I had no plans to visit the Ladurée in New York.
Hard to believe, I know, but apparently there wasn’t room in our bloated itinerary of things to do in New York for a trip to ‘a sweet shop’.
So there I was, having a nice stroll in Central Park on my way to Belvedere Castle when I spotted a cute couple perched atop a rock having a little picnic, I stopped when I spotted the pale green bag… and with a daringness usually reserved for people I know, I asked them where the Ladurée shop was.
“71st and Madison” they said, “it’s pretty close too, you could be there and back in twenty minutes tops”
That’s all I needed to hear – I cut through the park, meandered through the Upper East Side and minutes later I was in pastel coloured confectionery heaven…

The macarons are flown from Paris everyday, which I guess works, because macarons are best eaten two days after they are baked.
Luckily, the wait wasn’t long; they were unfortunately out of the salted caramel (my favourite).
I went for the classic vanilla, pistachio and rose.
The macarons were delicious – smooth, slightly chewy and soft.
And I added another jewellery box to my collection of cute Ladurée boxes.

Maison Ladurée
864 Madison Ave
(between 72nd St & 71st St)
New York, NY 10021
(646) 558-3157

After much wishing and hoping, Vancouver finally has its very first macaron shop.
Yep, a little shop solely devoted to macarons (and tea)… right here in our pretty city.
Of course, most of the French bakeries and pastries shops have macarons, but a macaron-only shop surely deserves special mention.
Soirette, it’s called and I’ve been twice since they opened a few months ago – a testament to my self-control, since it’s only a block out of my way on my daily route.

The macarons from Soirette are quite possibly the best macarons I’ve had in Vancouver.
I shan’t compare them to Ladurée or Pierre Hermé because that’ll be unfair, besides everything just seems to taste better in Paris.
Case in point, the Ladurée macarons I had in New York (which are flown from Paris) were awesome but wasn’t as sensational as an afternoon of ‘macarons and Rosé’ at the Tuileries.

Admittedly, Soirette makes fine quality macarons; the texture is airy and delicate, the ganache layer is just the right amount, soft, with flavours that taste fresh and natural, there’s nothing artificial about them.
The macarons are not overly sweet, allowing the natural flavours of the almond and ganache to come through.
My favourites are pistachio, caramel fleur de sel and matcha .
The shop is in Coal Harbour on West Pender with an adorable modern chic tea-shop interior.

Soirette Macarons and Tea
1433 W Pender Street
Vancouver BC V6G 2S3
604 558 3308

I had this strange dream recently; I was in the prettiest little shop with colourful macarons.
I get as many as I can carry only to get home and have them turn into mush.
I think it’s the universe’s way of telling me that I need to learn how to make my own macarons.
See, if I made my own macarons, I could have spontaneous macaron parties like this all the time…

Looking through my photos, I noticed that I hadn’t shared these sweet treats yet.
We got this delectable cake for my sister’s birthday last month from La Boulangerie, a wee little café run by the Sutton Place Hotel.
That’s where I get all my celebration cakes, their desserts are consistently good and the prices are reasonable.
Their green tea white chocolate cake is amazing! Perfect for any special occasion.

This orange cake was light and fluffy, with layers of cream cheese and orange filling with real slices of orange, topped with white chocolate ribbons.

And here are the macarons… if you’ve been reading this blog for a while you probably already know that I love macarons!
Sadly, I’ve had more bad macarons than good, I’m afraid my search for the perfect macarons has led me to some not so great paths.
But I haven’t given up – because when it’s good, it’s been very good…

I wrote this on a bus taking me across the border to the airport in Seattle, where I took a plane to New York, and guess what?
I’m researching the best macaron shops in NYC, because that’s the kind of macaron lover I am.
I’m convinced there are good macarons outside of France, I just need to find them.

Unfortunately, these little beauties weren’t that good…

My internet friend EM told me recently that she’s found the secret to happiness

Happiness she says lies inside these cute little Ladurée boxes; happiness is  a macaron.
I don’t disagree with her entirely; macarons are a delectable joy-inducing treat.
These are heavenly; I bet they serve macarons in heaven

And Ladurée macarons are considered the best, I really can’t argue with that since I lack macaron-judging sensibilities.

I’ve tried other macarons that (I think) are equally as good, but there’s just something exceptional about these little gems from Ladurée.
Maybe it’s their history of having invented these colourful cheery looking macarons.
Once, at la Grande Epicerie, I got the chance to sample the original macaron – the kind Catherine de’ Medici brought to France when she married Henry II.
They were like crisp almond cookies; and looked plain and ordinary compared to the Paris macarons.

Maybe it’s the elegantly adorned Ladurée shops, the beautiful showcase of artful and carefully arranged pastries, colourful pastels, so pretty and so romantic.

Maybe it’s their fancy elegant boxes, that I want to keep them forever!
I saved a couple from my trip and now, I’m using them as part of my Christmas decorations; a tradition is born.

Whatever the reason, these macarons are just blissful – I could eat them forever.
I gained five pounds when I got back from vacation and I suspected these delicious cakes were the culprit.
I wasn’t too worried, these were pounds of happiness…

There is some happiness here, however short lived.
There’s sweetness here, sweetness stays for a while.