The Maison that embodies the best artisanal speculoos in the world – and in your kitchen – invests the historic Galleries Royales Saint-Hubert, just after its opening in Antwerp. With a dozen shops in Belgium and a presence on the shelves of the most prestigious gourmet groceries in Paris, London and Tokyo, Dandoy builds its empire in speculoos bricks, but begins “at home” and on a human scale. It is not a matter of “expansion”, but of focusing on the impact of this emblematic brand on the Belgian artisanal products market. A conscious and responsible growth, inscribed in a context of local know-how. Dandoy was crowned this year with the Caïus Prize, awarded by the Prométhéa association to reward corporate philanthropy in Belgium. Because cookies are also art and culture. Maison Dandoy puts the work of the hand in the spotlight, and regularly collaborates with creative profiles to make them known to the general public.
For 190 years, the values of the House have not changed. Jean-Baptiste Dandoy opened the first shop in 1829 rue du Marché-aux-Herbes in Brussels, before moving it 30 years later, rue Au Beurre (predestined). Seven generations later, the House that will one day be added to the gastronomic heritage of humanity, has just renovated at 2, Galerie du Roi, a former pharmacy, which was then converted into an art bookstore. It makes sense: to take care of the small daily qualms thanks to magic potions and invite to travel with well-chosen words, it’s all about the biscuitier emblematic of the Belgian know-how.
Dandoy gives back its soul to this surrealistically legitimate place for a traditional Brussels house, with its wooden ceilings, its imposing oak carvings, its checkerboard floor, mixed with contemporary decorative elements. The bucolic tapestries, specially designed by Christoph Hefti, represent birds hovering, one understands them, with a small biscuit in the beak. Have they flown from the big chandelier to the 60 cage-shaped bulbs? In any case the
customers, Brussellers happy to find a meeting place and tourists on a spree, will want to stay: on these 100m² fitted out like an image of Epinal by Erwin De Muer, they will be able to taste their pairing speculoos / champagne or tiles with almonds / Cantillon beers (and vice versa) in the tasting area, or on the terrace. Lulled by the coffee spirit, onlookers will be able to read their newspaper, meet up, and reinvest the center. More than a gluttony-stop, Dandoy creates an experience here. Located at the corner of the Rue des Bouchers, the new shop
introduces a dynamic, with, at heart, the interest of the neighborhood. Besides, none of the ten stores of the Maison are standard, they all adapt to the context of their environment.
Lovers of teas, infusions and coffee selected with attention at Eden, can delight in addition to the “overdose suite” (a tasting of wonders of which there will not remain a crumb, but the birds, embroidered, will not take exception), authentic Brussels waffles, and the entire sélection Maison, ice cream included. From there to invoke a “Dandoy Hall of Mirrors “, there is only one step, swallows cross, under the arch, in a wingbeat.
Maison Dandoy
Koningsgalerij 2 Galerie du roi
1000 Brussels
Monday – Sunday: 10am – 9pm
Tel: +32 2 669 52 12
www.maisondandoy.com
