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Rose petals, sake and curry aren't ingredients you'd expect to find when you bite into chocolate, but local chocolatiers are using them to create new versions of everyone's favourite sweet treat. Apart from the unexpected flavours, what separates these candy masterpieces from mass-produced bonbons is clear when you walk through the door. The aroma is unmistakable; it's rich but less cloying than commercial chocolate. Another noticeable difference is the list of ingredients. It's short and sweet: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar and lecithin. Fruits, flowers, herbs and spices, liqueurs and cream may be added to complement the chocolate. No preservatives are used, but chances are they'll be gone long before the seven- to 10-day expiry period. Here's a roundup of four Montreal chocolatiers and their different interpretations of the dark stuff.

Maison Cakao
This small shop seems straight out of Chocolat. You might catch a glimpse of the various life stages of a truffle, since the chocolates are made in-house. Among Edith Gagnon's selections, made with Barry Callebaut chocolate from France, is a wonderfully fragrant milk and dark chocolate-enrobed ganache, infused with Earl Grey tea and bergamot. The strawberry-balsamic vinegar ganache with dark-chocolate shell is a perfect balance of sweet and sour. If you prefer to drink your chocolate, pick up a chocolatière, a ceramic pot made for pouring hot chocolate. Closed Mondays. Prices: $1.15 per piece or sold by weight

Les Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois
Geneviève Grandbois has been doing marvellous things with chocolate long before it was considered chic. The Classics collection is nine squares of bliss in a stylish tin container. The extra-virgin olive oil ganache covered in dark chocolate is sublime, as is the ganache infused with passion-fruit purée and Thai coconut milk. For more sophisticated palettes, there's the Chuao Collection. The line pairs Chuao chocolate - from Amedei of Tuscany - with ingredients like 25-year-old balsamic vinegar, black truffle oil and Monte Cristo tobacco leaves. Prices: The Classics box of nine is $16.50 or $1.60 per piece, and the Chuao Collection box of four is $14.55 or $3.25 per piece.

Pine resin and blue cheese are some of the unusual ingredients you'll find in Julie Cantara's chocolates.

Suite 88

Chocolantara
Without a doubt, the most experimental flavours can be found at Julie Cantara's shop, where everything is made on the premises. Cantara finds inspiration in very unusual ingredients, including pine resin and blue cheese. Bite into the lavender-rose ganache encased in dark chocolate, and you'll feel like you've been transported to an English garden. If you don't believe in waste, she also offers beautifully molded chocolate containers that you can eat once you get through the pieces inside. Closed Mondays. Prices: 90 cents per piece or sold by weight.

Suite 88
The newest kid on the chocolate block, this trendy chocolatier is a cross between shop and lounge, complete with red leather armchairs and fireplace. Partners Helen Kavouris and Galit Mizrahi showcase a wide array of cocoa confections along the wall of their stylish store. The popular chocolate shooters combine milk, dark or white chocolate with a selection of 12 different liqueurs, including ouzo and Kahlua. They also offer an astounding collection of chocolate bars, from the classic (maple sugar) to the exotic (chili cayenne), as well as chocolate-covered fortune cookies. Prices: $2 per shooter or $22 for 12, $2.75 to $3 for chocolate bars, $10 for 168g box of fortune cookies.