Blog – Page 13 – Aplins in the Alps

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. And when in Belgium, do as the Belgians doâeat chocolate! Eating chocolate in Belgium is like having pasta in Italy, or croissants in France, or fondue in Switzerland. In order to fully maximize our experience, we created our own DIY Chocolate Tasting Tour in Bruges, Belgium. You get to walk by lovely streets like this on your DIY Chocolate Tasting Tour! The rules You donât have to create rules, but we decided to set some standards before we started popping rich desserts into our mouth. We selected five locations and decided to buy three pieces of chocolate at each location: One piece of dark chocolate with caramel (to share)Jana gets to pick one piece of her choiceBrett gets to pick one piece of his choice We would use the dark chocolate with caramel as a measure to compare one location to the other. After our tour, we would each select which: dark chocolate with caramel was our favoritepiece of chocolate was our overall winnerchocolate was our second favorite. The chocolate shops If Bruges is so well known for chocolate, how in the world did we narrow down to only five locations? Lots of research! But donât worry, we did the research so you donât have to! Here are the five locations for our DIY Chocolate Tasting Tour: Chocolatier DumonThe Chocolate LineConfiserie de ClerckPick a random chocolate shop Cote dâOr (from a grocery store) (If the map isn't working, try this link.) A quick note about âThe Chocolate Mafiaâ The Italian mafia isnât the only group in town, because Bruges has itâs very own Chocolate Mafia. Thatâs right, there is an underground group who determines the reasonable price for chocolate: currently â¬2.80 per 100 grams.Â If a shop charges more than that, itâs either gourmet or overpriced. And be cautious if someone charges you too much below this priceâitâs possibly poor quality chocolate instead of a stellar deal. Our DIY Tasting Chocolatier Dumon had fresh chocolates plus an entire display of bars! First stop: Chocolatier Dumon Dark chocolate with caramelJana: Milk chocolate with buttercream and caramelBrett: Dark chocolate with coffee Our chocolate from The Chocolate Line Second stop: The Chocolate Line Dark chocolate with caramel and sea saltWe shared: Milk chocolate with lavenderWe shared: Milk chocolate with bacon The selection from Confiserie de Clerck. Third stop: Confiserie de Clerck Milk chocolate with caramelJana: White chocolate with peanut butterBrett: Dark chocolate with vanilla cream We chose one random chocolate shop, and here's what we got. Chocolater de Burg Note: We decided to pick a random chocolate shop along the way to try. This made us realize how good our first three chocolate shops were, as the taste here just didn't meet the standard of the others! If you take this tour, pick a random place in town! Dark chocolate with caramelJana: Dark chocolate with raspberry creamBrett: Speculoos Don't underestimate the chocolate from the grocery store! Cote dâOr (from the grocery store) Note: Try to buy this brand because it's one of the best brands that you can buy in grocery stores! A central supermarket is listed on our map above, but you can get this in most grocery stores. Dark chocolate bar The results Janaâs favorite: milk chocolate with buttercream and caramel from Chocolatier Dumon Janaâs runner up: bacon from The Chocolate Line Chocolatier Dumon is our overall winner! Brettâs favorite: dark chocolate with caramel from Dumon Brettâs runner up: milk chocolate with caramel from Confiserie de Clerck But look at these unique flavors from The Chocolate Line! Highest quality Belgium chocolate: Chocolatier Dumon Best chocolate at a reasonable price: Confiserie de Clerck (P.S. This place has family-run for over 90 years!) Most unique chocolate: The Chocolate Line Planning a trip to Bruges? Don't skip Dumon! Our verdict: Donât skip Dumon! ...And you should probably stop by Confiserie de Clerck too! Looking for a stronger caffeine fix? For a great brew, check out Cafune, which is on the opposite side of the street from Confiserie de Clerck. Brett rates it as the best place in town! P.S. Tag us on Instagram @aplinsinthealps if you go on a DIY Chocolate Tasting Tour! https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdBd_QDZmw/ Wanna see more DIY Food Tours? Subscribe to our email list to stay in the loop! You may also like our DIY Dutch Food Tour in Amsterdam.