It’s my birthday today! One of the gifts I received is this: Royce’ Nama chocolate! If you have ever tasted this chocolate before, you would know how truly awesome it is.
My first experience with Royce’ was in ’06, when a friend specially couriered a small unassuming “care package” to me. It unraveled to reveal a slim box of Nama chocolates!
I was hooked from the very first bite, and went on to label them as little pieces of heaven. They truly are! Although some people prefer calling them the Rolls-Royce of chocolate.
Royce’ hails from Hokkaido. As a testimony to the Japanese people’s emphasis on excellence, the packaging of Royce’ products is impressive.
When you purchase the candy from their stores, it is accompanied by a cooling dry ice pack and sealed in thick silver packaging. This way, shoppers can continue their spree for hours without worrying about the chocolate melting into a gooey mess!
Each box contains twenty pieces of chocolate blocks covered in fine powdery cacao. It comes with a small plastic spoon.
The 5 main flavours of Nama chocolate are (from left):
- Au Lait
- White
- Champagne
- Mild Cacao
- Bitter
Sometimes, the company also releases seasonal flavours like banana or strawberry.
S$15
Rating:
Having sampled all 5 flavours at the store (yeah, they let you do that), my personal favourite is the scrumptious champagne. Bitter trails by a close second, and would be favoured by chocolate fanatics that crave the really strong and mildly bitter flavour.
The feel of the chocolate on the tongue is creamy and velvety smooth. First you taste the slight bitterness of the cacao powder, then the sweet and rich chocolaty flavour as it quickly melts in the mouth.
There is the tinge of Champagne Pierre Mignon, although it isn’t like those liquor filled chocolate where you get a burst of liquor flavour. That works for me, because I prefer the liquor to not overpower the chocolate flavour.
Apart from the Nama chocolates, I heard that the potato chip chocolate is one fast seller too. Yes, that’s right. Chocolate-coated potato chips – two sins in one! As far as snacks go, this may well be the most sinful one! I hesitate to try it as it seems pretty lethal on the throat.
To get a taste of Royce’ magnificent candy, pop by one of their concept stores, where Japanese sales attendants would be more than happy to let you sample all five flavours. This store at Ion Orchard boasts a clean, white, almost clinical look, with refrigerators built into the wall.
May I also add that Royce’ chocolates is one of the best gifts from the “simple and affordable” category you can get for a friend (without appearing cheap), be it at Christmas, someone’s birthday or just to show that you care.
Enjoy!
Aug 1, 2009
13
is it really your birthday today? if so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)
Aug 1, 2009
3472
Yes, it is! Thanks Ida!
Aug 1, 2009
4
Happy Birthday! :D
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Thanks babe :D
Aug 1, 2009
1
Happy birthday! Enjoy your day!
Sally
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Thank you Sally!
Aug 1, 2009
1
Wishing you many happy returns on your birthday !
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Thank you for your well wishes!
Aug 2, 2009
1
hey veron. firstly, happy birthday! secondly, please do try the potato chip choc. i love it so so much. a little salty, a little sweet – you’d think it makes for a weird combination but appeals to my taste buds.
worry not about the throat. just go easy on them.. though it’s hard to resist.. (:
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Thanks! Well, I do love both potato chips and chocolate. Perhaps I can head down to the store and try some free samples! Hehe :P
Aug 2, 2009
57
Very happy birthday to you, Veron…
I also tried the champagne version last week (they give you a small quarter of a ‘bloc’).
Unfortunately, I didn’t really get the champagne ‘hit’ I was expecting – nevertheless, the texture and taste of Royce always appeals to me. Love the stuff.
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Yup they let people try out a quarter of a block. That’s how I tried out all 5 flavours at one shot! After a while the flavours all seem to mesh together, but I’m pretty sure I can taste a tinge of champagne in it. That’s why I was so impressed! Maybe it’s because that’s the first flavour I tried :)
That said, I don’t seem to taste the champagne after it’s been refrigerated for days. Hmm…
Aug 2, 2009
3
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Hope you have a great time! =D
Aug 3, 2009
3472
I sure did! Thank you =D
Aug 2, 2009
29
happy bday veron babe
my 2nd bday wish..belated one tho..
ooooh royce..it just melts in your mouth…
smooth and it lingers…
btw i just got bk from batam..had a blast!
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Thanks again! I have never been to Batam before. Is it that fun?
Aug 3, 2009
6
Happy Belated Birthday Wan Ting~
i shall remember to go try the champagne flavour the next time i pass by a royce store
Aug 3, 2009
3472
Very happy to see your name here! Thanks!
The Ion Orchard store dished out free samples readily (by Japanese ladies!). I’m not sure about the other outlets though.
