Belgian chocolatier Thierry Detournay fell in love with Indonesian cocoa years ago and crafted it the Belgian way into what we know today as Chocolate Monggo. After inviting us to visit his chocolate factory in Yogyakarta, where beans from all over the country are processed into fine chocolate, he invited us to experience Monggo’s new chocolate café, inspired by those in his hometown, Brussels, Belgium.
The café is called PRALIN, and was named after the special chocolate confection with a smooth, nutty filling. Due to their pretty appearance, pralines are often presented in a beautiful box, like chocolate jewels. That concept was then applied to the café, with a huge attention to detail, creating an authentic European atmosphere to tempt you inside.
The shop front is immediately reminiscent of the street cafés in Europe, many of which date back to the 18th century. The interior feels cosy with vintage Belgian and French posters hung on the walls to evoke a European atmosphere. There is a library in one corner where you can find Asterix, Lucky Luke and other Belgian publications. There are seven tables, each seating up to four people, that are used for meetings, small gatherings or simply for chocolate lovers to relax and indulge.
Pralin offers a diverse range of Chocolate Monggo’s products – such as chocolate bars and pralines with various different fillings. Some of the products here are exclusively sold in Pralin such as gift packages, Jakarta special edition products, chocolate-coated French bread, chocolate cereal bars and 1 kg packages of chocolate couverture (available in milk chocolate, dark chocolate with 58 per cent, and Dark Chocolate with 77 per cent of cocoa).
Like the legendary chocolate boutiques in Belgium, here you can sip authentic chocolate beverages such as Choco Moko—a combination of dark chocolate and espresso—to go with your choice of pralines. The beverages can be made with several kinds of chocolate to allow chocolate lovers to enjoy it their way.