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| Mocha Macaron — Patachou Patisserie |
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.
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| Blackberry Chocolate Macaron — Nadege Patisserie |
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?]
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| Pistachio Gianduja Macaron — Bobbette & Belle |
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...
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| Lime Macaron — Madeleines, Cherry Pie & Ice Cream |
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 :\
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| Pistachio Macaron — La Bamboche |
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!
I NEED to get my hungry hands on that Bobbette & Belle macaron. Is it really impossible? Should I just give up? Tell me no!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics!
Hahahahaha. OK, it's not entirely impossible. You gotta call up McEwan first thing Friday mornings (that's when the macarons arrive at the supermarket) and ask them to put your macarons on hold. Otherwise, expect the macarons to run out two days later — by Sunday, their stock's depleted. Damn those crazy macaron fiends.
ReplyDeleteThey all look pretty awful. That Nadege one is definitely too wet/underbaked and Patachou's is over done and dry. Finding a good macaron in Toronto is difficult.
ReplyDeletei must tell you. i had a poppy flavoured macaron in mtl.. OH-SO-GOO0ooo000D :D they also had rose, lilac (maybe they meant lily) and poppy. very, very ..tres bien ;)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I think it's hard to deem a macaron "good" or "bad." It's kinda like wine... people have their preferences. While I can agree that the Nadege one is pretty wet, I enjoyed its wetness. And for me, Patachou's wasn't dry at all. Have you actually tried the macarons from the patisseries listed above?
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone, It's Bobbette & Belle! We saw this fun post and are very excited to share the news that we will be opening a our first retail shop in Leslieville in November!So no more hunting around. Hope to see you there!
ReplyDeleteWOO-PEEEEEEE!!! Hear that, ya'll??? Only 2 months 'til Bobbette & Belle opens up their 1st retail shop!!!
ReplyDelete