Macarons of Melbourne

Sorry I've been away for so long fellow readers... I have disappeared for good reason though. I've been eating my way through Melbourne! There were two places in particular that I knew I just HAD to visit. They contain one of my favourite things in the world. Macarons!! Yes, I know they are an expensive habit in terms of eating. Yes, I know there is sooo much sugar in them. Yes, I know they are only a sometimes food. But give a girl a break alright? I was on a mini-holiday!

Our first macaron visit was to La Belle Miette, hidden in a cute unassuming store nestled within Hardware Lane. Isn't it just darling?

There was a huge variety to choose from. I was on a mission here to gather 21 macarons for my friend's 21st so we managed to snag at least one of each flavour for her. But of course, I couldn't let the opportunity of trying some macarons in Melbourne pass me by either so my friend and I decided to share a box. The store ladies were absolutely lovely and ever so patient!

The packaging is also very pretty in shades of pastel.

Left to right: violet & blueberry, salted caramel, mango & coconut, strawberries & cream, rose, cherry blossom & sake, $2.50-$2.75 each (I think?)

I was surprised by the blueberry and violet because I was a bit wary of how strong the floral scent of the violet was. But it was actually very subtle and enhanced the flavour of the blueberry. Very lovely! I was expecting more flavour from the mango and coconut though. It was hard to pick out either one of those BUT there was a tiny dollop of mango puree in the middle! The cherry blossom and sake definitely amazed me. Loved it!

Left to right: pistachio, vanilla, strawberries & cream, mango & coconut, salted caramel, hazelnut

My beautiful friend who studies over at Monash University also bought me a box to try! How sweet of her - I am blessed to have such good friends :) The salted caramel is a flavour that never fails me time and time again! I also particularly enjoyed the creaminess of the strawberries and cream macaron. The texture of the shells were also soft just the way I like it. Though I also love the chewier textured macarons too!

La Belle Miette
30 Hardware Ln
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
www.labellemiette.com.au

Opening Hours
Monday - Thursday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Friday: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am - 4:00pm

Store number two is further away in South Yarra! But it is also known for their macarons so it was a trip I had to make!

Box of 8 macarons, $22.00

Left to right: carmelised white chocolate, heilala vanilla creme brulee, sour strawberry, passionfruit & kaffir lime, ribena lemonade, pandan, coffee candy (kopiko), bamboo oolong tea

Can I just say oh my god about the flavours? They were all so good! And the best thing was, they managed to stay alive through the flight back to Sydney! I had packed the box with tissues around it due to my paranoia that the delicate macarons would get destroyed during transportation and I was surprised that they did indeed survive the long flight. I was scared air pressure would ruin them but they were as good as new when I opened the box (to my relief). I definitely have favourites - hello creme brulee and pandan!

We also managed to talk to the head pastry chef, Bernard Chu, who was ever so nice as to recommend the best restaurants of Melbourne! It was our last evening there before we had to fly back to Sydney and he encouraged us to make our way to Cumulus Inc (more to come later!) because my friends and I were going to make our way to Chin Chin again. Apparently Sydney's Ms G's run by Dan Hong is better ;) He also mentioned that he was just in Sydney the other week at the Shangri La hotel. Pity the Sydney weather echoed that of Melbourne when he was here - rainy and cold! Fingers crossed he'll get nicer weather when he's next in Sydney :P

Oh macarons of Melbourne, please come to Sydney.

LuxBite
38 Toorak Road
South Yarra, VIC, 3141
www.luxbite.com.au

Opening Hours
Open 7 days 10:30am - 7:00pm