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

Laduree, Westfield Sydney, CBD

I've had this post sitting around for a bit too long! I was extremely hyped about Laduree when it first opened inside Westfield Sydney, but what I wasn't so hyped about was that queue that seemed to snake on forever... In the end, I put buying macarons from Laduree off for quite a while until the craziness around it died down slightly. But by then, I heard that these weren't made fresh in Sydney, but shipped frozen to be sold here.

Packaging sure was cute! Loved the box it came in :)

Box of 6, $23.00

So how did these compare to the big Sydney names such as Adriano Zumbo? I ended up getting salted caramel, lemon lime marshmallow, hazelnut, strawberry marshmallow, praline, and coffee. The texture was quite wonderful, nice and soft. I found the marshmallow filling a tad too sweet and odd in texture - maybe because I'm not used to having a spongy centre in my macarons? I think I prefer the rich ganaches that Zumbo has haha. I also found the flavours to be quite subtle and not as strong. While these were nice, they weren't mindblowingly good and I am a bit skeptical about justifying the $3.20 price tag per macaron. It cost extra for the box as well! I think I may stick to the ones at the Lindt Cafe or Adriano Zumbo's for my macaron fix :)

Eats lately via iPhone

Sorry I've been MIA for a while! I'm currently doing Chinese at summer school and boy is it intense. So many characters to learn and so little time. Not to mention getting the tone and pronunciation right... But it doesn't mean I haven't been eating :P

Burnt butter gelato, $6.00

With all the hot weather going on lately, gelato has been a must! This burnt butter one reminded me much of salted butter caramel.. Mm, so good.

Check out the mountainous claw of gelato! The perks of bumping into a friend who works there :P

N2 Extreme Gelato
43-1 Dixon St
Haymarket, NSW, 2000

Happy birthday cake, $9.00

As with all of Adriano Zumbo's cakes, this one was incredibly rich. How could it not be with a flourless chocolate biscuit, chocolate sabayon mousse, chocolate brownie, milk chocolate chantilly and passionfruit glaze? Definitely delicious though! But I think my heart lies with the V8 ;)

From L to R: candy cane, johnny walker, citrus, salted butter caramel, & salted butter popcorn, $2.50 each

Wasn't the biggest fan of the candy cane, Johnny Walker or citrus (which had gone soggy) but salted butter caramel and salted butter popcorn have always been favourites of mine at Zumbo!

Adriano Zumbo Pattisier
80 Pyrmont St
Pyrmont, NSW, 2009

Clockwise from top: coconut, maple, & fruit salad fairy floss

I bought these on a deal website for $5.00 (I think?) each with $10.00 shipping. It definitely is interesting trying new flavours, especially gourmet, artisan fairy floss! If anyone is interested, Spun Fairy Floss has stores around Sydney.

Iced tea and scone with jam & cream

I finally made a trip to the Tea Cosy with a few of my high school girls to catch up. And my, this apple and cinnamon scone was absolutely delicious! So fluffy and with the home made jam plus cream, I fell in love with scones all over again. Must visit this place again!

The Tea Cosy
33 George St
The Rocks, NSW, 2000

San churros signature classic Spanish hot chocolate, $5.95

This was a different experience having a hot chocolate this thick! I really did love it, but nearing the end of the cup I was finding it a bit too thick and a bit too sweet. Great in smaller doses though! And maybe not after a huge meal, like I had...

Choclateria San Churros
2-10 Darling Dr,
Sydney, NSW, 2000

Khao nieaw sangkaya, $4.00

Sticky rice steamed with coconut cream and palm sugar accompanied with a steamed coconut custard? Yes, please!

Chat Thai
20 Campbell St
Haymarket, NSW, 2000

Volcano sushi

Couldn't resist snapping a photo of this extremely pretty volcano sushi dish we managed to nab on a sushi train. So much cream cheese!

