Yesterday I left you guessing what I purchased at an establishment called Chococro. The first time I ever saw a Chococro I thought, what? Chocolate crocodile? Then I went inside to look at the menu and I understood.
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Not CROcodile, but CROissant, or more specifically what I know as a pain au chocolat. A pain au chocolat is basically a croissant with dark chocolate running through the middle that gets all melty when it is baked. Mmmmm. A good pain au chocolat is the perfect combination of buttery flaky croissant with rich melted chocolate. However, that perfection can be hard to find. When I lived in Paris I had my favorite places to go for one, but I never could find a serious contender in the US.
Then we moved to Japan for the first time and I discovered Chococro, and it was love at first bite. Yes, it is that good.
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There are other flavors as well. I have seen banana, hazelnut, and green tea, but I always stick with the classic dark chocolate original. I just have to say that I’m grateful there isn’t a Chococro establishment closer to me, otherwise I’d be 10 kilos heavier! I just discovered that Chococro is now available in the US, in Canoga Park, California. Now that’s something to add to my sweet list to help balance out the bitter!
— Yes, I am an American, so you may think that my voice may not be the most reliable when it comes to the authenticity of Chococro. However, I recently read a blog post by a French girl living in Hiroshima who backs up my opinion. She says: “[I]ls nous piquent la recette du Pain au Chocolat, mais ils la font mieux que nous!!! Franchement, j’ai très rarement mangé d’aussi bons pains au chocolat en France . . . .” (TRANSLATION: “They stole the recipe for Pain au Chocolat from us, but they make it better than we do!!! Frankly, I have rarely eaten pains au chocolat as good as this in France . . . .”)
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
How do they say, “MmmMMMMmmmm!” in Japanese?
Oooh, pain au chocolat! I drool.
so glad i found this blog of yours! makes me miss japan loads. ;)
Okay, I really haven’t been that excited for our trip until THIS POST! 2 weeks until we come!
YUM!!!
In the Bahamas I had dark chocolate banana brioche. To DIE for.
C’est drole! It’s funny… A French girl saying that they do it better than the French… when talking about the “French institution” that the Pain au Chocolat is… quite a statement! And Rachael, for the French lover in you, I believe Quebec people have the best word for the Pain au chocolat. They call it “chocolatine”…
Christine
http://myadventureinchina.blogspot.com
Oh… we have one near our place but I’ve never tried them. I’m always so disappointed in Japanese bakery items, that I assumed this would be along the same lines. Luckily I gave up chocolate last week, otherwise it could be me getting much heavier after this post…
Japanese croissants and chocolate shining above the French?! Dis moi que ce n’est pas vrai (John helped with that one!)! I would love the chance to go to France and then to Japan to decide for myself! Ahhh, maybe someday… :-)