Maison Marou - Best chocolate in Vietnam?
Marou Mocha & Signature Marou
Maison Marou Saigon
Maison Marou Saigon
Quaint boutique cafe/store in Ho Chi Minh City that specialises in anything chocolate; single origin Vietnam chocolate, drinks, patisserie, retail shop, and even inhouse roasting.
A bit on the info that I read from their website, it is founded by Vincent Mourou and Sam Maruta. They got Stephanie Aubriot as their head chef of the restaurant. For more details of their stories and team, do visit their site.
Tiramisu
Maison Marou Saigon
Classic Opera
Maison Marou Saigon
Signature Bold
Maison Marou Saigon
Freshly Roasted Cacao Beans
Maison Marou Saigon
Freshly Roasted Cacao Beans (top view)
Maison Marou Saigon
Signature Marou (90k VND)
THE drink to order, their signature chocolate drink. If you are only going to order one item, this is the one!
Strong, thick, and flavorful chocolate taste, with smooth velvety texture, and sweetness just nice for most people.
But for me it's still slightly sweet, but just to explain more, I cut down a lot on sugar for my diet, so I have very minimal sugar intake from food thus I’m not used to eating sugary stuffs.
Rating: 4/5
Signature Bold (100k VND)
I believe it’s the same as Signature Marou, but with extra undissolved cocoa powder on top. For Singaporeans, it’s like Milo Dinosaur la!
But personally, I do prefer the original version without the extra cocoa powder which feels more balance.
Rating: 3.75/5
Marou Mocha (100k VND)
Coffee based with chocolate, taste is balance and thick with smooth texture. Good choice if you need a perk me up and still want a mix of their signature chocolate in it.
But if you are here on your first visit to try, I definitely recommend just to try the pure chocolate drink, which is their specialty.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tiramisu (150k VND)
This Tiramisu is towards the light, creamy, and fluffy kind of texture, and yes it will melt in your mouth upon eating. You can see the different layers of it (refer to the photo), and imagine the spongy layers melting in your mouth.
Taste wise you can feel the strong alcoholic taste within it, chocolate, cocoa, and cream.
I will recommend to share it with a friend, why?
It might be sweetness overload to gobble up alone if you are also pairing it with their chocolate drink.
The amount is quite shareable, definitely enough for 2 person.
Overall it’s decent, meaning definitely better than normal generic Tiramisu, but nothing amazing compared to those who specialise in this dessert.
Rating: 3.25/5
Classic Opera (150k VND)
When you first bite through it you can feel the crunchiness due to the thin hard chocolate layers on the partial exterior of the cake, next you will meet the smooth layers of the sponge cake (harder texture compared to the Tiramisu).
Taste wise, definitely the chocolate, coffee, butter, and a hint of sourness (not sure from the chocolate or coffee, or both). And there’s 3 mini macaron on the top, but I can’t recall the taste of those already.
I feel it’s better than the Tiramisu, as this dessert uses more chocolate, and of course the quality of their chocolate is ace, so overall it elevates the dish more in compared to the Tiramisu.
Rating: 3.5/5
Overall
Prices are definitely on the higher side for Vietnam, but you do get the value for what you pay for, especially so for their chocolate drinks and bars. Most importantly you get a taste of Vietnamese chocolate, which is in my opinion has an unique taste and quality of it’s own.
Giant logo in the middle of the cafe
Maison Marou Saigon
Menu
Maison Marou Saigon
Interior - Counter and retail area
Maison Marou Saigon
Inhouse cocoa beans roasting
Maison Marou Saigon
Close up shot
Maison Marou Saigon
Wall poster of Maison Marou cacao origins
Maison Marou Saigon
Steel gate/decor of Maison Marou, not sure it’s intentional or temporary, as it’s place at one end of the store
Maison Marou Saigon
Public view (through the glass) of the pastry chefs doing their job
Maison Marou Saigon
Public view (through the glass) of the pastry chefs doing their job
Maison Marou Saigon
Environment
I really like the ambiance of the cafe, very chill and homey feeling, nice fragrance with the inhouse roasting of cocoa beans right beside the entrance too.
You could just get a cup of chocolate drink, and get some work done (there’s free WIFI) for a couple of hours before heading off to lunch or dinner. There is also free freshly roasted cocoa beans on almost all tables, which you can nip on while you work (or chill).
Most seating arrangement are cater for 2 to 4 people, one bar table style at the cocoa roasting machine for solo peeps (imagine hot-desking work environment), and also one large rectangular table for bigger groups.
It might get quite crowded during peak hours (late morning onwards), but noise is still kept acceptable if you want to focus on work or conversation with friends, as the cafe is relatively open and has high ceiling.
They also have some interactive segment, which you could check out the pastry chefs doing their work through a glass. And of course, the retail area with lots of different chocolates items and gift sets, which some of it are seasonal/exclusive to flagship store purchases only.
Marou Cacao Powder
Maison Marou Saigon
Actual product showing of Cacao Powder, Spread, and Nibs
Maison Marou Saigon
Actual product showing of some of the items used in their seasonal chocolate bars
Maison Marou Saigon
Maison Marou Exclusive Bar
Maison Marou Saigon
Single Origin Napo Box
Maison Marou Saigon
Single Origin Bars Set
Maison Marou Saigon
Single Origin 100% Chocolate Bar
Maison Marou Saigon
Arabica Coffee Chocolate Bar with Coffee gift set
Maison Marou Saigon
Marou Lacquer Box with 7 Napos
Maison Marou Saigon
Workshop Area
Maison Marou Saigon
Chef Stephanie recipe of the day
Maison Marou Saigon
Both my visits to the cafe, I did not see any activities going on at the workshop area. Probably there’s a staff huddle prior to my visit, since there’s a recipe of the day written by the head chef Stephanie.
But based on Google and their Facebook page posting, they do have events/workshops held over that area. So do check out if you are interested to join in on any of their workshops.
I feel it’s well worth a visit as long you like chocolate or cafe or just want an interesting place to chill. It’s a mini chocolate factory inside!
Shop Front
Maison Marou Saigon
Signboard
Maison Marou Saigon
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Address: 167-169 Calmette, Phuong Nguyen Thai Bình, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Opening Hours: 9am-10pm (Mon-Thurs), 9am-11pm (Fri-Sun)
Website: https://maisonmarou.com/
(Last visited: May 2019)