Writers with dexterity take note: Your sweet words can be filling

Coco Pinco opened a year ago with a very simple mission: bring people joy. The surest way to do that, according to Kim Yeon-gyeong, the shop’s owner, is with a box of scrumptious handmade chocolates.
The chocolatier sells about 30 different types of chocolates. For an extra fee of 5,000 won ($4.35) to 15,000 won you can add your own edible decorations and write a personal message on your sweets. The prices for the decorations vary depending on how many and what kinds you select.
Ms. Kim says that most customers ask her to do the inscription because the chocolates are so small. So far, only about 10 clients have been brave enough to decorate their candies themselves.
Those adventurous customers were also given a picture of the experience to give with the personalized chocolates.
Among the most popular chocolates are Heart Coco (white chocolate heart with a raspberry filling), Snow Man (white chocolate with a rum-infused yoghurt filling) and Kirch Chocolate (a mix of milk and white chocolates with a hint of liqueur).
The most popular item among those who actually want to decorate their own chocolates is pave, a confection often used as a cake decoration. Pave is a thin, flat wafer of either dark chocolate, green tea chocolate or marbled chocolate. Because it is larger than most of the other chocolate pieces, messages are more easily inscribed on it. How does pave taste? “Sweet and soft like ice cream,” says Ms. Kim.
You can select any four of Coco Pinco’s chocolates for 5,000 won or fill a box with 30 or so candies for 50,000 won. Ms. Kim plans to let customers make and decorate their own chocolates ― with expert guidance, of course.

Coco Pinco
Location: On the main road in front of Ewha Womans University
Hours: From 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Phone: (02) 392-5689

by Anne Lajoye