Le chocolatier manon is a tour de force of belgian chocolate making. Their "bouchon", a dark chocolate cup filled with crème fraîche and topped with milk chocolate enclosing a Cognac buttercream (not to mention the 24 karat gold decoration), and the coffee-flavored praliné-filled bittersweet chocolate shell "Escargot Noir" were sublime.

La chocolaterie Manon is one of the few Belgian chocolate companies to make and dip their chocolates completely by hand. No fancy enrobing machines are in evidence-there are only two machines in the Manon factory, a conching machine to ensure smooth, soft, homogeneous chocolate and a "chiller", essentially a cooler in the summer to refrigerate coatings and fillings to the correct temperature of 58 degrees. Some Manon chocolates require as many as 10 steps to complete.
The most popular piece, the "Bouchon" is a fine example of the craftsmanship and detail for which Manon is know. It consists of a large bittersweet chocolate cup filled with crème fraîche and topped with milk chocolate enfolding a Cognac buttercream dotted with 24-karat gold.