A gf and I hit the Ladurée store at Takashimaya about a week after it opened. I was thinking that the queues would be much better one week after their grand opening, but nope, still queues!
If you’re female, or travel, or have had a girl friend, you probably know what Ladurée is and what they sell. And if you love really overpriced desserts and overpriced merchandise, Ladurée is your store.
They are famous for one thing – macarons. You know, those little double-discs of sugary goodness, with more sugary cream sandwiched in between them?
I never used to be a fan of macarons. It was like just eating fluffy sugar to me. But after our France trip, I was pretty seduced by the likes of Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. My question, could Ladurée Singapore match their macarons back in Paris?
The queue looks a little daunting but the staff are incredibly quick and so it’s perhaps 10 minutes, tops. Pretty impressive. I actually didn’t have much time to consider which flavours I wanted before it was my turn and I was politely pressed to tell them what I wanted.
They are $3.80 a macaron, which is staggeringly expensive as they’re also pretty petite. Man, I could buy a whole meal at the food court for just ONE macaron?
But wait. There’s more.
They have a Singapore edition box to pack 8 precious macarons into, which costs…. $38. That’s $4.75 a macaron.
*faint*
But…. ummm… because I am a bit of a sucker, I went the whole shebang and got the Singapore box. I wanted to keep it as a souvenir!!
My favourites were the Rose, which I didn’t expect to like but was pleasantly surprised with the beautiful fragrance. And the Praline, because I’m always a sucker for hazelnut stuff. The Salted Caramel was also pretty tops, and the Valrohna Chocolate was deliciously rich.
So, verdict?
Still insanely overpriced.
I hear they are flown in frozen from France, so it’s a good thing that they are made there.. but I’m surprised they can be frozen?
No question, these macarons are done well. Similar/same to their branch in Paris.
Still though, I would prefer a giant quality cupcake for cheaper. Perhaps it’s because I’m not that mad on macarons. I personally would never buy these for myself.. perhaps only as a gift for a girl friend that I know would really appreciate the stuff!
Yes, macaron can be frozen. Some past patisserie freeze them to develop the flavour and texture before they are ready to be display on the shelve. Have to agree that it’s not a cheap sweet especially when you are still able to find $2 bowl of fishball noodle. But it’s not cheap nor easy to make it too.
I’ve never tried making them myself, but I’ve heard they’re super difficult and fiddly to make!
Actually with your cooking skills I’m sure you could manage it 🙂 The hardest part is making sure the almond meal (flour powder) is super super fine, and knowing your oven really well to know what temperature and how long to cook it for.. A bit of trial and error and you could do it 🙂 Plus you’ll save a heap of money and get a lot of satisfaction out of it!
I totally agree. A proper cupcake would win hands down!
Plus it’s more filling, heh!
i walked pass it with my mum. she refused to let me go get them… i so wanted to try.
They are overpriced :X But yeah, good to try once!
That’s quite expensive for desserts! I was thinking to buy for a gf as she is a fan, now I have to bring more money! 😉
Haha it’s good as a gift for a friend that likes macarons, but wouldn’t buy again for myself!
The Ladurée macarons for France are made in France. The same macarons for all other countries are made in Switzerland and shipped out, that’s why they cost so much. A gift box like that with 8 macarons costs 25 CHF (a bit more than 25AUD/USD), which I thought was already expensive!!
The cheapest place to get them is in France, obviously.
Yeah I guess shipping them in would add to the cost :X Should’ve bought and eaten more when we were in France!
Pretty much same prices here, but in AUD. Crazy.
Staggering huh?? I don’t think I’d buy them for myself again!