Exterior of the Sablon Passion Chocolate

Two NEW Locations (UPDATED July 2011):

• Grand Sablon (Hôtel nH)
  Rue Bodenbroek 2/4 
1000 Bruxelles
  Tel. : +32 (0)2-514.77.14
  Hours:  Monday – Saturday 10h00 – 19h00
and Sunday 10h00 – 19h00 1
• Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
  Avenue Louis Gribaumont 20
, 1150 Bruxelles
  Tel.: +32 (0)2-772.47.10
  Hours:  Monday – Saturday 10h00 – 18h00

URL: http://www.passionchocolat.be

UPDATE:  Passion Chocola has moved from its Rue Pere E. Devroye location to  Avenue Louis Gribaumont.  They also have another shop on the Grand Sablon.

“Chocolate should be experienced through the senses,” explains Monsieur Massimo Ori, owner of Passion Chocolate, a small artisan (handmade) chocolate shop in Woluwe St. Pierre.“First the eyes.The chocolate should shine like satin.Then the nose.The aroma of the chocolate should fill the air around you. And finally, the taste.Each bite must fill your body with pleasure.”Bringing the delight of Belgium artisan chocolate to every customer is what Monsieur Ori’s Passion Chocolate is all about.

Ori bought Passion Chocolate in 2008 from founder Claire Macq who launched the shop on the first floor of her home on Rue Pere E. Devroye, just beyond the shadow of the historic Theatre Saint-Michel near Montgomery Circle.Ori is not a chocolatier by trait.Rather this is a second career for him.After giving his successful engineering firm to his son, he bought the shop from Madame Macq not knowing much about the art of making chocolate.Ori had spent his life in a technical career and was ready to do something with more vitality.He found it in artisan chocolates. Ori is the perfect person to take Passion Chocolate to the next level.His passion for the business is contagious.When he speaks one can’t help but be drawn to his generosity of explanations and descriptions.

Interior of the Sablon Passion Chocolat

Passion Chocolate is charmingly decorated shop with an alluring selection of signature pralines and ganaches.In Belgium, a praline refers to filled chocolates. When a chocolate is called a praline in Belgium, it usually means it has a nut or caramel filling.A chocolate filled with a cream-based center is called a ganache.

When you enter, there is a table immediately on your left inviting you to sample a selection of chocolates.

Don’t worry if your French is rusty, the staff is welcoming and speaks English.

Passion Chocolate takes pride in using natural ingredients in its chocolate: no preservatives, extracts, or concentrates.For example, when you taste a hint of orange in a chocolate you know that the flavor came directly from fresh oranges squeezed in their kitchen workshop.Their environmental sensitivity extends to how they package the chocolates as well.Chocolates are boxed in simple containers that are tastefully adorned with ribbons and ornaments.

Ori and his staff strive to maintain a perfect balance in their chocolate. They want consistency from the quality of ingredients to the look, feel, and taste of each chocolate.They also enjoy crafting new creations to excite their customers’ hunger for fresh chocolate tasting adventures.

Before leaving the shop, consider complementing your chocolate with some of their dessert wine bottled by Domaine la Pleiade.

Right now their kitchen workshop is in Schaarbeek where they are busy preparing for the upcoming holidays with rich chocolate traditions: All Saint’s Day (November 1), Saint Nicolas (December 6^th) and Christmas (December 25^th).

If you are looking for a chocolate adventure not in the guide books, consider a private tour of Passion Chocolate’s kitchen workshop.Ori will conduct tours for groups of 4-5 adults.Please call in advance to arrange.

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