It’s not unusual for me to call life off for a few weeks and just get out of here. That combined with weekends away, short trips, and visiting my family back in the US means my lazy arse doesn’t get a post up for a brief time. Oops, sorry. The thing is, I love travel. My excuse this itme? A week away in Salcombe (which is in the county of Devon in Southwest England if you don’t know), followed by a few days in Brussels with my visiting mother.
Why am I telling you this? Because when I travel I always find food related things which inspire me, make me warm and happy, and often cause me to drool on my last set of clean clothes. I always say to myself, “write about this! Post the recipe you created as a result!” and clearly I ignore myself most of the time. This time, however, is different because I banned myself from eating my finds until I photographed them… and once they’re photographed they may as well be posted!
Belgian chocolate.
This is almost a buzzword in the foodie world, isn’t it? The truth is most of it’s worthless, factory produced piles of goop which can make Hershey’s chocolate seem authentic. I tried and even enjoyed a fair amount of such choc, so don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a junk food fest as much as the next person, but at the end of the day I believe in paying a lot for a little of something good rather than a little for a lot of something under par in quality. Hence I looked out there chocolatiers with a good reputation for making their own quality product: The Chocolate Line, Dumon, and Sukerbuyc.
Dumon Chocolatier
This is the chocolate maker I would recommend to a serious chocoholic. Dumon’s chocolates are the creamiest, smoothest chocolates for which one could hope. It’s melt-in-your mouth good, and the staff are helpful; they have to be as the chocolates are not labeled. I was at first put off by this, but I left feeling more knowledgable about what I bought as the shop staff really engage with customers to explain. In the end I felt confident in trusting their own choices and took away a box of their picking. I wasn’t dissapointed with a single one.
Chocolaterie Sukerbuyc
Katelijnestraat 5, Brugge.
A sign on the door asks for only customers to come inside in order to preserve quality. A few years ago I’d have passed this off as an act of snobbery and would have huffed away to the cheapest shop I could find. Yes, I’d show them! Now, not so much. Are they snobbish? Perhaps. Does the attitude make their chocolate better? Probaby not.
The thing is, I get it. There are so many chocolate shops in this small city, enough to spend a full day going in and out and only seeing half. They are mostly all the same, and many with staff who don’t seem at all interested in what they sell. I understand why a shop who makes their own would get frustrated with yet another pack of tourists bursting in the door only to leave and, as I said, head to the cheaper place down the road (something they would do anyway). Plus Sukerbuyc has a great window display, one which allows the browsing public to see all they have on offer without entering the store.
I entered the store, because I knew I wanted to buy. I knew they had something different, and I knew I needed to buy some of the Advokaat (avocado); I’d sampled a white chocolate truffle with avocado in Brussels but this was the first I saw in dark. Others I sampled include dark chocolate and violet, coffee, and more which have long since come to rest in my stomach.
My opinion on Sukerbuyc? For lack of better words, this chocolate is less rich than that which is sold in Dumon. Not that it’s untoothsome, just less creamy and with less milk used in the recipe. I could handle no more than one or two silky pieces from Dumon in one sitting; my body could survive slightly more from Sukerbuyc no doubt. Their avocado was quite possibly my favourite find of the trip.
The Chocolate Line
Simon Stevinplein 19, 8000 Brugge
Fried onion, cola, violet, caramel coriander, cabernet sauvignon, lavender, lemongrass, vodka-lemon, and earl grey. Chocolates.
I thought I would save the most interesting for last.
One thing that frustrates me most with people, even self proclaimed foodies, is their willingness to dismiss a flavour simply because it sounds bad. Think of all the things we ingest now, combinations which at some point in time didn’t exist. Once upon a time there was a person with an original thought to use curdled milk to make cheese, to mix flour and water and bake it, to combine tomato with herbs to create a sauce… You get the idea. Why not combine onion and chocolate? From a species which enjoys a wide range of fermented foods and wholly unordinary culinary practises, chocolate and onion seems positively straight forrward!
So yes, those are the flavours I chose, and I’m not at all disappointed with my selection. The chocolate and fried onion combination was quite interesting and subtle; it worked well in my opinion. But my favourite thus far has been the vodka-lemon, imparting a series of changing flavours as it rests on your tongue. Cola has been my least favourite, though not overall. That distinction would have to go to the sickly false banana flavoured chocolate I regretably purchased elsewhere.
When in Bruges, eat these
Dumon is perfect for serious lovers of rich milk chocolate. Try anything with their chocolate ganache.
From Sukerbuyc I preferred the dark chocolates, and the avocado filling is highly recommended.
If you’re interested in trying something different and wholly inspirational, head to The Chocolate Line. Be sure to try the vodka-lemon white chocolate!
