"When I was" is my ex-Boss' favourite word which symbolizes the start of his off-road rambles during meetings. He starts with "When I was.." and continues with stories from his childhood, his past and such. Everytime he mentioned "When I was...", me and my colleagues will steal glances at each other and prepare ourselves for a very long meeting ahead. When I Was... by Me, is a celebration of my ramblings :)
Thursday 4 November 2021
A Note to Readers
Friday 15 October 2021
Destination: Souq Shoppe, Putrajaya (Malaysia)
Chocolatey Goodness Under One Roof!
I have been to Souq Putrajaya once or twice before: it used to sell a wide range of Malaysian souvenirs such as pewters, batik clothing, keychains, fridge magnet, handicrafts and the likes. And the place (at least, whenever I visited) was almost always quite deserted. I suspected it was because most of the visitors in the area were locals, thus the superfluous need to buy any souvenirs.
But now, in year 2021, the Souq had been converted into a full on chocolate boutique – and the place might finally be able to attract locals as well. I saw a promotional poster somebody sent me through Whatsapp about the opening of Souq Shoppe, said to be the largest chocolate shop in the Klang Valley area.
And so I went to check out the place during its opening day on 15 October 2021.
I arrived around 2.00 p.m. and there was already a considerable line queuing outside the entrance. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, entrance was limited to 100 customers at a time. And only fully-vaccinated individuals were allowed access.
Souq Shoppe’s foyer was decorated with giant-sized chocolate replicas, allowing visitors some photo opportunities – be it hiding behind a large mug of Hershey’s chocolate bar dipped in melting chocolate, or standing below a toppling tower of Reese’s chocolate cups.
As I entered the large hall, I saw a long line of customers queuing to make their payment at the cashier. Souq Shoppe offered some fairly good discounts during its first three days of opening, hence the crowd of people today.
There were rows and rows of shelves filled with many types of chocolate and sweets brands, including some of which I’m not familiar with. There were Hershey’s, Kinder, Toblerone, Kit Kat, Ferrero, Nutella, Snickers, Mars, Loacker, Fidani, Pepero, Ritter Sport... and many more (forgive me but I cannot continue saying all the names without drooling 😅).
I was looking forward to buy some M&Ms, but unfortunately, I found none being sold there. So I bought a box of Kinder Bueno and a bag of Daim chocolates instead. (And I regretted forgetting to buy the Peperos as well! 😵)
Towards the back of the shop, there was another photo-worthy spot: a lighted Hershey’s logo, wedged in between two streetlights that made it look like someplace from Disney’s The Cookie Carnival (1935) cartoon.
All in all, Souq Shoppe is great for those looking to buy a wide range of chocolates under one roof. Personally I don’t think it could surpass the variety or low prices offered in the duty-free shops of Pulau Langkawi, but still, Souq Shoppe is more convenient to go to for Klang Valley residents.
How To Get There:
Souq Shoppe was situated under the Putra Mosque in Putrajaya. You can park anywhere in the Dataran Putra area in front of the mosque, and find the escalator down to the lower level where the food court and Souq Shoppe was located.