Royce' nama chocolate is manufactured under the strictest hygiene conditions in their factory in Japan. You'll have to get through five "barriers" before you get get your hands on the chocs:
(i) the thoughtful thick silver packaging, accompanied by an ice pack, which preserves the integrity of the nama chocolate during your journey back home from the store
(ii) a paper wrapper
(iii) the box
(iv) a plastic wrapper
(v) the plastic cover of the container in which the chocolates sit in
I've tried three flavors of Royce's nama chocolates so far- bitter, grand marnier and cherry marnier. The last was a gift from someone who had just visited Bangkok and I don't think the cherry marnier flavor is available locally.
Each box of 20 retails for $15. A spoon is included to facilitate (compulsive!) eating.
Carefully picking a square up and placing it in your mouth, you sense the mild bitterness of the cocoa powder. As the chocolate starts to melt in your mouth, you delight upon tasting the cold fresh cream. Very quickly, you're greeted by a silky smooth sensation... and within a few seconds, the piece of chocolate is gone.
What do you do next? Pop another square into your mouth, of course!
I found the Bitter nama chocolate a tad too (errr...) bitter for me. Intensely dark, this flavor will please chocoholics who live on >75% cacao chocolate. As for the Grand Marnier and Cherry Marnier flavors, I liked how the mild alcoholic tinge complemented the chocolate. Subtle, that's the way I like alcohol in my chocolate (oops is this underage alcohol consumption?!?), unlike in liqeur chocolates where the booze hits you strong.
I find that the nama chocolate tastes even better after it's been left outside for a while (~1 hour) to soften. That way, it melts even faster in your mouth. Instant gratification!
Knowing that I was a foodie, two of my friends gave me Royce' truffle pralines for my 16th birthday! These are made of "rich praline cream mixed with milk chocolate and almonds".
Royce' Chocolate
B4-10 Ion Orchard
01-142 Suntec City Mall
B2 Food Hall, Takashimaya