Valentine’s Day is the one day out of the year when Hollywood romance is not only accepted, but expected. Grand gestures are everywhere—over-the-top bouquets, rose petals on the bed, teddy bears for the over-30 crowd—you name it. But without doubt the best, and most cliché, offering remains a box of chocolates. Vancouver’s own Beta5 Chocolates has been hard at work to prove that the old standby can still be full of surprises. Expanding out from its Industrial Avenue location, Beta5’s Cambie Village pop-up shop runs through Feb. 14, 2017 and offers a full array of chocolates, all far from the usual.
Mix-and-match boxes can be made by pulling from the Valentine’s Day Collection (also available at the Industrial Avenue location) with treats like bite-sized Turkish coffee: dark chocolate espresso ganache with cardamom, saffron, and romantic rose. Also available in the love-inspired offering are explosive, sparkling raspberry chocolates with freeze-dried raspberry bits and popping candy. For the earthy Valentine, chocolates made from beet caramel and cocoa nibs fit the bill, while the Heart of Gold with raspberry jelly and dusted in gold is a more glamorous option.
The pop-up location also offers the company’s famous cream puffs, including favourite flavours like salted caramel and vanilla, as well as a limited-edition Valentine puff in which strawberry and jasmine custard is topped off with a pink macaron. All fitting options for a Romeo thinking outside of the box.
