Ronnie Wood is a lucky man. While most of us have to settle for an M&S cake for our birthday, Mr Wood spent his 60th last year, along with the rest of the Rolling Stones, devouring a decadent strawberries and chocolate dessert created for him by one of the best chocolatiers in Bruges, if not the world. The eccentric Dominique Persoone was, apparently, the only man for the job.

I experienced the next best thing by sampling some of Dominique’s famous treats at his shop, The Chocolate Line, during the opening weekend of the city’s two-month festival dedicated to the confection, Choc’ in Brugge. My partner Christian and I had signed up for a special tour of the city’s chocolate shops (with 47 in all it’s hard to know where to start) with our friendly local guide, Marie.

Within minutes of entering The Chocolate Line, located on a pretty street near the main square, we were trying dark chocolate and wasabi squares. That’s right, wasabi. When the shop opened 15 years ago, Dominique threw out the rule book and became the first “experimental” chocolatier in Bruges. If you’ve ever wondered what white chocolate ganache with marzipan, black olives and a chutney of sun-dried tomatoes tastes like, I can assure you it’s delicious.

The Grand Place in the centre of Bruges is a good starting point for chocolate explorers

That morning we got a real flavour of the city, and not just its chocolate. We made our way from Sukerbuyc, the oldest family-run chocolate shop with more than 90 varieties of handmade truffles, to Bar Choc, the first chocolate bar in the city; all the while following winding, cobbled streets peppered with gift shops and cafés, and criss-crossed with canals. Bruges is often called the Venice of the North, but it’s a gem in its own right. It has an enchanting medieval feel to it with horse-drawn carriage rides being a great way to see the sights.

By midday we needed to rest our legs, and stomachs. During the festival many of the city’s spas lay on “choco-therapy” treatments. We opted for a facial at Aphrodites, a 10-minute taxi ride north of the city centre. Lying side by side in a lantern-lit room – with rich red fabric draped from the ceiling, a giant golden Buddha sculpture on the wall and instrumental music playing softly – was like being in some Indian boudoir. As our therapists used a steaming device to open our pores, I wondered what on earth Christian was making of it all and so I sneaked a peak at him.

His contented smile said it all.

Next, they massaged our faces with cocoa butter, before applying a warm mask, made from cocoa and orange extract. Our therapists assured us that cocoa, which is rich in vitamin K and antioxidants, does wonders for hydrating skin and healing blemishes (shame eating it doesn’t have quite the same effect). Once suitably pasted, they left us for 25 minutes to relax, though in fact we both fell fast asleep – the rich aromas proving
remarkably soothing.

We were beginning to understand just how seriously Bruges takes its chocolate, and we hadn’t even visited the Choco-Story museum yet. Housed in a grand townhouse, it displays more than 1,000 artefacts showing you how chocolate has developed through the centuries, from its origins in ancient Mayan and Aztec culture to the present day.

We felt, however, a spot of exercise was more in order and instead headed to the 13th-century Belfry tower, Bruges’s most famous landmark, which dominates the main square. We made our way (slowly) up its 366 steps, past the impressive clock mechanism, to the top where the sweeping city views were breathtaking.

It didn’t take long for our sugar cravings to kick in though. Luckily, we had a table booked at Restaurant ’t Zwaantje, one of the 10 restaurants in the city that had created a special chocolate menu to celebrate the festival.

We chose a table by the window, overlooking the terrace and orangery. While the wine list read like an encyclopedia of vintages (200 wines from 15 countries), it was the menu that stole the show. Who would have thought that a chocolate bake with goose liver, ginger and mango could be so delicious? And that was just for starters. The fried scallops on mashed celery with a light cocoa sauce was just as tasty.

“Dessert?” the waitress asked, notepad poised. I looked at Christian with a grin. I’m sure Ronnie Wood would agree, when it comes to Choc’ in Brugge, you definitely get Satisfaction.

GETTING THERE: Choc’ in Brugge runs until March 13. Details: 020 7307 7738/www.visitflanders.co.uk.

Bonifacius (from UK: 00 32 50 49 00 49/www.bonifacius.be) offers suites from £175 per night (two sharing), B&B.

Eurostar (08705 186 186/www.eurostar.com) offers return travel from London St Pancras International to Bruges (via Brussels) from £59. Aphrodites (50 35 23 84/www.aphrodites.be); chocolate facial £45. Restaurant ’t Zwaantje (473 71 25 80/www.hetzwaantje.be); mains from £16. Chocolate walking tour is bookable locally, £7pp.