On my last trip to Paris, Laduree was one of my fondest memories. The Salon de Thé was an elegant, Belle Epoque place to stop by when shopping at the huge LV store on the Champs Élysées gets too much and all you want to do is rest your weary legs and feet. Unlike last time, which was on a Saturday, there isn’t a line although there is a sign in French that I think means that for the comfort of other patrons, cameras aren’t allowed. So as any good food blogger does, I bought an array of cakes to take away with me, to be savoured in the hotel room where eating these delicate morsels and licking cream off your hands and moaning and groaning with pleasure won’t be frowned upon.
I can’t choose so I just keep choosing and before I know it I’ve amassed a €76.46 bill of cakes, macarons, pastries and petit fours. I will admit that two of the purchases were cooler bags, one for me and one for my sister so don’t think I’m mad ordering that many cakes and pastries.
Le Haul
Taking these goodies back to the hotel we eagerly take these out of the boxes (and please tell me I’m not the only bag lady that saves these lovely boxes-clean ones only obviously!).
St Honore Pistachio and Strawberry €5.20
The St Honore is a devoted poem to whipped cream and strawberries. The cream is a little excessive but the strawberry choux underneath is perfectly dry, not soggy in the slightest and filled with strawberry gelee and dipped in a deep strawberry icing.
Religieuse de la Violette €4.30
My favourite last time was the Religieuse de la Rose but as I am also a Violet fan, I choose this one. Out of the two, I admit I favour the Rose purely for the flavour but the Violet is sweet and lovely and the choux remains dry whilst still filled with the violet flavoured custard (unlike the variations of this I’ve found in Australia which are a soggy mess).
Ispahan €5.90
The Ispahan, a creation I believe was masterminded by Pierre Herme, is a raspberry macaron sandwich, filled with lychee and raspberries and a lychee/rose custard and topped with a perfect rose petal and raspberries. It’s squidgy, divine perfection.
Boxed Macaron selection (€14.10 for 8 )
The challenge for me was remembering which macarons I had bought in my selection. Luckily, the flavours are strong and I have ordered strawberry licorice, coconut, blackcurrant, citrus, lime, raspberry, licorice with just one macaron unnamed (pale cream with pale jade filling). Of course being macarons I love them and eat each one with small bites to prolong the taste.
Petit fours €7.40 for 100grams (€10.36 total 6 Petit Fours)
The mango topped domed tart is delicious and moist and filled with sweetened, dessicated coconut as is the pineapple mint tart. The second from left, the biscuit sandwich is less successful with the biscuit soggy against the raspberries and smear of buttercream. The coffee walnut dome is strongly flavoured with walnut and coffee although this has suffered in transport and the icing has stuck to the paper.
Petit fours €7.40 for 100grams (€10.36 total 6 Petit Fours)
The issue with icing and transportation has also occured with the chocolate chestnut dome with the chocolate icing sticking it to the pistachio and wild strawberry macaron sandwich. The macaron sandwich is delicately sweet and delicious.
Kougin Amman €1.70
Not the most glamorous sounding, the girl behind the counter asks whether I really want this and I do most certainly. She says it’s just sugar flavoured but having had this before, I need to have another. The only two flavours are sugar and butter but the texture is crisply gorgeous and layered. I find this way too easy to eat in one go despite my best intentions to share this with my husband.
Mini croissant Nut €1.10
The mini nut croissant is glazed with sugar and features a small smattering of chopped nuts. It’s a bit more exciting than your regular croissant although I don’t think I’d buy one again, instead favouring the other divine pastries.
Cannele €1.80
The chewy spongey Cannele is well liked my husband. I find the outer a littel too caramelised for my taste but apparently these are a national obsession.
Abricot Pistachio snail €2.00
This delicate layered pastry with strong with sweet apricots with a touch of pistachio. Absolutely delicious and a lovely alternative to a cinnamon snail.
