Chocolates have always been tied to expression, especially when it comes to love. Every Valentine’s Day, celebrations are inevitably sweetened with chocolate, whether you’re gifting it to someone special or indulging yourself.
This year, I found myself at ITC Maurya, seated for a seven-course, chocolate-led menu by Fabelle, the hotel group’s luxury chocolate brand. The air was buzzing, already touched with the frantic anticipation of a menu designed around chocolate. Savoury courses with chocolate? That was enough to pique my interest. And it didn’t disappoint.
But before the savouries, we were introduced to "The Arc of Love," a box of five handcrafted heart-shaped pralines, each representing a stage of love.
We started from “The Beginning,” a pristine white chocolate shell praline filled with a delicate milk chocolate mousse and caramelised macadamia nuts. This signalled the purity, promise, and thrill of a new love. That feeling of sweet newness moved into “The Bloom,” which captured those early moments of desire, translating perfectly with a milk chocolate shell hiding a spicy mousse; the flavour tingles on your tongue for a while, which I quite enjoyed, reminiscent of the tenacity of infatuation.
We got headfirst into the deep end with “The Bond” next. A velvety ruby chocolate shell which, when you bite into, oozes a perfectly tart lemon conserve with dark chocolate mousse. This one was my favourite, having a special fondness for lemon flavours. The citrussy burst, combined with the dark chocolate, left me wanting more. “The Belief” took us to the maturing layers of a relationship with luscious dark chocolate dipped in pure cocoa liquor, which left a very satisfying mouthfeel. The last praline was my least favourite, although many cheesecake lovers would enjoy this. “The Beyond,” with its milk chocolate shell, hides a cheese mousse inside with a hint of French sea salt, culminating the arc of love.
Speaking on the launch, Subash Balar, Vice President and Business Head – Chocolates, Coffee and Confectionery & NCD, Foods Division, ITC Limited, said, “At Fabelle, craftsmanship is our foundation, but innovation is our compass. It is what enables us to continually redefine what luxury chocolate can be.”
Winding up with the box of love, we got ready for Fabelle's curated seven-course luxury dining experience where cocoa becomes the thread that binds cuisine, emotion, and memory. Together, flavour, texture and presentation create a moment designed to be savoured slowly.
The seven-course spread opened with a marinated burrata paired with mesclun greens, a sour cherry glaze and delicate curls of dark chocolate. The burrata’s softness was offset by the gentle bitterness of the chocolate, while the cherry added a bright, unexpected lift that set the tone for what was to follow.
Next, the smoked salmon with goat cheese and white chocolate drizzle was a heady combo of smoky, distinct and slightly sweet. For vegetarians, a sweet beet carpaccio replaced the salmon.
The third course was Jerusalem artichoke soup topped with spiced confit prawn and dark chocolate, a gorgeous marriage of nutty, intense flavours with a lovely bite, perhaps my favourite course of all. The chicken liver pate with toasted hazelnut crumble and cocoa dust arrived next, and although I’m not a big fan of chicken liver, the cocoa dust actually balanced the flavour to a soothing degree. The vegetarian course replaced the pate with Sicilian lemon-infused avocado battuta.
I was getting very full and tired, and before I could droop down and take a nap on my plate, the fifth course arrived. I made space for the homemade fettuccini with scallops, roasted peppers, dark chocolate and aged Parmesan crumble. The final savoury before dessert was comfort food at its finest: confit duck leg with aged Parmesan risotto and a dark chocolate and red wine glaze.
No matter how much I eat, leaving space for dessert is a no-brainer for me. And so arrived a decadent plate of four desserts, the Fabelle Cocoa Trail.
The dark chocolate & orange cannoli immediately awakened my drowsy senses with its intense cocoa and bright citrus notes. The milk chocolate with brown butter caramel was milder, followed by the star of the plate, white chocolate, rose and litchi crémeux with its aromatic bites and mouthwatering fruity flavour. The cherry and pistachio mousseline, covered in ruby chocolate, came a close second for me, with its immaculate cherries and nutty flavour.
The experience will be hosted exclusively on February 14th across at ITC Hotels in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, at signature in-house restaurants Cajsa (Bengaluru) and Ottimo (Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru) and will be priced at INR 15,000 per couple (pre-booking is available).
The limited-edition handcrafted praline collection, "The Arc of Love" is priced at INR 845 and will be available across select Fabelle boutiques, on Fabelle.in, and via leading food delivery platforms.
The Arc of Love is Fabelle Chocolates’ Valentine’s Day concept featuring a limited-edition box of handcrafted pralines and a curated seven-course dining experience inspired by the emotional stages of love.
The experience will be hosted on February 14 at select ITC Hotels in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, at signature restaurants including Ottimo and Cajsa.
The seven-course chocolate-led dining experience is priced at INR 15,000 per couple and is available via pre-booking.
The Arc of Love box contains five heart-shaped handcrafted pralines, each symbolising a stage of love—from new beginnings to deep emotional bonds.
The pralines are priced at INR 845 and are available at select Fabelle boutiques, on Fabelle.in, and via leading food delivery platforms.
Yes, vegetarian alternatives are thoughtfully integrated into the menu, including beet carpaccio and avocado battuta.