Laduree Boxes

If you have been a long-time reader of my blog you'll know that I'm a macaronaholic! The thing is, I liked them more when they weren't so common and every man and his dog didn't start up a macaron shop somewhere (or even in their own kitchen), just like I liked Apple Computers more when everyone didn't have something that is made by Apple.. but I digress.

Luckily for me, even though I don't live in Paris, I have a Ladurée so close to me (within walking distance!). I notice the beautiful and ever-changing window displays and I have been meaning to buy a beautiful keepsake limited-edition gift box for so long but they are only in the stores for about a week or so.. and by the time I actually get around to it they are always already sold out! ARGH.

You can check out their Facebook fanpage for all the latest news... meanwhile here is their latest box by Japanese fashion designer Tsumori Chisato (to be released 1 March):

and here is the previous one they had for Valentine's Day:

Nice, huh? :)

Macarons in McDonalds in France

Yeah Yeah I realise this is old news but considering I NEVER eat at McDonalds.. this was the first time I noticed them for myself (at a McDonalds on the outskirts of Annemasse). They cost 0,90€ each and no, I didn't try them! I don't think anything could compare to Ladurée, Pierre Hermé and Sève in Lyon.

Le Sirop de Monin

I subscribe to this blog stylistic.fr and just read about these Monin syrups.

I need to backtrack a bit. Growing up as a kid in Australia in the 80s and 90s everyone drank Cottee's Cordials. In fact, I still remember the song from the TV commercial (below)




However, my parents only believed in giving us good quality food. Only 100% fruit juice for us. None of this 50% or 25% fruit juice rubbish or even worse, cordial. So I became very fussy and snobby about my juices and when I'd go over to friend's houses and their parents gave me Cottee's cordial I'd feel sick at the thought of the horrible artificial taste. I'd much rather drink tap water (and still think like that)!

However, in Geneva, I was introduced to Aproz sirops and as far as I can tell there isn't anything overly artificial or chemical in them. I like the pamplemousse (grapefuit) one. And in an effort to save money (as much as I love my pure fruit juice) I decided to be a syrup/cordial convert.

Now, it was with great interest that I read about this French syrup by Monin. It's so hard to find a list of all the ingredients but it doesn't seem that artificial either. How good do these flavours sound?  Basil, Chai Tea, Blood Orange, Speculoos, Icy Mint ... I really need to get my hands on some and try them for myself!

Monin English website
Monin French website

Orangina and Rivella

Orangina and Rivella

I would say that 90% of the time I just drink water. Yeah, pretty boring huh? I actually LIKE the taste of water. However every now and then my sweet tooth gets activated and I need something sweet like a soft drink or fruit juice.

I do not like normal soft drinks (soda) and haven't since I was about 16 so I never drink them but I LOVE Orangina and Rivella! They are so different to Coca Cola, Sprite or Fanta. For one thing, they both have a lot less gas and they also seem less artificial/chemical and sweet. To me it's like they are halfway between soft drink and fruit juice.

According to Schweppes, Orangina is a French carbonated fruit drink first created in 1936. It is the largest selling carbonated fruit drink in France. It is well-known for its funny shaped bottle, the 'real fruit pulp' content, containing no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and funky advertising. It tastes halfway between Fanta and orange juice. There isn't a lot of pulp but enough to give it some 'texture' and extra flavour kick. I buy it here in 2L bottles.

The ingredients are:

       •  Carbonated water,
       •  High fructose corn syrup and/or sugar,
       •  Orange juice concentrate,
       •  Pure orange pulp,
       •  Tangerine juice concentrate
       •  Natural orange flavours.
It has no artificial coloring or flavoring, no caffeine, and is marked kosher. 

Here's a video (in French) all about the history of the company and the drink. Towards the end, the actor Jamel Debbouze (featured in Amélie) is shown appearing in a tv commercial. Also there is a risqué ad featuring computer-generated humanised animals.



and one of the tv commercials featuring a laughing hyena:




Rivella is a carbonated drink from Switzerland first created in 1952. I can't quite put my finger on what flavour it is. It is sweet and fruity but also different to anything I've ever drunk before. There are three varieties but I've only ever had the original (Red).

