Unless melted and poured over the sweetest, juiciest strawberries, I am not a fan of chocolate. I have simply never been able to enjoy this most exquisite culinary delicacy regardless of how hard I tried. So I am rather unsure why I had walked into a shop which focuses on chocolates and alcohol. I don’t drink either.
At 307-309 High Street is the new Belgian speciality store owned by, as its name suggests: two guys from Brussels. They offer a selection of chocolates, sweets, sauces, beer and all things that are quintessentially Belgian.
As I walked in, I was welcomed by an array of various chocolates and sweets, with a selection of sauces in glass jars with small tubes of saffron tied to them. The place had a rustic touch to it, nothing like anywhere else I have been to in Bangor.
A man—one of the “two guys” as I later discovered, came to my assistance, offering me a chocolate covered apple crisp to taste. I nibbled on one—hesitantly as I explained to him about my dislike, or rather lack of like for chocolate, and the exception of chocolate strawberries and chilli hot chocolate.
I did, to my own surprise, enjoy the apple crisps as something I would love to cook with. From there, we went on to talk about rather a lot of things, about the business, their choice to open in Bangor, and about very many things that were Belgian.
As we talked, he showed me around the shop—all the products they offer, the reasons why they offered them. He was so enthusiastic and happy to answer all my curious questions and share all that he knew about the products, I lost track of the time I had been in the shop.
As I was about to leave, he offered me his own recipe of chilli hot chocolate—which I mentioned to him earlier that I like and, showed me the ingredients he uses to make his cup. Was it the way he made it sound like the best cup of hot chocolate? I don’t know, but I just had to buy them and run home to make it.
It took me two tries, first time I’d added too much chocolate… damn. Trial two was a major success, and I had what I can honestly call one of the most delicious cups of chilli hot chocolate. It’s been over a week since my visit, and I am sat finally ready for winter with my perfect cup of deliciousness! Chocolate truly is exquisite, Sometimes we just have to find the right one for us.
