We started the day with a tour of a chocolate museum. Spread over 2 floors this museum showcased how chocolate was first discovered and how it’s produced. It was very interactive and the kids had a number of exhibits that they could touch and play with. I learnt that cocoa beans were used as legal tender in some countries centuries ago.

We followed this up with our own self created chocolate tour where we stopped at some of the most famous and unique chocolatiers in Brussels. We started with Laurent Gerbaud who balances intense dark chocolate with savory, salty, and acidic components. Here we tried the Dark Chocolate with Candied Ginger and Chocolate with Salt and Pepper. We then visited Planète Chocolat which is an independent, highly artisanal workshop famous for its entirely 100% pure cocoa butter artisan recipes (no preservatives, no artificial colorings, and lower sugar content). We then made our way to Corné which is legendary for preserving smooth, velvety recipes. They are the masters of the “Manon Sucre”—a rich, traditional fresh cream and coffee praline coated entirely in hand-piped sugar fondant instead of chocolate shell and offers a totally different texture profile.

Pierre Marconi was next and this boutique looked like a high-end luxury watch store. Marcolini is a pioneer who handles the entire process from roasting raw cocoa beans to the final tempering. His raspberry hearts use a sharp, fresh fruit ganache that hits the tongue with an incredible contrast of tartness and silky cocoa. A Brussels icon is Jean Neuhaus opened a pharmacy here in 1857 and coated his medicines in chocolate to make them taste better. In 1912, his grandson replaced the medicine with sweet cream, inventing the world’s very first filled “praline.” The Caprice (a crispy nougatine shell filled with vanilla cream and dipped in dark chocolate) is a bite of pure culinary history. Our final stop was at Mary which was established in 1919, and was the first female-owned chocolatier in Belgium and holds a coveted Belgian Royal Warrant. The shop preserves classic, elegant, century-old recipes.

We were all chocolated out and went back to our hotel for a little break and to pack for our departure tomorrow. We then headed over to the Beer Museum which is a 3 storey dedication to the history of beer. It was again a very interactive museum and kept the kids entertained for hours. They had beer tasting and even had non-alcoholic beer for the kids. You also got to share your preferences with a digital bartender who then recommended the perfect brew for you. Finally we went to the roof top bar for snacks and more beer.

The museum had over 1,500 varieties of Belgian beer and each brewer makes their own unique glass for their beverage.