Laduree Love

I FIRST GOT a taste of Laduree macarons when Shoegarfreeruby's dad came back from a business trip in France and brought her a number of these French delights. They were delicate and divine! Back then, I thought it would the first and last time that I would ever have the chance to have those delicious confectionaries in the orifices of my mouth. But I guess there's a reason why they say, 'Never say never!'

Before I go any further, don't mistake these macarons that I am talking about with the same "macaroons" that we have in the Philippines (i.e, the ones from Goldilocks). No, these French creations are made of meringue and almond paste in several different flavors. The macaroons that probably most of us are familiar with is the one made with coconut. The French altered the spelling intentionally to differentiate the two apart.

Laduree is known worldwide as the best macaron shop there is, and the moment I first saw that "Openning Soon" sign of Laduree near my favorite restaurant, The Noodle House, I was sure that there was going to be madness brewing among all the Laduree fans in Riyadh, Saudis and expats alike.

This sign took my breath away.

Soon enough this October, Sundrenched and I, along with our friends A and J, found the pristine doors of Laduree open -- the scent of freshly made macarons calling out to us and leading our feet to enter Paris' premiere tea salon and macaron shop, without having to fly off to France.

The macarons are calling.

The mainstay flavors of their macarons are Chocolate, Vanilla, Coffee, Rose, Pistachio, Raspberry, Blackcurrant violet, Caramel with salted butter, Red fruits, Orange Blossom, Liquorice and Lemon. S helped herself to a 9-pc. box with one of each flavor, while I eyed on 2 of each of the coffee, rose, pistachio, caramel and orange blossom flavors.

My 10.10.10 splurge.

As delightful as they are, they are very expensive. Believe me, when S and I were queuing to the cashier, we couldn't help but notice that all the ladies around us were donning Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada bags while we were in our humble pairs of New Yorker doctor bags. Nine pieces of macarons sell for 97 riyals, while should you choose to have them in a special kind of box (and my, are those boxes purrrteey), that will cost you no less than 150SR. Good thing it was a day after salary day when we visited, otherwise, it would be so hard to let go of almost a hundred riyals just for 'em Laduree macarons!

S is hooked on the Caramel Fleur de Sel.

Here I am making love to my personal favorite, the Pistachio flavored macaron.

I paired my macaron moment in the office with a cup of tea with milk and my oh my, it was supreme goodness! You can also enjoy this supreme goodness in the confines of Laduree's tea salon itself but reservation is a must and should be done ahead of time. The people are flocking in and it's shaping up to be THE place to be. Since our first visit, S and I have had Laduree Love Round 2, but this time, I could only afford one piece of Pistachio macaron. S on the other hand...well, let's just say (again) that she's hooked on those Caramel fleur de sels.

Cheers!

-ec-

Laduree-Riyadh can be found at the 2nd Flr. of Centria Mall,

Cor. of Olaya and Tahlia St., Riyadh

For reservations, contact T: 01-288-5075/F: 01-288-5074