Pretty Ballerina Shoes

Pretty Ballerina Shoes, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I continue my posts on ballerina flats with this picture. 50% off....a very good reason to shop in Singapore.

The niece picks a colour

The niece picks a colour, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I'm not sure when she became a girly-girl. As you can see, the niece loves colors. Here she is, trying out different shades of pink on her finger nails.

Laduree ,

Laduree , the boutique, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

And YES!!! Finally, I get the chance to enter a Laduree shop and buy some Macarons and EAT them. I raved about them so much, the brother ( who was meant to meet up with me before we head home to get the car ) decided that he too wanted to see the shop himself.

Sadly he wasn't overly impressed with the macarons. But just for contrast, we bought a macarons for a fraction of the price en route home and sampled that. A world apart. Laduree ones are crunchy outside and soft on the inside. The salted caramel ( apparently the favorite choice) wasn't as good as Natalie's Gourmet at Publika.

But the Marie Antoinette Macaron which is coloured electric blue was NICE. Even the brother liked it. ( And that's saying A LOT)

How do you make a macaroon?

What's the correct pronunciation....first it's a macaron....pronounced "mac-ah-rohhn. It is a airy pastry which is made into a sandwich with a filling which gives this pastry its main taste. The filling may be butter cream (yum) or ganache ( another french term depicting chopped chocolate and heavy cream mixture).I'm still not sure whether I've tasted the best but I will tell you what I like about the Vanilla macaron from Nathalie Gourmet. The main plus point was the lack of ultra-sweetness when you bite into the filling. The pastry was crunchy and when it entered the mouth, it stayed for a bit allowing some chewing before dissolving nicely.

The first macaron I tasted which liked was in Jakarta where we mistakenly took 1-week old macarons which were put for decoration at the milk and cornflakes table. My first macaron was from Whisk at Empire Shopping Centre with KN. That was sweet and I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. Fast forward a few years and here I am, obsessed with finding the perfect not-too-sweet macaron to eat.

For a simple french macaroni, here are the ingredients:
1. Sugar
2.Almond
3 Egg white
4 water

( Looks easy so far....never mind the fact the last time I baked was more than 10 years ago)
When I google Macarons, the word Laduree would pop up. ( A 151 year old Patisserie in Paris) Apparently it's the best place to buy perfect macaroons. But here is the good news: Laduree has open its first shop in South East Asia ....in Singapore. It opened in April 15 2013 ( yay) at Takashimaya. The macarons are shipped from Paris, 3-4 times per week. And one of the two counters is located near the Jo Malone counter. ( Another favourite item) The shop front looks like the orginal in Paris...they kept the same mint green colour.

They cost S3:80 per piece and your minimum order is six. ( Ouch!)

And looky look....they sell such cute tote bags too. I want one for christmas. Anyone?? The price ranges from S30-78 depending on the size. Aren't they something you would carry? I want I want I want

Ladurée is located at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, #02-09 and Level 1, Tel: 6884 7361. Prices start from $3.80 per macaron to $266 to a box of 70 macarons.