - NAMA, Potato Choco Chip (yep) and the truffles with orange liqueur, kirsch and pralines. The Konbini Store used to carry only the Nama chocolates and some of the bars, no truffles. But this time around, everyone gets the full Royce' menu. No more calling for orders like before and no more waiting! You can get your orders right off the counter. Get your boxful of Royce' goodies now and have a merry Christmas before you run out of the best chocolates in town!

Here's my earlier post on the famous heavenly treats which I discovered last August, thanks to a friend who was then still importing her "loot" from Japan, HK and Singapore. Now, it's just a stone's throw away from where she lives :) ....  

As posted on www.amyuy.multiply.com last August 3, 2008: 

I was introduced recently by a Chinese lady friend to the Japanese wonder chocolates that go by the name of Royce. After having a tasty lunch at Seryna in Little Tokyo in Makati, we went straight to her place in Rockwell to have tea and yes, generous servings of Royce Chocolates! She had Royce's Nama chocolates - the kind that melts so smoothly and sinfully in your mouth plus the truffles with brandy liqueur and one of the varieties coated with sesame seeds or nuts. My friend has to fly in her Royce chocolates from either Hong Kong or Singapore since they're not available in Manila or so she said. But lo and behold, a copy of Yummy magazine this month pointed me right to where Royce Chocolates can be had for P620/box of 20 pcs for the Nama and the nutty bars at P500 or so a piece! 

Yes, all Royce chocoholics can get their fix of these rich and delicate Japanese delights in Konbini Tokyo Market, a Japanese grocery just beside Angel's Kitchen in Connecticut St., Greenhills. I got a box of the Nama chocolates that had no liqueur and so pure and heavenly that you can finish all 20 pieces without guilt. Unfortunately, you can't just buy the chocolates off the Konbini shelves. You have to place an order with the store in advance so they can get your chocolates for you. I promised myself to sample more of the Royce Nama chocolates, the au lait flavor w/ cherry liqueur and maybe the champagne one. Plus, the well-loved Potato Chocolate Chip variety!

The chocolates have a short shelf life and must be savored before the due date stamped on the box to get the full benefit of their goodness. This is one of the reasons why Konbini can't store a lot of the chocolates and you have to call in to order first. You also have to keep them cold lest you end up with your confections turning into one gooey glob of chocolate. The chocolates are kept in a foil with a small pack of ice to make sure you bring them home fresh and intact.

But yes, apart from Truffettes de France that used to come from Canada and that are now sold in Costco Stores in the U.S. and which you can now get from a stall on the second floor of the Shangri-la Plaza Mall, as well as those Leonidas truffles that go for P80 or more per piece, you can now sample Royce Chocolates right here in Manila. Give Konbini a ring first before going over to the store to make sure you get the kind you want. The staff is very helpful and friendly and they will help you sort the varieties. Royce is just one of life's simple pleasures -- and rated highly on Lonely Planet's Blue List of must-eats. :-)