PURE INDULGENCE

INDIAN CRAFT CHOCOLATE MAKERS ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH UNUSUAL INGREDIENTS LIKE JASMINE AND HIBISCUS TO OFFER ESOTERIC FLAVOURS

- SMITA TRIPATHI

C'mon admit it. You have dreamt of a chocolate factory ever since you read Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a kid. After all, it's quite impossible to resist the allure of all that chocolate. Well, dreams do come true. Head over to Hyderabad's posh Banjara Hills and the Manam Chocolate Karkhana to channelise your inner Willy Wonka.

Launched just a few weeks ago on Independence Day, the Karkhana (factory) is an experiential centre, complete with a chocolate waterfall that wants you to get lost in its world of decadence. From bars, truffles, barks, cookies, brownies, macarons, ice creams and cakes to drinking chocolate and more, Manam, that means 'We' in Telugu, has 45 categories with more than 250 products that range from snacking items to desserts. Think malt chocolate truffles made with 43 per cent malted milk single origin West Godavari chocolate, blueberry dragees (bitesized confectionary with a hard outer shell) coated in yogurt, creamy white chocolate and toasted sesame or a caramelised cacao nib chocolate brownie made with 82 per cent dark chocolate from single origin Dominican Republic beans.