Where gourmet chocolate meets iconic watchmaking: a multi-sensory journey through flavour, history, and the timeless Reverso.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is once again bringing its culinary experience down under, this time in the brand new boutique located in Chadstone, Melbourne. This unique culinary experience is inspired by the new booth and also what was presented back in Watches and Wonders earlier this year. Guests are able to explore four fantastic creations created by rising Chef Chocolatier Mathiew Davoine, whose bold and imaginative approach brought a fresh dimension to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of MakersTM programme.
The 1931 Polo Club experience has always been about showcasing fine Swiss chocolate, while also inviting guests to learn about one of the finest watches in Swiss watchmaking: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. It’s an immersive blend of culinary artistry and horological heritage that celebrates everything the Reverso stands for.
Mathieu Davoine’s unique approach to chocolate-making led to four experimental chocolate delights, which include ingredients from the Vallée de Joux, paired with a specially created beverage. Based in Geneva, Mathieu Davoine is recognised as a rising talent among Chef Chocolatiers. For Mathieu Davoine, chocolate “provides the perfect outlet for his creativity, enabling him to dive deep into the complex process of transforming cacao beans into exquisite chocolate creations, introducing unexpected flavours and artfully exploring and shaping the raw material to create an extraordinary array of forms and textures.”
For this latest 1931 Polo Club experience, the chocolate delights he has created challenge preconceptions and push the limits of what chocolate can be. In a way, this beautifully not only reflects La Grande Maison’s identity, but what the Reverso has all been about. The four chocolate creations use ingredients such as praline, truffle, fudge, and a familiar and unconventional texture that combines for an exciting sensory twist, while olive, mushroom, and pollen are ‘impossible’ blends of flavours and ingredients that reveal new and surprising harmonies.
The four chocolate delights that will be offered to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s guests at the 1931 Café are the Harmonie de Chocolat, Galop des Bois, Éclat de Caviar, and Douceur du Cavalier. Mathieu Davoine pays homage to the origins of the Reverso by taking visual inspiration from the world of polo, and as mentioned earlier, the home of Jaeger-LeCoultre, by incorporating ingredients from the Vallée de Joux.
Hermoine de Chocolat
This special creation celebrates the multifaceted character of chocolate, its swirling shape symbolizing the energy and movement of the polo players and horses on the field. The bottom layer is a chocolate sable biscuit, which is then topped with a dark chocolate mousse, carefully concealing the surprise of crisp cacao ‘pearls’. This is then finished with a milk chocolate ganache that is sprinkled with hazelnuts.
Galop des Bois
The Galop des Bois brings together crisp praline, airy mousse, and soft sponge cake in the form of a polo ball. It’s surrounded by the letters of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s name, crafted in dark chocolate. One ingredient you might not expect is porcini mushroom, which adds depth to the rich palette of Vallée de Joux flavours such as forest fruits and hazelnuts. The creation is then balanced beautifully with white chocolate and vanilla.
Éclat de Caviar
Éclat de Caviar combines the flavours of black olives and chocolate, which is complemented by an infusion that is made from the delicate young shoots of Vallée de Joux fir trees. This creation is presented in a metal tin that evokes the image of a shoe polish used for the polo players’ boots. The shiny chocolate “pearls” mimic the appearance of caviar, adding a luxurious culinary nod that perfectly parallels the elegance of the Reverso. Underneath the pearls is unctuous chocolate cream, airy olive tapenade, and crunchy biscuit, delivering a sensory surprise.
Douceur du Cavalier
The Douceur du Cavalier takes the classical chocolate-coated biscuit beloved by every French school child, the petit écolier, and elevates it into a sophisticated chocolate treat for the players returning from the polo field. The crisp sablé biscuit is made to a special recipe incorporating Vallée de Joux pollen; it is topped with an unctuous chocolate ganache and meadowsweet jelly, the whole ensemble then being coated in milk chocolate.
Personally, my favourite was the Hermione de Chocolat, thanks to its incredibly smooth and soft chocolate mousse that melts instantly in your mouth, followed by the cacao pearls that add a contrasting crisp finish. This, combined with the chocolate sable biscuit, left a lasting impression, the kind of flavour and texture combination that makes you stop for a moment and just appreciate the craftsmanship behind it.
What made this whole experience even more meaningful was how these chocolate creations naturally connected back to the Reverso and its historic origins. Each of the four desserts mirrored the essence of the watch: unexpected contrasts, layered craftsmanship, and a blend of refinement with subtle playfulness. While enjoying them, we were also given a presentation on the Reverso’s origins and why it remains such an important symbol for La Grande Maison.
Experiences like this certainly don’t come around often. It’s a once-a-year opportunity to taste Swiss chocolate at its finest while immersing yourself in the rich history of the Reverso. If you want to savour these creations, learn the stories behind one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most iconic timepieces, and enjoy a truly multi-sensory journey, head over to the newly built Jaeger-LeCoultre Chadstone Boutique. This is a rare moment where culinary artistry and watchmaking heritage come together under one roof, and one you certainly won’t want to miss!