Designed to create the feel of dining in a Parisian café, Mororo Chocolat offers a boutique and event space in Yorkville. "It's unique. We stand completely alone. There is nothing like this anywhere. There are teahouses and chocolate boutique stores but not a bar, lounge, restaurant, and chocolate boutique all wrapped up in one," general manager Vincenzo Antonacci said of Moroco, which opened September 5.
"The concept was a couple of years in the making. The owner, Kelly Kimel, had a great vision so we just executed it," he said. Truffles created by chocolatier Iris Roteliuk come in flavours like Mintjito, Soft Serve, and Green With Envy and are displayed in a glass case at the counter. The all-white boutique also serves three flavours of drinking chocolate and offers take-out fondue.
The restaurant, accessed through the shop, provides a stark contrast to the light decor in the chocolate boutique. Inspired by the famed Paris tearooms Angelina's and Ladurée, the dining area has a colour palette of deep purple, black, silver, and grey. The space, divided into two rooms, features white marble molding on the black bar, a mirrored fireplace, custom velvet loveseats accented with Swarovski crsytals, ostrich-print banquettes, and a tete-a-tete topped with a candelabra and surrounded by four small tables.
The 3,600-square-foot restaurant serves lunch daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Afternoon tea is offered until 5 p.m., and dinner is served in the evenings. The menu includes a selection of salads and sandwiches as well as traditional French pastries and champagnes by the glass. "We want people to feel like they've indulged without over indulging," Antonacci said.
Moroco, which seats 90, is available for private events and can hold as many as 130 for receptions.
