KitKat kicks it up a notch with its Valentine's-limited Cacao Fruit Dessert

by Patrick St. Michel

Contributing Writer

Not to add to anyone’s to-do list, but Valentine’s Day is only a couple weeks away.

It’s time to start thinking about gifts, and one of the most venerable chocolates in Japan has a solution for those of you who are still trying to come up with a sweet (pun intended) present.

People all over the world have celebrated the sheer variety of Nestle Japan’s KitKats, and now it’s rolled out a cacao fruit-flavored chocolate. This dessert (¥432 after tax) offers a sweet and slightly zesty take on the familiar candy bar.

For a more enhanced experience, head to the KitKat Chocolatory in Ginza for the Cacao Fruit Dessert. This hefty creation (¥3,000 before tax) is limited to 10 a day, and is only available from Jan. 23 through Feb. 14. The 20-centimeter-long chocolate shell shaped like a cacao pod is filled with fresh cream made with cacao fruit juice, fresh fruit and a chocolate-almond cake. Once you’ve eaten the inside, a warm cacao fruit juice is used to melt the shell and make a rice chocolate “sauce.” Excessive, sure, but memorable.

In line with the nationwide state of emergency declared on April 16, the government is strongly requesting that residents stay at home whenever possible and refrain from visiting bars, restaurants, music venues and other public spaces.