Once upon a time there was a strange cottage deep in the woods, all made of chocolate, and icing, and gingerbread, and candies… So tell the fairy tales.
Yet, you may well discover the ‘chocolate house’ for real in our modern days! And you don’t even have to go deep in the woods!
In a quiet street in the small beautiful resort town of De Panne, Belgium, stands Huyze Armalot – the Chocolate House. No, of course it is not made of chocolate, or candies, or gingerbread, but there you can enjoy the finest of all these sweet delicacies, and much more!
Naturally, chocolate rules here! But not only! From a delicious breakfast with steaming coffee and freshly baked croissants, through a pleasant lunch with matching wine, aromatic afternoon tea with cookies, scones with butter, clotted cream and homemade jam, soft sandwiches with savory stuffing, to a plate of exquisite sweets and other heavenly desserts – the chef of the Chocolate House will always surprise you with a most delicious menu of sweet, sour, salty and bitter, to satisfy each and everyone’s taste.
The place itself is designed so as to ensure a most pleasant stay of its guests. It has three zones – a panoramic glass gallery, a cozy romantic hall, and a sunny garden terrace. The interior bears accents of the Belle Époque, characterized by optimism, peace, new technology and scientific discoveries. Photos, flower-pots, umbrella stands, globes, ‘discovery’-items, and other decorations are all delicately spread around the place to create a unique ambiance, complemented by the excellent delicacies on the menu.
In Belgium they say “We grow chocolate here”. Well, in the Chocolate House in De Panne they know how to serve it!
Article and photographs by Rossitsa Yankova