And don’t worry, I didn’t eat these all in one day and I did share these with my husband. After all there is clothes shopping to be done tomorrow!
Laduree
75, avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris
Tel : 01.40.75.08.75 – Fax : 01.40.75.06.75
The Restaurant is open daily from 7.30am to 12.30am – The shop is open daily from 7.30am to 11pm except on Saturday 8.30am to midnight and on Sunday 8.30am to 10.00pm
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33 Comments | Add your own
Fancy the girl trying to talk you out of buying something! The cheek! hehe..
This brings back memories of my visit there. You’re bringing me back something, right??!
I can’t believe I overlooked this place when I was in Paris last year!I would find it painfully difficult to throw out such elaborate boxes. I am all for the fancy packaging! The macaron sandwich looks amazing and I want to go to Paris right now to gorge on sweets and baguettes. Hope you are having a wonderful time and that there will be more posts on this beautiful city!
on your next trip you are taking me with you! haha
mmmmmmmmm……. why am I at stupid work when I could be in Paris!
x
I still have the boxes in which the desserts came in from Pierre Herme! My husband thought i was mad!
I am sooo jealous! that all looks amazing!
macarons! awww im so jealous
That looks absolutely divine… heaven!!! Loving your posts!
On another note… I have realised that I’ve spelt pistachio wrongly in my entries! How embarrassing! Note to self must use spell check haha
Yippee, been waiting for this post from you! I can almost taste that raspberry macaron. And your photos make the cakes look like jewels, yummy delicious jewels…mmmm!
How divine – my idea of heaven indeed!
I was already jealous of your trip, but this post has taken me to over-the-top jealous! Laduree!!! I so want to go there one day.
The pistachio-strawberry St Honore looks amazing. I’ve got to try something with that flavour combination now…
Uh Oh.. I think you should shopping for clothes first before trying all of those pastries.
sigh. this is some of the most beautiful food i’ve ever seen, and i’m not kidding. it’s the stuff my dreams are made of.
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ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I have been eagerly awaiting this post! No trip to France is complete sans a visit to this heavenly mecca of carbohydrate godliness! Shining, beautiful, fragrant and perfect– this place is on my bucket list, for heaven’s sake! And I have to confess that I watched Copella’s Marie Antoinette purely because I heard Laduree had created one-off pieces for the film… Oh, the obsession!
When my parents decided to celebrate their twentieth anniversary with a vacation to France, I demanded they return with Laduree macarons. Alas, a cruel customs official having a bad day confiscated them. *shakes fist and has since waged war against ridiculous, arbitrary and cruel customs policies* Most would have smiled with a “Mon dieu, we can not take these from you!” and let them pass but that’s how the cookie crumbled. (I have a sneaking suspicion they were eagerly consumed in the staff lounge instead of being sent to the incineraters. Grr!)
It’s funny how most women would be more eager about visiting the Louis Vuitton flagship store.
Personally, I’d rather spend two grand at Laduree, hands down. Are the Laduree macarons anything like the Lindt cafe’s? I’ve been meaning to try the Lindt’s delice versions as I hear it’s the best that Sydney can offer in terms of macarons but…
Hahaha, and as for saving the carrier bags and boxes… I’d have asked for a few spares. Laduree is more fashionable than any Murakami speedy 60!
Hi Y-I know, funny isn’t it! I know it may only be butter, sugar and flour, but it’s a pretty perfect mix of all three! You might have to add yourself on the already long, long list of Laduree requests-only to be stopped at customs.
Hi Maria-Sounds like a good reason to go back there!
I’m so glad that I’m not the only box hoarder. Thanks for your lovely wishes, Paris is great and don’t worry there will be plenty more, especially with a pastry and cake theme! 
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-Isn’t work just so bothersome?
Hi KCL-Cool! Me too
Although I prefer the designs on the Laduree boxes a bit more. Straight boys don’t get that sort of thing 
Hi chocolatesuze-Paris is the Mecca for macarons!
