But the new palace will not just be a feast for the eyes: the elegant interior also houses two new culinary spots that will appeal to bon vivants.

The Café Impériale is an upscale brasserie (Brasserie de Luxe, it likes to say), paying homage to one of the building's many illustrious owners, Napoleon. Nothing but the best is good enough, then. The café offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner – all in the chic atmosphere and style of a Parisian salon. A patio further accommodates shoppers who like to take a break from their stylish endeavours while soaking up some sun and sampling a glass of wine.

It is obvious that Café Impériale wishes to bring back a bit of the grandeur for which Antwerp was once known. But it’s not just about appearances, especially if you’re into desserts (and who isn’t?). No less than Roger Van Damme, chef of Antwerp restaurant Het Gebaar and known for his avant-garde take on classic desserts, is in charge of Café Impériale’s desserts menu.

And if unconventional, mindblowing sweets are indeed your thing, there’s more good news. The other enviable spot in the 18thcentury palace is The Chocolate Line: the first Antwerp chocolaterie by Fabienne De Staerke and Dominique Persoone. The latter is known as Belgian chocolate’s enfant terrible – a “shock-o-latier”, as he’s known.

Persoone took Bruges by storm in 1992, when he opened the first location where you could buy chocolates that taste like olives or cigars, or where you could find chocolate lipstick and chocolate tequila shots. The chocolate chef’s gastronomic fantasies haunt those who have ever tasted his clever yet challenging combinations of flavours. Both Flemish triple- Michelin-starred restaurants rely on his assortment of chocolates during coffee.

This is just what goes on on the ground floor. One floor up, the majestic Spiegelzaal – once used by King Leopold II to impress his guests – will house special dinners, presentations, receptions and fashion shows. It could be the dream decor for grandes fêtes like we rarely ever see them anymore.

www.spiegelzaal.be