I am hardly unveiling anything new. Chocolate Marou was covered by The New York Times a few years ago. Still, I feel compelled to write about it since their Maison Marou in Ho Chi Minh City is, in my opinion, is one of the best dessert experiences in Vietnam.
Chocolate Marou was founded by two French gentleman, Samuel Maruta (also of Japanese heritage) and and Vincent Mourou back in 2011 (now you can guess where the name comes from). They were not chocolatier by trade, but they did learn fast and had the brilliant idea to exploit local coco bean varieties, each with its own unique texture and aroma depending on the place of origin (the so called terroir).
But this review is not about the chocolate itself, rather it is about Maison Marou, a chocolaterie that is a coffee shop, but also an atelier, but also a miniature chocolate factory, but also a shop, but also a learning center and now even a tourist destination.
The visit
I have patronized Maison Marou since its opening. It is just a great place where to meet friends or just have a solitary dessert. It is quite busy on weekends; weekdays in the early afternoon is probably the best time to go.
At Maison Marou you can shop for Marou chocolate bars, pralines and other souvenirs. You can see the machine roasting the coco beans in action (you can even taste a raw coco bean).
But the star of Maison Marou is represented by their chocolate pastry creations. In my latest visit I tried the tiramisu that was excellent and certainly not an easy dish. In the past I also tried their opera cake, eclairs (love the hard slide of chocolate inside, instead of the regular soft cream), tarts, and other seasonal treats. I have never been let down. One comfort food that I strongly recommend is their giant chocolate chips cookie. It is a great blend of chocolate and cookie paste. They also serve coffee and hot/iced chocolate (and a few other drinks) to complete the experience, otherwise iced water is complimentary (as customary in Vietnamese coffee shops).
In my last visit I also tried one of their new products, a sort of power bar called Ironbar. The balance between the chocolate and the various grains and fibers was good.
The check
For a tiramisu and the chocolate energy bar I spent 210,000 VND (or around 9 USD). The eclair is 70,000 VND (3 USD), but most desserts are priced around 150,000 VND (6.55 USD). By Vietnamese standards, it is not cheap. However, it is difficult to quibble about the price if you take into account the quality of the ingredients and the attractiveness of the venue. For reference, a sampler with 6 bars of their chocolate costs 600,000 VND (around 26 USD). It is pleonastic, but yes, good chocolate is not cheap nowadays.
Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
169 Calmette, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, District 1
Open daily from 9am to 10pm (11pm on Fridays and Weekends).
Check their website and facebook page for updated information.
They also have a Maison Marou in Hanoi.