Going loco for local: Lals Chocolate Bark is barking up the right tree

Maybe the magic beans Jack received were cacao beans and maybe he tried to save us all from a world without chocolate by growing a beanstalk large enough to preserve all the chocolate we can. I don’t know but I hope you understand now that chocolate is important enough for me to alter a fairytale for it. But if I had to guess, I would say Lals definitely got their supply from Jack’s beanstalk.

Now, we dive into a memory. No, there was no chocolate conversion for me, I was always a believer in chocolate. But from time to time, I get these intense chocolate cravings and a tameezdar bar of chocolate is no match for my internal vacuum demanding I ransack a chocolate factory. Instead, I’m always reminded of five-year-old me who received a purple tin container filled with chocolate, courtesy of an uncle who loves to travel, that had no care for being a certain shape or size. No rules for this one, and the rebellion of chocolate tasted super sweet. Probably the best I’ve ever had. Not to be that person but I’ve searched for that chocolate in every chocolate I’ve come across and the closest I’ve come to it is Lal’s Chocolate Bark.

Just like the chocolate of my dreams, it dances to its own beat. No one piece resembles another, all of them are independent queens. Oh, we have a range of personalities to choose from too. They have both milk and dark chocolate, and they come seasoned with different treats. Their flavours include Cranberries, Nuts and Marzipan Hearts, Roasted Almonds and Sea Salt, Raisins, Pistachios and Almonds, and more! I tried their Biscuits, Fudge and Marshmallows in Milk Chocolate and though they come with a resealable bag, it was hard not to finish it in one go. Lals, I don’t know what you’re doing but IT IS SO GOOD.

I also have to give it to their customer service, the waiter who had to deal with my indecisiveness deserves a raise. I visited their outlet on Khayaban-e-Shahbaz, Karachi with only Roasted Hazelnuts in mind. And of course they had all the flavours but the one I wanted. The next few minutes I just stood there having a staring contest with the chocolate shelf while the waiter organised a matchmaking game with me and the chocolate. He even told me about his preferences and in the end I went with it. No regrets.

I give Lals a four-star rating despite their heavenly chocolate — which, according to my beanstalk theory, is quite possible — and lovely resealable, paper packaging because it is overpriced for local chocolate. I recently bought a Lindt bar for Rs650 which compared to Lals’ Rs1250 is kind of wild. Otherwise, we stan Lals.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This article is part of an ongoing series on supporting local products. All the products are independently evaluated and reviewed by a member of the Images team and reflect their personal opinions. If you’re a local business and would like to be featured, reach out to us at imagesdawndotcom@gmail.com.