Ingredients - The exact recipe for Rivella Red is a well kept secret, these are the known listed ingredients:

• Water
• Whey (35 %)
(lactose, lactic acid and minerals)
• Sugar (76g of refined sugar and 14g from whey per liter)
• Herbs
• Fruitextract
• Carbonation
• Acidifier (L(+)-Lactic Acid)

Given the list of ingredients, to me it tastes like something halfway between carbonated fruit juice (with maybe a hint of strawberry flavour) and the Japanese fermented milk drink Calpis/Calpico (ingredients: Lactose, Glucose, Sugar, Skim milk powder, Lactic acid (with a lactic acid cultver), natural and artificial flavours).

In any case, all three drinks have unique flavours and I love them all! Every time I go to Switzerland I try to get me some Rivella.

Here is a Dutch tv commercial for Rivella:

French Food Markets

So, the three things I was supposed to do this week? Didn't end up doing any of them! Haha. Well I already said I wasn't doing the first.. the second one got postponed by the friend who invited me (because something came up) and the third... I ended up changing my mind at the last minute because I accidentally found some scary articles online about Couch Surfing which freaked me out. In hindsight it was stupid of me to get so worked out about it and reading too much into everything but I'm kinda glad I didn't go today anyway as the weather is/was crap.

Well I did do 2 random social things this week though! And I had awesome fun at both of them.

1. One morning, one of my lovely friends offered to take me around to do my errands which is so much easier to do with a car and just as well too as it was raining that day. He ended up taking me to the town market, which - as everyone knows - France is famous for. I knew about this market when I first arrived but I couldn't coordinate it with my schedule since I work every morning and wouldn't really have enough time to get there before it closed, and back before lunch was over. This time, we didn't have a lot of time either but my friend still ended up buying a lot!

Now, I'd been to and seen markets in France before of course (during my travels to other towns). But this was the first time I was shown how it all 'works' by a local. What a treat I was in for! At first I just wandered around by myself taking photos and one of the greengrocers offered me samples of his fruit to taste. All the market sellers seemed very friendly and you could freely taste anything you wanted. Apart from fruit/veges (fruits et legumes) there were also stalls selling bread (pain), cheese (fromage), dried meats (viande sechée), olives (olives), spices (piments), and other such typically French foods. There were also a whole heap of stalls selling things like clothes (vêtements), shoes (chassures) and handbags (sacs à main).

I thought I might buy something while I was there and picked out some mandarins (which the French call clementines), bananas (des bananes) and apples (et des pommes). The guy weighed it for me and then I was about to pay for it when my friend was acting all weird and told me to put my purse away.

As I quickly realised, he was going to haggle with the owner (who he'd obviously bought from before) to get a good deal. He ended up buying boxes/cases and then I got my stuff for free! Woohoo. What a great friend and what a nice lesson. Haha.

It is SO nice to be shown stuff like that by locals... I was hoping I'd be shown around more in this town but those moments have been very far and few indeed.

A bit off topic but... we made it back just in time to eat lunch in the school cantine (yes a highlight of our day - haha) and I noticed a couple of my students sitting nearby. Nothing strange about that. But because we weren't sitting with any other teachers or staff (it was almost time to pack up and not many people were around then but usually the cantine is totally crowded) I just had this feeling something was gonna happen later... and yes, it happened. Those students later asked me about him. Oh gosh. I actually think I went red with embarrassment. A few female students asked me, "Is he your boyfriend?" (yes, in English). I said, "You don't know who he is? He works at this school. He's just a good friend, that's all." Oh dear.

2. The second social/exciting thing I did this week was... last night I met up with someone in my town from Couchsurfing. Before we agreed to meet up I said I was a bit scared walking back home by myself late at night, which is something I've never done here as usually I'm with other people or with someone who has a car (not to mention it's kind of boring and freezing cold and up a big hill too so not exactly that much fun) and he kindly offered to walk me home which was so nice (and also because he didn't have a car either).

