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Valentine’s Day menus and limited-edition sweets often lean on the language of romance, but some brands are also experimenting with how love can be expressed through flavour and format. Luxury chocolate makers, in particular, are turning to storytelling, pairing taste with themes that go beyond the usual heart-shaped box.

Fabelle, the luxury chocolate brand from ITC, has introduced a Valentine’s collection titled The Arc of Love, built around the idea that love evolves in stages. Drawing from philosophical and cultural ideas that describe love as a journey rather than a single feeling, the collection translates those stages into five handcrafted, heart-shaped pralines.

Each praline represents a different phase. The range moves from lighter, creamy profiles to deeper and more intense flavours. Fillings include combinations such as milk chocolate mousse with caramelised macadamia, spiced mousse in a milk chocolate shell, ruby chocolate paired with lemon conserve and dark mousse, and dark chocolate dipped in cocoa liquor. One of the bolder inclusions blends chocolate with cheese mousse and a touch of sea salt. The idea is to mirror how relationships can shift between sweetness, intensity, and complexity.

Beyond retail boxes, the theme also extends to dining. Fabelle has conceptualised a cocoa-led, seven-course dessert experience for Valentine’s Day at select ITC Hotels in cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Kolkata. Hosted at signature restaurants like Ottimo and Cajsa, the meal uses chocolate as a recurring element across courses, focusing on texture and presentation as much as flavour.

The praline box is priced at Rs 845 and is available at select boutiques and online. Distribution also includes food-delivery and quick-commerce platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Blinkit, reflecting how premium gifting is increasingly accessible through everyday ordering apps.

As Valentine’s Day expands to include experiential dining and themed gifting, chocolate continues to be used not just as a treat but as a medium for narrative and occasion-based indulgence.