Kz's Sushi Experience
59 Burwood Rd
Burwood, NSW, 2134

Grilled lamb salad, $22.90

This salad really did win my heart. It was amazing of all sorts! There were so many elements yet they all seemed to work together. The sweetness from the pumpkin and beetroot, cous cous for texture, baby spinach for our daily dose of greens (and iron!), walnuts for crunch, lamb for protein and a delicious mint and coriander dressing. Too good.

Blackbird Cafe
Harbour St
Sydney, NSW, 2000

Cafe Cre Asion, CBD

After hearing wonderful things about Cafe Cre Asion, I had high expectations for their macarons. Finding the store is just a little bit tricky as it is hidden in a back alley - it's the only shop along Alberta St! Yes, the road is a little dingy but I ventured forth - for the sake of macarons! (Please don't hold me responsible for any macaron mugging that may occur in the dodgy recesses of Alberta St).

What's fantastic here is the brutalist use of concrete. It's very industrial and I particularly like this style. My inner architecture student finally making an appearance on a macaron cafe :P

Look at all those pretty macarons! Eat ALL the macarons!

Box of 8 macarons, $21.00

Love the sticker they used on the box. Considerate packaging, no? Prices for individual macarons start at $2.70 and the more you buy, the cheaper they become. A box of 16 costs $36.00. However, at $2.70 per macarons, they are definitely on the expensive side. They are similar in size to Adriano Zumbo's, but his come in cheaper at $2.50.

Top row from L to R: cha nom, yuzu, coconut, strawberry milk
Bottom row from L to R: dear chris, buerre noisette, triffle hazel, hoji tea

Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with this batch of macarons. I found the shells were quite dry and shattered a bit too easily. I prefer them slightly more chewy, if not softer. However, I particularly liked the flavours of coconut, hoji tea, buerre noisette and strawberry milk - especially strawberry milk! I guess different people have difference preferences of how they like their macaron shell texture. If you prefer a drier shell than by all means go to Cafe Cre Asion. They do have such a large selection of flavours that apparently change daily and are continually updated.

Though I think Zumbo's macarons hold the key to my heart. For now. At least this is another cafe crossed off my macaron bucket list! Laduree I will be coming for you soon ;)

Cafe Cre Asion
21 Alberta St
Sydney, NSW, 2000
0404 941 528

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Macarons!

Ehehe I got a box of macarons on the box from Town Hall on the way home!

Back row left to right: peanut butter & jelly, tim tam, honeydew, red velvet, taro, coconut
Front row left to right: green tea, pandan, lemon, salted caramel, watermelon, black sesame

My favourite ones were probably red velvet, coconut and pandan! I eat way too much sugar...

Zumbaron Day 2012

It's that time of year again! Once called Macaron Day, it has now been given an update and is officially "Zumbaron Day".

Deep-fried macarons, $5.00 each

Left to right: pork pelly, hamburger, duck pancake, fried chicken, custard fritters, fried doughnut

Pork Belly: It was like a char siu bun! Except with a macaron that had a slice of char siu sandwiched in the middle.
Hamburger: This was surprisingly interesting with a piece of "meat" in the middle. I liked it!
Duck Pancake: Oh my god, this was awesome! It had a wrapping of pancake on the outside and there was actual duck meat inside! My sister said she saw ducks hanging up in the Zumbo store for these macarons that were made to order. It tasted exactly like a duck pancake, down to the hoisin sauce!
Fried Chicken: THE BATTER ON THE OUTSIDE WAS SO GOOD AND CRUNCHY. I didn't expect it to taste that great, but it really was!
Custard Fritters: Yum.
Fried Doughnut: Had a dollop of jam in the middle that made it like a deep-fried jam doughnut!

They've upped the anti with their packaging this year! These macarons were $2.50 each.

Left to right: 2 x toasted marshmallow, salted butter popcorn, rice pudding, pecan danish, pear pistachio & fennel, peanut caramel, palm sugar & coconut, olive oil & salted truffle, cola, choc marshmallow pop, carrot cake

Vanilla vavoom, $2.50

Very vanilla-y.