He was super nice and friendly and we shared a nice dinner in town. It was totally a spur of the moment decision of mine so I'm so happy he agreed to spend some time with me. He's fairly new in the town too, and lived in several cities/countries too like me so we had lots of stories to share. He told me he always wished someone would want to 'surf' with him and I said the problem is, noone would think to look up our town's name because it's so small! (whereas people in big cities get bombarded).

I've realised that.... How much I enjoy my time in France seems to depend a lot on how much human interaction I get with interesting company!! I really tire of people who can only talk about their work or their family or the news... and I also really tire of being asked about the floods in Australia (yes, still!) because it's obvious they have no idea what to say to me...

Pic: by me, taken in Chambéry.

High Schools and Teaching in France

French Culture and Society observations..

Every time I go and teach a class I have all these thoughts that run through my head and I think about doing a blog post later except I forget.. well... here it is!

First of all, I can only speak about my school. I don't know if all French high schools are the same. And since I'm from Australia, these comparisons will be to my public high school in Sydney, Australia (private schools are vastly different).


School Uniforms:

The first thing I noticed when I started working here were the uniforms of course, or lack thereof. I guess to Americans it's nothing unusual but to an Australian it's 'weird' to see high school students not wearing one. Over the months I've been thinking about this over and over in my head which I think is 'better'.

Pros of wearing a school uniform:

Of course my first reaction was that uniforms are infinitely better... even students I have talked to agreed with me! Why? You're there at school to learn. It's not a fashion parade. There is no competition between rich kids and poor kids. As we all know rich kids can afford the latest trends and expensive brands and buy lots of clothes and the poor kids can't. You don't have to think about what to wear each morning.

I remember when I first started high school we were given a sheet of paper with 'rules' about what sort of shoes and jewellery we could wear. Or even what sort of things we could wear in our hair (only school colours of course). There are strict regulations for that sort of thing in Australia mainly for safety reasons. Ie only very small stud or hoop earrings. Fully enclosed-toe shoes with no heel - ie black leather shoes with laces. I find myself thinking about this a lot when I see massive crazy earrings  and stilettos on girls here (I kid you not). Obviously, occupational health and safety regulations aren't quite as important here ;)

Cons of wearing a school uniform:

I can actually see some benefits of NOT wearing a uniform, and it goes along with my thinking that co-educational schools are 'better' than single-sex ones. The reason is because ours is a non-uniform wearing (except certain types of jobs) and co-educational society. We all start off in pre-school not wearing uniforms and in an co-ed environment but then we progress into this 'other period' and then once we're finished high school we're back to the same thing as before. By keeping it consistent it doesn't 'confuse' the kids and also I think in a way it makes them mature quicker. By choosing what you get to wear each day you are allowed to make adult-like decisions.

But then, teenagers in France are less likely to be competitive with their fashion compared to American or Australian teenagers. I remember when I was in high school, once in a blue moon we'd have a "non-uniform day" and I felt pressured to buy something new (and oh so trendy) especially for this rare event. I'm sure my friends felt the same thing. Also, due to colder weather or cultural reasons it's much more acceptable to wear the same thing several days in a row here. France also tends to be more economical and less materialistic than Anglo countries, I've found. At home I wouldn't dream of wearing the same outfit two days in a row. I don't remember wearing anything twice in a row during my time at university or work. It just felt 'weird' but it's completely normal here so now I often find myself wearing the same thing 2-3 days in a row.




Canteen/Cafeteria:

I talked about this before in my post here. We don't really have them in Australia so they fascinate me. If you've seen Supersize me there's a section in the documentary that compares canteens in the US vs those in France. That scene alone gives you a good idea about why America has an obesity problem and France does not. I think anyone who is NOT French would be fascinated by how canteens 'work' in France and what sort of food they serve up. I don't think there is another country out there that does it the same way.

Like in other countries in Europe, you pay with a swipe card loaded up with credit. This of course creates efficiency and noone in the canteen has to worry about cash handling. All of that is done in the administration part of the school.

After that you take a tray, the cutlery and proceed to follow the queue to choose what you want to eat. You're only allowed to take a certain amount (it's not a buffet afterall) but if you take less, you still get charged the same. The other assistant and I, being budget conscious and all, take all the components and often don't eat them all and save them up for later for snacks in our room.

