MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH CHOCOLATE IN BELGIUM

It’s really hard to not love a place that offers the three most delicious things in the world – chocolates, waffles and beer.

Even before I booked my tickets to Belgium, I already had my chocolate-crazy friends making special requests to get them all possible varieties of Belgian dark chocolates. And this made me even more curious about what these oh-so-special “Belgium Chocolates” tasted like.

My romantic rendezvous with Belgian dark chocolate began the very moment I landed at Brussels airport. One of our co-travellers was yet to arrive and we decided to kill time by sipping a cup of hot chocolate at a trendy coffee bar. For a perpetual dark chocolate lover like me, it was almost close to experiencing one of life’s greatest joys.

Whirling it in my mouth, I could easily distinguish the Belgian choco drink from any other I’d had before. Decadently rich. Smooth in texture. And just the right amount of sweetness; nothing less, nothing more.

But this was just the beginning. Not only did we have our elaborate chocolate tasting sessions at artisan chocolate shops in every city of the Flanders region, but also experienced a fun chocolate-making session with the quirky chocolatier Laurent Gerbaud. You got to see it to believe it…

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
In Belgium, it’s not just about buying chocolates. It’s about a whole series of different, diverse experiences; from visiting chocolate museums and going for chocolate walks to tastings with chocolatiers who are passionate about their craft and attending workshops where you can design your own chocolate.

BOOK A CHOCOLATE-MAKING WORKSHOP
Laurent Gerbaud chocolate store and workshop are located in Rue Ravenstein, Brussels, a stone’s throw from Place de Grand Sablon. You can book some chocolatey time with him to taste some of the most exotic chocolate flavours and know the secret to delicious chocolate making.
Fee for a workshop: €35 per person