Hi Carolyn-Thanks!
Hehe no worries about the typo at all.
Hi belle-If you can believe it, the cakes taste better than they look in the pics! Pssst I have a story on Pierre Herme coming up!
Hi Belimda-Laduree cakes are so decadent but in a good way
Hi Angela-It’s definitely worth a visit!
That St Honore was just too OTT to not try
Hi Lilia-Luckily the amount of walking we did counteracted the effect of the cakes
Hi grace-It’s very fantasy driven stuff isn’t it? They really know how to do their cakes and pastries in France I have to say
Hi M-True, you cannot go to France and not eat yourself silly with cakes and pastries. The rest is good but there’s nothing like a Laduree cake or pastry.
I bet customs eagerly look out for those macaron boxes. Just so they can confiscate them and eat them! Although I did read in Vogue that Chanel’s GM of communications Susie Stenmark brings back a box every time she goes to France. So I wonder how she gets them through? Must look into that!
Lindt’s are pretty good although I don’t know why retailers don’t put more filling in them. When you read the Pierre Herme story I have coming up (who I discovered actually makes better macarons than Laduree), he puts a lot of filling. They’re really stingy with filling here which means that they don’t taste as nice.
Hmmm you know that might stump me, a $2000 bag or $2000 from Laduree. Although a bag might out in the end purely for practical considerations!
Lorraine, they can’t possibly not allow cake through customs. Who on earth can say no to cake!?!? ;P
I must have just missed you. I was at Laduree on 7/23/8. I had been to Paris 4 times and had never heard of Laduree. I’m with Maria T. How did I miss this place? Well, I did get home with a lovely bag, but the macs didn’t get to customs. All eaten before packing, but I smuggled many things in my suitcase. I achieved a double-header as I also made it to Laduree at Harrod’s.
Enjoy your trip. I wish I was still there. I am stateside until 2010.
One of my colleagues is going to Paris in 2 months so I will let her know about Laudree, it all looks absolutely divine.
Hi Y-Well the main problem is that I will be going to London afterwards. So I don’t like my chances of a)not eating them and b) surviving 2 weeks in London
Hi Renee-It should be up there along with the Eiffel Tower
How is the Laduree at Harrods? Have you tried Paul’s in London or France? They also do a fabulous pistachio macaron! Thanks, enjoy your time there 
Hi melissah-Lucky her! Tell her to try as much as she can. She can’t go wrong there
oh, how exquisite! how did u ever leave???
Hi airy fairy-It was very hard so my husband had to come in and forcibly remove me
I’m also crazy about Laduree. My husband and I have been to Paris five times and each time we make it a point to have dinner and of course, we make sure we save some room for dessert, the rose macaron for sure! If you happen to be in London, Laduree has recently opened at Harrods, so you can enjoy the goodies there too!
Hi Imelda-What a splendid idea! And yes for those lucky Londoners, there is the Laduree in Harrods but no sign of it appearing here in Sydney
Everything looks delightful!! I plan to try the Religieuse de la Violette, Religieuse de la Rose, French Kiss and The Ispahan when I visit in October.
Hi Brenda-Lucky you! You’re going to have a delightful time there, I think it’s impossible not to!
I would love to purchase some of the Laduree boxes.Can you help me out?I would love the larger hat boxes!Love Laduree.I am wanting to come back to Paris this spring.
I can relate! I never leave Paris without stopping at Ladurée. Too bad it is in Paris and not here in Dallas! ( years ago Lenotre opened a shop in Houston and had to close it down)
Oh my goodness I had no idea what flavour the jade coloured macaron was either! I was in Paris at Christmas and went to Lauduree and of course I cant remember which flavours I ordered (having ‘accidently’ got the largest box, I’m only slightly overwhelmed and pleasantly surpriesd by the number of macarons I can have !*look of glee*). But the one I really could not pick was the one with the jade coloured filling… hmm…
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