The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Belgian chocolatiers face up to changing tastes Posted: 01 Jan 2013 06:59 PM PST BRUSSELS, Jan 2 — Belgium is rightly proud as producer of some of the world's finest chocolate, but changing tastes and new markets in Asia and the Arab world are shaking up its somewhat predictable chocolate scene. "Belgian traditional chocolates? Some people still do them really well, such as the major brands," said Laurent Gerbaud, one of the new generation of chocolatiers trying to keep up with a discerning clientele.  Laurent Gerbaud in his workshop in the centre of Brussels. — AFP pic Gerbaud instead offers small chocolates made with exotic and unusual flavourings — figs from Izmir in Turkey, the bitter berries of the Barberry tree, Cape pears or Yuzu, a citrus fruit from Japan. "My priority is clear, simple flavours, using the best ingredients possible," Gerbaud said. "My chocolates use less sugar and fat in response to increasing demand." Such chocolates with a bitter and sharp edge were first made in France in the 1990s as artisan chocolatiers came onto the scene. In Belgium, the trend has been slower to get off the ground in an industry dominated by such illustrious names as Leonidas, Godiva, Cote d'Or or Neuhaus. But that is beginning to change, with new brands coming through, even if progress is slow and Belgium's some 400 artisan chocolatiers remain wary of getting carried away. "It is extremely difficult to establish a brand, to build up a clientele and to be profitable," says Gerbaud, one of the best in the business. "After 11 years, I still do not have profits." Traditional brands fight back For the established brands, the challenge is different, needing to find new markets if they are to expand beyond their home base. Leonidas was founded after the 1913 International Exhibition by Leonidas Kestekides, a Greek pastry maker who decided to settle in Belgium, and the company is using the 100th anniversary celebrations to update its offering. Kestedides' descendants still run the business, with the Leonidas brand known worldwide through some 1,300 outlets in 50 countries, selling 6,000 tonnes a year or one million chocolates a day. "It is clear that our potential for development lies more in the emerging economies rather than in the mature market here in Europe," said Hugues Moens, commercial director for Leonidas. China, already home to 40 Leonidas shops, and the Arab world are now the priority for the company. In Belgium as in France, with some 350 shops in each country, Leonidas has to find the right balance between tradition and innovation so as to keep its old customers and attract new ones. "We do not forget that our success is based on the loyalty of customers who hold to traditional chocolates such as the Manon, our bestseller," said Claude Seneque, master chocolatier at the company. To attract new customers, to cater to changing tastes, Leonidas must also have something for those who find the brand "a little old-fashioned", according to Pauline Vervoort, 26, from Brussels. So as part of its anniversary celebrations, Leonidas has made new pralines, smaller and even more chocolate packed, and plans to spruce up its shops. "In Belgium, to succeed in chocolate is harder and harder," says Gerbaud. "You have to be tough but also creative all the time." — AFP/Relaxnews |
| Posted: 01 Jan 2013 04:23 PM PST  Café Kalamazoo... a cheery place to hang out with friends. — Alan Wong pics Run by the god-brother of a friend of Melody's and his friends, its early days were fraught with danger. What were they thinking, planting themselves several doors down from the wildly popular Betty's Midwest Kitchen and offering a similar type of cuisine? Melody and I didn't return until months later, after it underwent a revamp. Some grey walls were replaced with a cheerier theme, and the sign sported a more welcoming pastel yellow. It felt more like a hangout for close friends than a run-of-the-mill café.  The peanut butter and chocolate milkshake is so damn good. Fewer clues to their alma mater exist now than when they first opened; what remaining WMU memorabilia has been relegated to a yellow-painted section of a wall near the counter. I can't say much about the burgers, but we were charmed by mains such as the cheese-drizzled pesto chicken and the hearty beef meatloaf. One of the chefs, we were told, spent a great deal of time testing the sauces, and the results were great. Some thought had been put into the combination of dishes, sides and sauces.  Hearty, fall-off-the-bone ribs... a must-try at Kalamazoo. Some of these goodies, however, made way for a Christmas menu last weekend that included hand-picked regular items. Melody and I decided to skip the Christmas turkey, which she didn't like anyway. She went with "something light": a pork burger. I picked the Alabama BBQ Ribs and Chilli Cheese Fries. The fries came first. American chilli "with a touch of heat", fries and cheese on a plate make for some heavy, tasty comfort food, but I felt it could use an additional three to four touches of heat. "Chilli" is such a misnomer for a dish whose main ingredients include tomato sauce, minced beef and pinto and/or kidney beans.  Beef meatloaf that makes you wanna sing ... ♪ and I would do anything for love... ♫ But oh G*d, the ribs. Pull-off-the-bone tender but not sticky, slathered in a runnier sauce dotted with herbs I couldn't identify. I got pumpkin mash, a sweeter and less filling side dish compared to potato that really made room for more. I was still dipping into the chilli cheese fries between each rib bone, supplementing my plate of fries with the ones that came with Melody's burger. Once the rack o' ribs was no longer recognisable as such, the cutlery was cast aside in favour of fingers. Her friend walked over to see a nearly clean plate with picked-clean bones; I'd wiped up the sauce and leftover bits with pieces of a burger bun Melody couldn't finish. She'd noted that any chef would be pleased to see me "enjoy myself so much". I certainly hoped so. As a token of appreciation, Melody's friend brought us two pieces of marinated fried chicken from the kitchen to try. "Strictly staff fare," we were told. Nice, but a little heavy on the marinade. And what a shame that both of us were too full for dessert, which included the cakes baked and supplied to Kalamazoo by Melody's friend's mom. The macadamia cake and Black Forest cake came highly recommended. The green tea and red bean cake we had on a previous visit was nice but dry — a glitch that they had pledged to fix. Back home, the bathroom scales confirmed my worst fears: I'd gained the weight I'd lost pre-Christmas weekend. Oh, what the heck. Eleven months at the gym and it'll all be gone. Kalamazoo CaféA-G-36, Jalan PJU 1/43 Aman Suria Damansara 47301 Petaling Jaya Business Hours: 11am-10pm daily; closed on Tuesdays Tel: +603-7805 1436 Email: kalamazoo.cafe@gmail.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kalamazoo.cafe Twitter http://twitter.com/cafekalamazoo Non-halal |
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