Hyperlocal Tokyo

I received a gift of a signed Peruvian farm tablet and an Anniversary Box, a first in Japan! 🇵🇪 The beautiful box with a signature contained baked goods and colorful heart-shaped chocolates. ▼ "Anniversary Box" This special assortment box commemorates their first anniversary. It includes baked goods like biscuits and financiers, heart-shaped bonbons, and pecan brittles that sold out in two weeks after their release in March. It's a limited-edition box. Price: ¥5,500 (tax included) The heart-shaped chocolates have different flavors depending on their color, offering a variety of tastes. One piece was enough to fill me up. Personally, I loved the pecan brittles, especially the caramel and nut-flavored chocolates. They were so delicious, I couldn't stop eating them.

I had been wanting to visit BENOIT NIHANT's first flagship store in Japan, located near Ginza Mitsukoshi, for a while. This chocolate shop offers a wide selection of tablet chocolates, bonbons, and Japanese-exclusive baked goods, chocolate confectionery, and Western-style pastries, as well as a reservation-only cafe. It's always fully booked, so I was thrilled to finally get a chance to visit. This time, I ordered the 'Afternoon Set,' which allows you to experience the diverse charms of chocolate, from cacao bean harvesting to the final product. The Afternoon Set features two plates. The larger plate includes a selection of crème chocolat, cacao pulp and cacao nib sorbet, cookies and cacao nib crackle, cacao nibs, chocolat chaud, and mini chocolates. The smaller plate features ganache chocolat, bonbons, mini financier, chocolate mousse and cacao pulp cream petit gateau, and Mayan red chocolate ice cream. It was a luxurious chocolate feast, and everything was absolutely delicious. The chocolate drink was particularly rich and had a delightful tangy flavor. The cacao pulp and cacao nib sorbet was refreshingly cool and the rich chocolate was exquisite. The set also includes unlimited herbal tea, black tea, coffee, and green tea. This cafe is highly recommended for chocolate lovers.

Located on the first floor of a building between Mitsukoshi and Matsuya on Ginza Chuo-dori. It's a street-level shop, so you'll easily spot it if you're walking by. I've purchased chocolates here a few times, but this was my first time trying the cafe ✨. So, I ordered their famous chocolate parfait! It costs ¥4,378 and comes with free-flow coffee & tea (all-you-can-drink) ★. You can choose from six different drinks, including coffee, tea, and herbal tea (both iced and hot) ☕️. However, cafe service is only available until 4:00 PM, so be mindful of the time when you visit. The parfait is decorated with chocolates shaped like umbrellas, leaves, the Earth, and the ground, and inside, there are caramelized almonds ★. The glass is filled with crunch, caramel mousse, chocolate ice cream, cacao pulp sorbet, and cacao pulp jelly at the bottom. Each element is delicious, no explanation needed! However, since I love to experiment, I'd like to share my recommended ways to enjoy it! ✨✨ ① The cacao pulp sorbet has a fruity and tangy flavor reminiscent of lychee. Scoop some up and combine it with the chocolate ice cream, mousse, and crunch. It's amazing! The rich chocolate blends with the fruity and tangy cacao pulp, creating a truly delicious experience. ② Crush the decorative chocolates on top and mix them in with the crunch, mousse, and other elements. This creates a variety of textures and blends the different sweetness of each chocolate, making it incredibly enjoyable ✨. These two ways of eating are highly recommended by me. Be sure to try them! ★ You can also enjoy the cakes sold here in the cafe. Even if you can't take them home, there are plenty of options to enjoy. It's truly delicious, so I'll definitely be back! ✨

King of Chocolate Parfaits 🍫🍷!! Free-flow drinks are also a plus 😍 This shop is located right by the Ginza 3-chome intersection. It's a single-origin chocolate shop by Belgian cacao artisan Benoit Nihant, who traveled the world's plantations to find the finest cacao. On the B1F, there's a cafe space where you can enjoy chocolate parfaits and bonbons with free-flow tea 🍫☕😍 Benoit Nihant is said to be incredibly meticulous about his chocolate making. He uses a restored roasting machine from the 1950s and grinds the beans slowly using a stone mill over 100 years old, all to preserve the cacao's flavor. You often hear about single-origin coffee, but he's also committed to single-origin cacao 😲 This chocolate parfait is made with an abundance of his meticulously crafted chocolate!! As a chocolate lover, this was a treat I had to try 🍫🍷 Here's the breakdown: - Hat & Leaf - Inspired by the sun hat and cacao leaves worn by plantation workers. Made with Mayan Red. - Chocolate Ball - Designed to represent the Earth and the land. Made with Mayan Red. - Mayan Red Ice Cream - Features a strong cacao flavor with a clean, crisp finish. - Cacao Pulp Sorbet - A sorbet that highlights the acidity and fruity aroma of cacao pulp. - The roasted flavor of cacao nibs mixed in adds a subtle touch. - Feuilletine Chocolate - A crunchy mix of Mayan Red, almond praline, and feuilletine (crushed pastry dough). - Cacao Pulp Jelly - A jelly that captures the refreshing sweetness and cool acidity of cacao pulp, reminiscent of lychee. - Caramel Chocolate Mousse - A rich caramel chocolate mousse made with Mayan Red. This parfait and bonbons come with free-flow tea, herbal tea, and coffee. You can choose your tea by smelling the leaves 😍☕ They bring you a box with the tea leaves and descriptions inside, which really elevates the experience 🤩 Here are the varieties: - Organic Darjeeling Estate - Organic Earl Grey - Organic Spring Jasmine - Marrakech Mint - Organic African Nectar The chocolate parfait is incredibly elaborate. When you lift the sparkling chocolate ball, which is decorated with a hat and leaf, you'll find a tiny cacao pod-shaped chocolate inside!! And when you break open the cacao pod, you'll find caramelized almonds inside 😋 Plus, each of these decorative chocolates is incredibly delicious!! They're delicious on their own, but they're even better when eaten with the ice cream and sorbet in the glass!! And the bottom layer of the glass has cacao pulp jelly and chocolate mousse, so the flavors keep changing 🤩 It's just chocolate, but because it's just chocolate, it's a parfait that lets you fully enjoy chocolate. It's a bit pricey, but if you're a chocolate lover, this is a must-try treat 🍫!! It's the King of Chocolate Parfaits!!

The shop is located on the first floor and is visible from the outside, but the name is not written in katakana, it's written as "BENOIT NIHANT." If you ask the staff inside, they will guide you to the cafe on the B1F. The cafe can be booked online. The parfait was visually stunning, with a wonderful cocoa aroma, and it was absolutely delicious. The staff will explain how to eat it. It was a truly luxurious experience.