Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Ladurée, Sydney


 A dream of mine is to someday travel to Paris and sample all the gastronomic treasures it has to offer. I am a huge macaron lover and Paris is like the Mecca of macarons. One place that I am really keen to visit is the patisserie giant known to the world as Ladurée.

 Part of that dream has come true! A piece of Paris has landed in Sydney in the form of none other than Ladurée. It is located in Westfield Sydney (near the Glasshouse and Castlereagh Street entrance). The store looks so elegant and refined. The displayed macaron towers are so enticing that it is almost impossible not to pop by to check out the store.  Pierre Desfontaines was the brilliant mind and pastry chef of Ladurée responsible for the creation of these glorious morsels during the 1930s.

My first attempt to purchase macarons was a complete failure as the line was too massive! On my second attempt, I was lucky! A super early lunch was the key. This is what I came across:







Cafe latte
I decided to dine in and have a latte with my macarons just to beat the long takeaway queue.
Liquorice, pistachio, and salted caramel macarons
I opted to have the salted caramel, pistachio and liquorice macarons ($3.20 each). The salted caramel filling had a tiny hint of salt and was not overly sweet. The pistachio tasted exactly just like a pistachio nut. I'm not a big fan of liquorice lollies but the only form of liquorice I'll ever have is in the form of Ladurée's macaron version of it.
Another thing I loved about the macarons is that the shells are perfect! A slight crisp as you bite into it and the rest of the shell has a very delicate chewy texture that melts in your mouth.


My takeaway macarons (day 1) - Liquorice, ghana chocolate, salted caramel and pistachio
My takeaway macarons (day 2) - top to bottom: strawberry marshmallow, vanilla, coffee, and violet marshmallow
All the macarons are imported from Switzerland. I guess it's to make sure that they keep a consistent quality across all stores worldwide. One thing is for sure, Ladurée has won my heart! Their macarons are nothing short of excellent. Can't wait until they start selling cakes and other pastries.

Ladurée, Sydney
Level 3
Westfield Sydney
Corner Pitt and Market Streets

Ladurée on Urbanspoon

12 comments:

  1. oh YUMmMMM! Will have to make my way down tomorrow... hope the queue aint too long

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  2. im a lucky girl :)
    really liked the ghana choc ones!

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  3. I've heard so much about Laduree macarons before so its soo exciting to see a store in Sydney! Great to see your review and how much you enjoyed them - I would love to go visit soon (but hopefully when all the massive queues die down hehe).

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  4. Can't wait to try Laduree's famed macarons - curious how they compare to Zumbo's!

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    1. Yes, I can't agree more! I've been so hyped already by Zumbo macarons, but Laduree is like the God of macarons, I bet they're worth the extra 70c each compared to the Zumbo ones!

      And @Ramen Raff, go pistachio! That nut tastes great in gelato, macarons, just everything!

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  5. I tried macarons from Laduree in Paris a few years ago. AMAZING! The salted caramel one was literally one of the nicest things I'd ever eaten! Not sure why they're shipping macarons here from Switz (surely they could make them beautifully here in Sydney??) but I'm interested to see if they do any "Aussie" flavours in honour of their new home (Wattleseed macarons, perhaps??)

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  6. Great that you could try them for the first time!! I've had many in the past luckily and I am very curious to see how they will taste after being shipped from Switzerland!!

    My first attempt was a failure too (tonight), the queue was just way too long so I'll be back tomorrow at a different time to beat the queue like you. Last time in Paris, I had apple flavour but I reckon that it was a seasonal flavour, so they might not have it here. Nonetheless, it was just amazing... it was like biting into the perfect apple.

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  7. Was recently visiting Paris and fell in love with the salted caramel laduree macarons. A bit disappointed at the price though, as they are only €1.70 in Paris! :(

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  8. I always love reading posts from macaron lovers :) This is a great post, and you are a very lucky guy to have gone to Laduree here :) It's also a dream of mine to go to Paris and eat all the desserts and pastries, but first I must come to this place!

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  9. I still havent been here yet.. would love to go & try the salted caramel one :)

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  10. Laduree... glad you've finally made it to Sydney!

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  11. Looks like my kind of place! I love a good macaroon and these look amazing. Would love to try some.

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Let me know what ya think, aight! Would love to hear from ya.