Everyone agrees that the meals are HUGE. They have to be because the French don't really snack. Contrary to the pre-packed over-processed stuff served in canteens in high schools in America, everything is freshly prepared and cooked. OK, there are some pre-packaged things like yoghurt and cheese but this is for ease, convenience and hygiene purposes. The entrée is a wide selection of salads, the main meal is always hot and always eaten with a knife and fork and the dessert is usually a cake or mousse, or pastry or something equally yummy and French. There is also fresh fruit and of course bread, because the French love their bread!

For a drink is there only water. I'm sure this is for health reasons as well as cost-saving reasons. It doesn't worry me at all because I love drinking water.

Something else I noticed was that men and women eat the same amount. No matter how thin the ladies are that I've seen, they finish everything on their tray. The French are big on not wasting anything (be it tangible things like food or intangible things like electricity).  Back home I'd notice whenever I ate out with friends, the guys would always eat much more than the girls. Not so in France. Yeah sure there are probably lots of French women who diet and have eating disorders as in any country but as far as my experiences are concerned, I have never seen a French woman picking at her food or talking about dieting etc. I have, however, seen plenty of women (of other cultures/backgrounds including Australian and American) do that though. As a female, I've seen and heard it all amongst friends and acquaintances. The "Oh I already ate earlier" or "I had a big lunch" (while leaving a plate of food entirely untouched) etc etc. It's so obvious. Or the old favourite, "I'm going to start my diet/exercise routine next week..." after feeling guilty for eating a nice big meal. It really saddens me to see women treat their bodies with such contempt not knowing how it truly works and not loving and appreciating food. Have you ever noticed that food-loving nations* have far less incidences of obesity? Why? I believe in the fast-paced Anglo Western world we obsess over the fact that food is the enemy and we punish (or reward) ourselves with food.

* By food-loving nations I mean nations which have the culture of food, growing and cultivating it, making things by hand, the history, the love... all of it. I also had a thought that in countries where obesity is generally not a problem, the food tends to be a lot cheaper and it is much easier to get fresh fruit and vegetables. Going back to Supersize me, it mentions that everyone wants to buy/eat what is the cheapest and in the US (and Australia) fast food is cheaper whereas in France fresh food is cheaper.

In the canteen at my school there are posters and little brochures/leaflets telling you food and nutrition facts. On tv there are lots of ads/community announcements about health and food and exercise pointing to this website: Manger Bouger (Eat, Move). Eating and being healthy is a huge deal to the French.

So a little thing like the canteen has really made me understand how important food and eating is to the French. And I like their way. I like that they eat slowly because I eat slowly. I like that they stop what they are doing to have lunch. I like that they eat at a table (unlike what I did in Australia: we had to sit on the ground, outside). I like that they appreciate food and treat it like a friend, rather than an enemy.


Students:

When I'm teaching I often feel like the main character in the movie Never Been Kissed. Of course I'm not posing as a student but being in close contact with them gives me insight into their lives, a life I'd long since forgotten. I didn't enjoy high school at all so I think I've blocked out most of it and honestly don't remember a great deal about my time there. But being around teenagers, in a different country no less, makes me realise (and remember) that it's all still the same!!!

Teenagers are teenagers everywhere. You have your popular 'clique' and your unpopular kids. You have your smart, ambitious kids and the ones who couldn't give two hoots. Peers are extremely important to them. It's the same in every school in every country.

They think they are adults but they still act like children. They hate authority. Many hate school and can't see the point of learning (subject). It's the same ol' same ol'.

I see certain students who remind me a lot of myself. The ones who really want to learn but are stuck in a class full of extroverted insecure clowns. Yes, I say insecure because it's those who are insecure that seek attention and always have to be loud and annoying (to cover up the fact that they don't understand anything about what they are learning.

I find myself remembering things my father said to me when I was a teenager. "You don't understand... I'm older than you and have more experience... You're too young... You'll see when you're older that..." all those types of thoughts keep flooding back to me and I can't help but think he was right all along. It's so funny like that. When you're 16 you think you know EVERYTHING but actually, you know NOTHING.

