Haute chocolate molécule

On the Belgian chocolate scene, Pierre Marcolini embodies pure luxury. His flagship store in Brussels has the atmosphere of a jewellery store, with elaborate window displays, glove-wearing staff and black velvet stairs.

Marcolini and his friend, Belgian furniture designer Dirk Meylaerts, had been thinking of uniting their respective passions in some way. Meylaerts came up with an artistic interpretation of the molecular structure of theobromine - an alkaloid present in chocolate - and Marcolini turned it into 250 grams of stylish succulence that sells for $80.

Set on a plaque of pure chocolate, the molecule is enclosed in a light crunchy shell ornate with gold leaves. The white ions are made of milk chocolate ganache flavoured with raz-el-hanout (a mixture of 29 Moroccan spices), sheathed in white chocolate. The gold ions are a delicate mixture of caramel, roasted pineapple and praline; the black ions a blend of chocolate and caramel ganache with a touch of tonka bean; and the bronze ions a bitter ganache with gingerbread notes – all in a tender chocolate coat.

Theobromine is derived from Theobroma, the name of the cocoa tree’s genus, which in Greek means nothing less than “food for the Gods”. Theobromine can be used as a diuretic or against high blood pressure, but its stimulatory effects are gentler and more durable than those of caffeine - the sister molecule in the methylxanthine family.

To top up the chic nerdy touch, the lavish launch of the chocolate molecule took place at the Atomium , the Brussel’s recently revamped 103 meter high apogee of cool monumental geekiness shaped like an iron molecule. Now that’s Brussels at its very, very best.

Outside Belgium, Marcolini has shops in Paris, Tokyo, NYC and Kuweit. For the rest of the world, there is an online order service on the US website. Enjoy.