Aug 3, 2009
6
what a waste~ I went to the epicentre store in Ion Orchard today. Too bad i didn’t read your blog a day earlier. I didn’t even know there’s a royce in Ion Orchard haha… That place is too big
Aug 5, 2009
3
After reading your review on Royce, I raced down to Ion to give it a try. LOVE IT! Did you check out Nippon-ya while you were at Ion?
Aug 5, 2009
3472
Oh no I saw it but didn’t walk in; I was distracted by other Japanese establishments :) Would you recommend anything from there? I think there’s an outlet at Central too.
Aug 5, 2009
11
blessed belated bday Veron!! =D
Aug 5, 2009
3472
Thank you!
Aug 8, 2009
10
hey veron, my friend was craving for the nama choc but i din know that it has 5 flavours! the bitter one’s sort of like dark choc? it’s so good? u are tempting me. hahaha
Aug 10, 2009
3472
You’re right; the bitter is just like dark chocolate! Because of that I think it might just be the healthiest of the 5 flavours! They let you try out all the flavours at the Royce’ store :P
Aug 11, 2009
6
Wow this one looks so yummy.
If i buy this chocolate for my gf, she will be very happy too.
Aug 11, 2009
3472
Happiness and satisfaction guaranteed! For the both of you, hehe :P
Aug 18, 2009
3
Speaking of chocolate, I had the breakfast set over at Hediard (on Tudor Court), and their hot chocolate is simply amazing, like molten chocolate.
Great croissants as well. Check it out if you have time.
Aug 18, 2009
3472
Goody! I’m rather fond of Tudor Court, and each time i window-shop there, I feel like I’m in a foreign land. I would definitely check out Hediard. Love hot chocolate :) Thanks for your recommendation.
Oct 28, 2009
1
love royce chocolates . ohya and at ion you can also enjoy tea from twg tea to accompany the chocolates. thanks for the info on royce chocolates . i’ve been searching for them all over the place. enjoy ur chocolates ;D
Oct 28, 2009
3472
That’s a wonderful idea :) I have heard a lot about TWG Tea and I am looking forward to visiting them soon.
Feb 3, 2010
5
Happy belated birthday!
I found your site recently so not knowing it, sorry
The store design look scary in that ‘so clean’ look
^^
Reading your post influence me to try the royce too!
Feb 7, 2010
3472
You would LOVE the chocolate. I fell in love with it from my very first bite :)
Feb 9, 2010
5
I also can’t forget it easily after read your post and saw the picture
It’s on my priority list!
Hahahahaha
Feb 18, 2010
https://sparklette.net/wp-content/themes/v3195
Heard that Sushi Tei does a wonderful Nama ice cream, just like Royce’ chocolates ! Anyone tried it yet? http://sparklette.net/food/royce/
Feb 18, 2010
https://sparklette.net/wp-content/themes/v32
@sparklette Really? Sushi Tei. Now that’s surprising!
May 25, 2010
2
I stumbled across your blog months ago, and well you have my word that I was hooked on since then.
Reading your posts have been a little ritual for me every single time I surf the internet. And I don’t actually live in Singapore, I’m an Indonesian.
And when I visited Spore about 2 weeks ago, your recommendations have been sort of my bible or guidance of unusual and superb delicacies.
And royce’s nama chocolate was one of the very many buys I enjoyed very much.
I visited the store @ION, and man you gotta love the interior and everything. I woyld have mistaken it for some drugstores if I hadn’t taken a closer look. So I decided right from the start that no matter what, I will have to taste one of their Nama chocolates and bring it home.
Picking the chocolate’s flavor was bit of a headache for me. I couldn’t decide between Strawberry, Champagne, or Cherry Marnier. But with the last being, apparently a best seller and a newcomer to the store, I decided to buy it.
Goodness gracious, that was I’ve always dreamed chocolates to be. Bitter and sweet, Long-lasting and dreamy.
The texture and its taste blend perfectly well and that hidden liquor taste if ummm, heavenly.
You gotta try it sometimes, and thanks for every and each of your posts, Veron! That was pretty much my best trip to Singapore, thanks to you. ^^
May 27, 2010
3472
Oh wow! I think that’s the best compliment anyone has paid to Sparklette in a long, long while. I’m honored that you like my reviews here and that you find them that useful! I love good food, but more than that, I love sharing it. Thrilled that these reviews helped you when you came to our little country :)
That Cherry Marnier chocolate sounds intriguing and refreshing! The last time I visited a Royce’ store, it wasn’t available yet. This serves as a reminder that I need to visit one soon. Thanks for telling us about it!
These comments make me so happy. Thank you!