Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2014

French may be the language of love, but chocolate needs no translation in any tongue. As the chocolate options proliferate with the approach of Valentine’s Day, even fast food outlets are jumping on the bandwagon, with burger chain Lotteria doing a tie-up with Lotte’s Ghana chocolate brand. Grab the new tsuke-pote (¥340) and you’ll get a box of medium fries accompanied by a pouch of warm chocolate dip that you can then squeeze into an edible cookie container. We were skeptical to say the least. Having tried it, we wouldn’t recommend it alongside a bacon cheeseburger, but it goes surprisingly well with a hot cup of java. Available until mid-February at participating Lotteria restaurants.