I have some female students who think their only role in life is to look pretty and 'hot'. They come to class late (or don't come at all), and then spend the whole time fixing their hair, their make-up and acting as if school is one big fashion parade. I've spoken to their head teacher about it and she told me there's nothing you can do. That's just their personality. One day they'll wake up to themselves. I wish I could tell them what I really think. "You're not going to be 16 forever. One day you'll have bills to pay. Maybe you should think about getting some ambition, or are you just going to wait for some guy to rescue you? You may think learning English is a joke now but when you are actually out there looking for a job you'll realise how useful that skill really is..." (I actually had a 20-something English-learning student/client of mine tell me exactly that).

I actually had a female student of mine (age 18) tell me her goal was to get married by age 22 (much to the shock of her classmates because French people, like most people in the Western world) get married quite late these days, around the age of 30. That's if they get married at all.

My BTS students are the worst. They are already in their early 20s and still don't know what they want to do in life and have zero motivation or care. It's just so so sad to see people like this. It actually gives me insight into what it's like to be a parent.

They don't call France the most romantic country for nothing. There is 'romance' everywhere you look. Or should I say, there are horny teenagers everywhere you look. I'm not sure what the rules and regulations are but it seems like they can do anything as long as they are not naked. You see couples hiding out making out everywhere and teachers don't stop them. Oh did I mention there are condom vending machines scattered throughout the corridors?! When I first arrived I was surprised and shocked when I saw this. There are also condom vending machines outside almost every pharmacy in France (for when you have - ahem - an emergency, since pharmacies and supermarkets close at around 7pm).

I asked one of my classes to discuss the subject of love and relationships and I was surprised when one girl actually told me in detail the status of her relationship (which, honestly, I couldn't follow anyway because it was confusing as all hell)... "I dumped him because I realised I was still in love with my ex, and then I got back with him because... and my friend started going out with his friend.. and then we... and then someone else dumped someone else and got together with someone else..." Woah. Made my head (and heart) hurt wondering how people could get their emotions so knotted up like that.

Then there are two couples in one of my other classes. They are all good friends with each other and both couples seem like they've been together for an eternity. They are popular and are good students. They seem so sweet I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up together for long long time... They seem so devoted to each other and just too perfect!

Then there's the issue of smoking. The teachers and staff don't care that students as young as 12 smoke! Mine is a big school and it's the lycée (senior high school) and collège (junior high school) combined. Although I don't teach the youngin's I see them around and I've seen them smoking too. The rule is that they cannot smoke on school property but they can smoke outside the school gates. Hmm...




Driving

Driving seems to be a big deal to teenagers here as it is everywhere. It's the first taste of freedom. Students sometimes come to class late because they just had a driving lesson. Driving schools are everywhere. Even in my small town there are a handful. They have an office or shopfront (which is something I never saw in Australia). Apparently the lessons are quite expensive so if your parents can't afford it.. well... bad luck. I felt so sad when one of my students (a really lovely girl) told me her parents couldn't afford it so she couldn't get her licence.

I did a post on the French driving test (the written part) before: Code de la route and from what I've read it does seem to be difficult to pass the test but then again there are so many drivers out there it can't be that difficult ;) Apparently French people make bad drivers and from what I've personally experienced, I'd have to say that that is true. Off topic, but up until the third month mark I'd actually get into the driver's seat when I got into a friend's car because I was so used to the car being the other way around (in Australia we drive on the left hand side of the road)!!




Hobbies


What do my students get up to in their spare time? Sport is high on the list. Many went skiing during their Christmas holidays, horse riding, ice skating, skateboarding, soccer, tennis, cycling, hiking... Sport or art/craft classes, music lessons, driving lessons,  nightclubbing (the legal age is not a big deal in France so 15 and 16 year olds go), big parties at someone's house, time with parents (or other extended family), cooking and eating,




What I love about teenagers


They are so open and honest. They'll tell you anything (almost) if you ask it. I love that. I'm so used to guarded and private and aloof people it's so refreshing.

