First things first: Patachou's macarons are only $1 each (this is considered cheap, as most macarons hover around the $2 mark. Small (just under 1.5 inches in diameter) yet addictive, I could've eaten 5 of these crispy, coffee-flavoured clouds! Yes, I called 'em clouds. Just bite into one and you'll find that chewing isn't necessary. Let the macaron melt on your tongue; suck up the sweet juices.
Whoa. This macaron probably weighed lighter than a feather. Just joking. But for real though, it was super light and airy. Of all the macarons I tried, it was definitely the thinnest... all I could taste was rich chocolate ganache! Did I mind that the blackberry flavour was faint? Hells no! [Do you prefer ganache-filled macarons, buttercream-filled macarons or jam-filled macarons?]
By golly, it tastes like Nutella! Chopped chunks of hazelnuts find themselves smothered in dark chocolate in this macaron. And the pistachio disks truly taste like pistachio! Quality ingredients and excellent crispness make this macaron a winner. Still, you don't want to know how hard it was to get my hands on these Bobbette & Belle macarons. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeesh.
Back in April, Susan Sampson's TO Star article,
"French macarons are a sweet trend" inspired me to go on a macarons mission. To date, I've tried at least one macaron from Patachou Patisserie, Nadege Patisserie, Bobbette & Belle, La Bamboche, Madeleines, Cherry Pie & Ice Cream, Sweet Escape Patisserie and Petite Thuet. The bakeries that didn't make the TOP 3 either weren't worth mentioning, or their macarons straight up SUCKED. I.E...
Dauntingly massive and super crunchy, this macaron was unlike anything I'd expect in a classic macaron. Chewy? Nope. Airy? Nope. Crisp? Nope. Light? Nope. Call me bias but DAMN, ew. Sorry :\
Don't judge a book by its cover! This macaron looks beautiful but in terms of taste and texture, mehhh. And for $2.50 a pop, I expect a lot. On the bright side, La Bamboche does bake up a snazzy croissant!