Eat: Feeding my addiction at Chocolate by the Shop

I used to be a chocoholic. I didn't eat it every day, nor did I eat a lot of it, but we always had chocolate in the house.  I just needed to know it was there when I needed it, y'know.

Then we moved to Cambodia. Although we brought a stash with us, I was worried about what we would find (or more importantly, wouldn't be able to find) in Phnom Penh. Fortunately my fears that Phnom Penh would be a desolate wasteland as far as chocolate was concerned were totally unfounded. It's quite easy to source good quality chocolate here. But my favourite place to get a 'fix' is here:

I actually stumbled on Chocolate by The Shop (yes, the same crew responsible for my favourite lunchtime haunt) just after they opened on my first visit to Phnom Penh.  They were at the old shop a few doors down from The Shop on Street 240.  The Belgian girl behind the counter eagerly showed us the chocolate making equipment, explained where the ingredients were sourced and about the chocolate maker.

The chocolate factory is still on display at the new store on Street 63.  The new store is gorgeous, but the most beautiful part is the single display cabinet, packed with chocolates of every variety imaginable. All as attractive sounding and looking as each other.

Choosing my spoils is almost as much fun as eating them. Bars are sold for around $3 (my favourite is the Praline), and the individual chocolates and truffles are about $6/100g (try the Kampong Speu caramel and the passionfruit), making them an affordable treat.

The only challenge is getting them home in the heat without having them turn into a soggy (but very tasty) mess.

If you get a craving, you can find Chocolate by The Shop on Street 63 (between Streets 322 and 334) in BKK.