20°C in Chamonix and random stuff

It was yet another beautiful day yesterday so I decided to go for a walk... Then I realised that it had been so long since I'd done any proper exercise that I decided to jog for a bit. It had also been a while since I took photos in my vicinity so I did all 3. It was so unbelievably warm I was sweating like crazy with only 2 layers of clothes (thin long sleeve top and thin sweater) and jeans on. It was t-shirt weather!

Then last night I heard it was 19° in Chamonix and today it's 20° :( which means... no snow...


Overall I'm in quite a good mood because the weather is just gorgeous. Like I said before, it is sunny almost every day in my town and it's pretty consistent and very rarely windy or rainy. For that reason I actually prefer it over the weather in Sydney. The weather in Australia is so inconsistent you'd be lucky to get 2 days in a row with the same weather!

Last night I watched 2 back-to-back episodes of the Simpsons and then normally I go back to my room to veg, surf the net, organise my photos, or prepare for the following day. But last night I decided to stay and watch... Top Chef (France) !! Now I have never seen the US version and we don't get it in Australia but it's very similar to Masterchef. It was hard to stay focused because it went for over 2 hours but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have never watched tv for that long since I came to France (7:30-11pm!) The creative/artistic techniques they used just blew me away.

This is so bizarre.. but all of a sudden, I am popular? When I first came here I was crying in my room because I knew nobody and had nobody to talk to or do stuff with and now people are actively seeking me out in person, or through notes or text messages to talk to me, to show me something, to tell me something or to ask me something or to simply hang out with me! I can't believe it :) I'm specifically talking about my 4 closest friends - M, K, Y and the Italian assistant C but it's just the general vibe I get... It's such a nice feeling because when I was in high school or university I was NEVER popular and it was always ME who had to go in search of others...


What else?

I've been told that some teachers are going to strike on Thursday due to some reform where the  government is cost cutting and people will lose shifts/jobs etc...

We had Chinese food in the school cantine today in honour of Chinese New Year! Unfortunately it wasn't that great but I'm still happy as the whole canteen was decked out in beautiful colourful decorations and the staff made a real effort.

--

Edited 7 March

Check out this comedy sketch about Top Chef:

Paris Macaron Marathon = Macarathon

View Macaron Marathon Paris in a larger map


My Macarathon in Paris (les meilleurs macarons à Paris)

What is a macarathon I hear you ask? Well, it's my own made up word for a macaron marathon :)

Over the Christmas break I was in Paris for 3 days. During this time I wanted to sample the so called "best" macarons in Paris. Even though I love these things, I hadn't actually tried that many and have never been to Ladurée or Pierre Hermé in Paris.

The Story (L'histoire):
Why am I so obsessed with macarons? It all started in 2007 when I was living in Shanghai and frequenting Paul Bakery. I used to buy various breads and pastries and sw these beautiful wonderful creations (which I found out were called macarons) but I could never justify the price (now I don't care! :P ) so I left the city/country without ever trying a single one :( Then in Sydney they were always at the back of my mind and then whilst watching Masterchef (the only tv show I watched at the time) my interest for them was re-awakened and I tried to find them in Sydney only to realise there were very very few places that sold them! The first place I tried them was in Lindt Café and I remember thinking that they were too sickly sweet. However, in hindsight perhaps they're not but I do remember not liking them as much as the ones from Baroque. I have not tried Adriano Zumbo's though (who is probably the most famous macaron maker in Sydney) to compare.

Once in France I was over the moon when I realised they were literally everywhere (at almost any pâtisserie/boulangerie) and even in the supermarket (yes I tried those too... the shells were fine but the filling was not good) and cost 1/3 or 1/2 the price of the ones in Australia. I've tried a lot of other macarons in various places (and cities!) but this review is just about the main ones in Paris (plus one in Lyon).

Disclaimer (Démenti): I don't claim to be any sort of actual food critic or reviewer and there are probably tonnes of other blogs out there with better (or different) reviews and photos but these are just my personal experiences... :)

Prices (Les prix): I unfortunately didn't note down all the prices but they were usually sold by weight (around 70-80 euros per kilogram) and the cost ranged between 0,60 and 1,80 euros each from memory. However it's hard to use price to compare since the macarons are not all the same size!