Choc marshmallow pop, $2.50

It's a macaron on a stick! Ah, so entertained by novelty objects.

Well these macarons are going to last me through the weekend so that I can survive the allnighters I'm going to have to pull to get my studio project finished by Monday when I have my presentation that is worth FIFTY PERCENT.

Time for a sugar high! Go ahead and Zumbaron your day :D

Happy weekend everyone xx

Pasticceria Papa, Haberfield

Cheesecake for breakfast! How healthy... Ok, after today, time to eat much more clean!

Torta di ricotta, $4.00

This slice of cheesecake was one of the better ones I've had lately. I loved the slightly chewy crust that surrounded the ricotta innards which were so smooth and creamy. What was great about this cheesecake was that it didn't feel too heavy when eating it which is the case with a lot of cheesecakes. It also wasn't overly sweet nor was there excess amounts of cinnamon dusted on top which was perfect because the delicate flavour of the ricotta was not overpowered by these other flavours. It was also really cheap for the slice!

Macarons, $2.00 each

I love macarons! Though I don't love the price... They do hurt my wallet. But sometimes I do get incessant cravings for them and I was sold once the lady told me the flavours in the display cabinet. What I noticed was that the orange one was significantly smaller compared to the other two.

Left to right: coconut, lemon & lime, rockmelon

Necessary innards shot! But yes, the rockmelon was what really sold me. It also had to be my favourite out of the three (: The coconut one wasn't bad - definitely one of the better ones I've had and I loved the surprising chocolate centre! But I could tell the coconut flavour came from the use of essence so that sort of had me a bit apprehensive. But the texture of these macarons were spot on - crisp shell on the outside that was soft and had a slight resistance when taking a bite.

I definitely will be back for the cheesecake.

Pasticceria Papa
145 Ramsay St
Haberfield, NSW, 2045
9799 9631
http://ppapa.com.au/

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Sunday:7:30am - 1:00pm

Menya Oiden, CBD

After a gruelling day after work and then uni, I met up with the boy for some dinner. To be honest, my appetite still wasn't feeling its best after my hayfever attack yesterday but I decided I ought to eat anyway. And Menya Oiden seemed the best idea for that as they have the choice for some small portions! I love the cafeteria feel of the joint where you order your dish, decide whether you want to add on any side dishes and move along to the end where you pay for everything. We got there very early at 5 and so dinner queues hadn't started yet, thank god!

Mini Oiden Curry, $2.90 with extra ontama (half boiled egg) $1.00

This tasted great! And I actually thought the serving size was perfect. It was enough so that I wouldn't feel hungry but left me with stomach space to eat dessert if I wanted to! Which is, lets face it, quite often ;) And so cheap! The egg was also boiled to a perfect googiness which I really enjoyed as well.

Mini teriyaki chicken salad, $3.60

The boy got a salad as a snack as he had just eaten before he left uni to meet up with me. The chicken was good but I thought it would've been nicer if it was served warm.

Seaweed salad, $0.90

And Japanese seaweed salad is always good. And for 90c, why not?

Clockwise from left to right to bottom: Creme brulee, Coconut and swiss chocolate, Maple walnut all for $6.95!

I had a coupon for Movenpick icecream where I could get 3 scoops of icecream for the price of 2 scoops! I really loved all the flavours we got. The coconut and swiss chocolate had crispy coconut flakes scattered throughout, adding that lovely extra crunch. And they didn't skimp on the walnuts in the maple walnut either! There was even the crunch of toffee in the creme brulee. Yum.

Left to right: Salted butter popcorn, salted butter caramel, custard crunch, chocolate donut

And since we were in Darling Harbour anyway, why not make that extra little trip to The Star for some macarons? The chocolate donut was a real surprise I did not expect to like as much as I did! It had a delicious cinnamon ganache sandwiched between the chocolate shells that were scattered with cinnamon sugar. And the salted butter popcorn is a flavour I go back for again and again. So good.