Ladurée Has Arrived! - L'Abeille Française

What better way to inaugurate my new blog than with a visit to the new Ladurée pâtisserie in Toronto! If you have ever visited Paris and enjoyed the sweet and savoury pleasures of Maison Ladurée, you, like me, have longed for a location in our fair city. Thankfully, our prayers have been answered! Ladurée opened it’s premier Toronto location last autumn in the prestigious Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

I recently had the opportunity to visit this Parisian icon and was greeted by their signature canopy and store front, instantly feeling transported back to the City of Light. I visited on a weekday afternoon, a great time as the shop was quiet and free of the line-ups that can occur on weekends and holidays. While this location is smaller than their Parisian counterparts, it still offers both a tea salon in which to enjoy their delicacies on-site and a boutique.

The menu options are reduced as well, however there are enough items available to pleasure your taste buds en français, including a high tea and their famous macarons, the petit French delicacy consisting of two meringue cookies sandwiched together with a flavourful ganache.

Being short on time I chose the macarons à emporter – to take away – option. Stepping up to the patisserie case I was greeted by a lovely young waitress dressed in the black Ladurée uniform with dusty rose apron, and not a hair out-of-place. Ladurée has actually imported some of their staff from France to train the local employees and make sure that standards are maintained. I would say that they have succeeded beautifully.

It was difficult not to order one (or more) of the dozen or so macarons flavours available, but somehow I managed to limit myself to four: Rose, Raspberry, Coconut-Lime and Salted Caramel. I realized later that I had forgotten about the Maple Syrup macaron, created just for Canada. Oh well, I suppose that I’ll just have to go back another time.

My sampling proceeded at home, later that afternoon and the next. One of the great things about macarons is that, being mini meringue, they are dried and so, keep beautifully for several days. I paired my macaron samples with a lovely cup of Mariage Frère ‘Marco Polo’ tea (more on this another time), and oh, what a delight it was!

I started with the Rose and was almost brought to tears by the memories of Paris & Versailles (think Marie Antoinette’s rose garden at Le Petit Trianon) that it’s delicate, flowery flavour invoked. Next up was the Coconut-Lime – a lovely light combination reminiscent of a Margarita. Raspberry was my next choice and did not disappoint with its intense fruitiness. And last, but definitely not least, was Salted Caramel. On my! I love a salty-sweet flavour combination and this one was beautifully rich with creamy caramel.

So, when you’re looking for a way to escape the hustle and bustle of North American life and enjoy a taste of Paris, I highly recommend a visit to Ladurée.