Fantasie Fine Chocolate

Fantasie chocolates have had a soft spot in my heart ever since I was a child – my grandfather would always buy us the chocolate-covered biscuits every time we went to Poona on holiday, so I always associated family and vacation time with them. I still buy them every time I walk into a Fantasie store and they still taste like my childhood. An institution of confections, the brand has been around for 69 years, now led by the effervescent Zeba Kohli. If you haven’t tried Fantasie’s chocolates yet, I suggest you get on board ASAP – you’ll thank me later. They also have a super new line of pastries - cookies, hot chocolate, macarons, marzipan, cakes and more. Read more Blehlovesfood :) Happy Eating!

Their brownies are the best brownies in Mumbai!!!! Will bet on that anyday!! I gifted them on teachers day to my professors and guess who is the teachers pet since then!! Haven't tried the gourmet chocolate bars yet...the brownies are soft and fudgy with some nougat and chocolate chunks in the middle..the crust is just set enough to break on tapping...that is perfect brownies defined...

Zeba Kohli has reinvented chocolate under her label " Fantasie Fine Chocolate" by creating not only a huge spectrum of flavours and offerings, ​but also ​including a bespoke collection for weddings and special occasions and even chocolates for diabet​ics​ and dental issues​.
We got a chance to sample some of her luscious chocolates at the launch of her youtube channel and absolutely loved the delicacies that we were offered. All the chocolates were exquisite and absolutely delectable.
They have a vast variety of chocolates to offer which are a delight for the chocolate lovers. We loved it and would recommend you'll to try it out too.

I have always been awe of Zeba Kohli. That woman has taken over her ancestral business with utmost perfection and enhanced it even further. Fantasie means class. It has always meant nothing but the best. The almond rocks or the praline n trufle flavours in chococolate have been introduced to us by Fantasie. Every important occasssion meant a box of these goodies for me. Especially my best Diwali gifts to my precious business clients.
The rich creaminess of the best quality of chocolates is felt in every bite. They have been as old in business as almost 50 to 60 years. So over the years so many varieties have been innovated by them. They have sugar free, white, dark, milk and healthy varieties to choose from. My favorite the almond rocks n the dark chocs. The prices are on the steep side for sure. But i guess some brands cannot be negotiated with over price.

Zeba Kohli did not head home like other children did after school. She went instead to her grandfather's chocolate shop in Marine Lines. As her grandfather and her mother went about their business of making and selling chocolates from the first 'Fantasie Chocolate', she sat in the office and finished her homework. Maybe she didn't want to become a chocolatier at first - she mentions that she studied Physics. But it was at an early age that Zeba took over the reins of the family business and not much later that she became a chocolatier extraordinaire, creating sweet treats that are synonymous with artisan chocolate in Mumbai.The transition could not have been easy. After all, Zeba was not trained as a chef. But her inquisitive nature kicked in when she joined the business and she added to all the chocolate knowledge she had absorbed from her family by going to training courses around the world. "My grandfather will call one of his pastry chef friends in France and I will go intern with them for a month", she recalls. Well trained and back in India, Zeba also had to learn finance and accounting and everything else that goes into running a business. "I believe in doing everything well" says Zeba and she really did well as she upgraded her chocolate factory and expanded the franchise to what are now six shops scattered all over Mumbai.When I go to meet Zeba at the original Marine Lines store her grandfather first opened in 1946, her energy and passion is palpable. Even as we are talking about her life story, she keeps a lookout for any customer who needs a suggestion or little bits out of place that her staff needs to know about. Treating her staff like family is another thing Zeba learned from her grandfather. No wonder then that she bucks the industry trend of high employee turnover - her store manager tells me he's been there for more than a decade.Fantasie sells the most chocolate during Diwali - I get their almond clusters as gift pretty much every year - and they are just gearing up for the next rush over Christmas and New Year as I visit. Zeba tells me that milk chocolate and almond clusters (or anything with nuts really) continue to remain her bestsellers. That hasn't stopped Zeba from experimenting though. She was a brand ambassador for Barry Callebaut and a judge for the World Chocolate Masters Championship for many years running. At her store, Zeba offers everything from 100% chocolate to unique flavours like wasabi for some of her discerning, well travelled customers. I also spot a chocolate game she has created for kids, while a video shows super creative chocolate projects Zeba has done over the years.I always ask sugarcrafters if they tire of all the sweets around them. But Zeba, I don't have to ask. As she offers me a taste of her 100% chocolate sweetened only by date slivers, she pops in a couple herself, clearly enjoying the experience. We try her christmas special of chocolate dipped candied orange peel together and then move on to macarons and cookies Zeba has recently added to the menu. I ask her if the bakery is a new addition and she corrects me, telling about the bakery her grandfather ran at the same place the Marine Lines store is at now, and the macaroons he used to make. I don't think Zeba could have found a better way to continue his legacy.So now that Zeba has met her goals of building a better manufacturing plant and more outlets for her chocolate brand, what's next for Fantasie? Zeba tells me how much she loves teaching and while she no longer mentors the contestants for world chocolate championship, a chocolate academy is very much on the cards. She's already been doing chocolate pairings and gazillion of workshops at Starbucks and Kala Ghoda Festival and what not but soon you might be able to learn chocolate making from her at her Marine Lines store or her Andheri chocolate factory.I wonder what Zeba's favourite chocolate is, but she refuses to pick one, showing equal affection for the bitter dark and the sweet white chocolate. It must be hard to pick when you are surrounded by such beautiful creations. The ones I'm leaving you with are the specials she's made for christmas this year. Did Zeba share one of these Christmas recipes for me to make at home? Just wait until next post to find out.

Delicious, super quality and what a range! Mocha truffle is a must try esp for coffee lovers and the dark range is too good! Recently tried the macroons, superb. Have been having Fantasie for years - and it is a choc lover's fantasy!

Best hand crafted chocolates in town. Period! Every chocolate lover should visit Fantasie due to the legacy of taste thatbthey carry and the awesome craft they are master of.

Best Brownies in the world! I've easily bought 20+ brownies in the past year itself! No other brownie has come close to Zeba's!

The staff at this store I hv seen them for past 25 years and as generous and helpfully as possible, the visit to this perticular store get me going back to it from as far as powai the store looks small but has happy staff with really big heart, reflective of their generous owner.

Fantasie is Fantastic Chocolates of my fantasies Well done Bravo

Lovely chocolates, very friendly staff