Open the Box and There’s a Luminous Little Universe: Planet Chocolat.
A Perfect Gift When Visiting - Planet Chocolat -
Planet Chocolat: spherical chocolates with a name you can’t forget once you hear it. And they’re just as unforgettable once you bite into one. These signature chocolates are one of the RIHGA Royal Hotel’s masterpieces.
Released in May 2007 at the opening of Chocolat Boutique L’éclat, they became so popular that lines frequently formed in front of the shop, and they’ve been featured on television and by various media outlets.
According to Master Chocolatier Motohiro Okai, in the early days each piece was handmade, so they “couldn’t keep up no matter how much they made.” Now 18 years later, there have been some product updates, but he says “their popularity has never waned.”
There are ten types in all: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, plus Pluto and the Sun, which were specially added in a product update. As you can see in the photos, each has different colors and patterns, achieved by hand-painting each piece individually. Children often exclaim, “Wow, they look like super balls!”
The ganache added to the chocolate determines the flavor of each planet, with variations focused mainly on fruits along with tea, coffee, nuts, and spices. For example, Mercury is coconut mango: a white chocolate ganache infused with mango puree and coconut flavor, with fresh lemon juice added for a crisp finish. These are just some examples of the extraordinary attention to detail.
The eight variations are: coconut mango, cream lemon, cacao, praline orange, vanilla, rum raisin, milk tea, and cappuccino.
Each piece measures about three centimeters in diameter and weighs 16 grams. While it’s small enough to pop the whole thing in your mouth, doing so can be a bit overwhelming. Splitting it in half makes for a more enjoyable tasting experience. That’s how intense the flavor is. Okai says with a confident smile:
“Please enjoy one hemisphere at a time, northern and southern… Ideally you can it in half with a knife, but you can also press your fingernail in the middle and split it with your fingers.”
Many devotees first receive these chocolates as gifts, then repeatedly buy them for themselves and memorize all the flavors.
The long horizontal package sealed with a simple ribbon comes in a brown paper bag with the cursive L’eclat logo, perfect for a refined gift when visiting.
Gift for visiting
Planet Chocolat from Chocolat Boutique L’éclat
Solar System Chocolate Collection
¥5,076
Reporting and text by Hiroki Ko
Ko Hiroki
Ko Hiroki is an editor and professor at Kobe Shoin Women’s University. He is known for his unique perspective
on food cultures and has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. He is the author of
“Ittokanaakan-mise Osaka.” “Kobe-to Yoshoku” “Toinaoshi Fashion-ko”.
RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, Vignette Collection
Chocolat Boutique L’éclat
1st Floor, 5-3-68 Nakanoshima,Kita-ku,Osaka 530-0005 Japan
Phone: +81(0)6-6448-2412 (direct)
10:00 〜19:00
Open all year round
*All prices include tax.
*All pictures shown are for illustration purposes only.
*Sales may be suspended depending on the availability of materials.
*Product specifications and prices are subject to change without notice.