Taste test (Test de goûts): For the taste testing I did not eat any of them straight away but a few days later to test how well they would keep. Most of them stood the test of time but the shells become hard and crunchy after a while (except the Pierre Hermé ones which seemed to become softer and more fragile!)


The review is organised like this (La revue s'organise comme ça):

• Name of Pâtisserie (La Pâtisserie)
• Address (L'Adresse)
• Service (Le Service)
• Packaging (L'Emballage)
• Prices (Les Prix)
• Flavours (Les Saveurs)
• Comments (Les Commentaires)
• Rating 1-4 macarons (Les Cotes 1-4 macarons)


Pierre Hermé

• Address: 
72, Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris
(other locations too)
• Service:
Polite and professional like in a hotel but I wouldn't say overly friendly
• Packaging:
Clear plastic bag with mini brochure inside and enclosed with a sticker
• Price:
Did not note but around 1,60-1,80 € ea from memory
Bigger/Puffier/more 3D than others (but also the most expensive I believe).
• Flavours: 
Rose (Rose et Pétale de Rose) (Rose and Rose petals)
Dépaysé (Thé Vert Matcha, Haricot Rouge Azuki, Citron Vert et Gingembre (Green Matcha Tea, Red Azuki beans, Green Lemon and Ginger)
Truffe Blanche et Noisette (Truffe Blanche et Éclats de Noisettes du Piémont Grillées) (White truffles and Hazelnut pieces - until 23 janvier)
Coing et Rose (Quince and Rose)
Mogador (Chocolat au Lait et Fruit de la Passion) (Milk Chocolate and Passionfruit)
Huile d'Olive et Mandarine (Olive Oil and Mandarin)
Marron et Thé Vert Matcha (Chestnut and Green Matcha Tea)
Infiniment Chocolat (Chocolat Pure Origine Venezuela Porcelana) (Pure Venezuelan Chocolate)
Métissé (Carotte, Orange et Cannelle) (Carrot, Orange and Cinnamon - from 24 January)
Menthe Fraîche (Fresh Mint - from 24 January)
Crème Brûlée (Vanilles et Éclats de Caramel) (Vanilla and Caramel pieces)
Chuao (Chocolat Pure Origine Chuao, Cassis et Baies de Cassis) (Pure Chuao Chocolate, Blackcurrant and Blackcurrant Berries)
Infiniment Caramel (Caramel au Beurre Saleé) (Caramel Salted Butter)
Arabella (Chocolate au Lait, Banane, Fruit de la Pssion et Gingembre Confit) (Milk Chocolate, Banana, Passionfruit and Ginger - from 22 November)

A lot of them were 'out of stock' when I arrived on the afternoon of 23 December so I only had about 5-6 flavours to choose from (a little annoying).

• Reviews:
• Crème Brûlée - Delicious. LOTS of creamy delicious filling with a tiny hint of coffee flavour? but shell is way too soft and fragile (crumbled easily)
• Infiniment Caramel - Caramel au Beurre Saleé (caramel) - LOTS of creamy filling, orgasmic. Can I say that? ;)
• Arabella - Chocolate au Lait, Banane, Fruit de la Pssion et Gingembre Confit - nice but not overly exciting. The aroma of the ginger was nice as was the taste of both the ginger and banana, and chocolate but could not taste any passionfruit at all. Aftertaste of ginger.

• Rating: 

Dalloyau

• Address: 
Place Edmond Rostand, 75006 Paris
(other locations too)
Shop has absolutely gorgeous displays 
• Service:
Average. You had to pay at a separate counter which I found annoying
• Packaging:
White paper bag with logo
• Price:
Approx 0,80€ ea (by weight they are 76€/kg) (they are much smaller than the others though)
• Flavours: 
Caramel au beurre salé (Salted Butter Caramel)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Marron/Cassis (Chestnut/Blackcurrant)
Framboise (Raspberry)
Confiture de Lait (la douceur du caramel de l'enfance) (Sweetened Condensed Milk)
Praline (Hazelnut praline)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Café (Coffee)
Vanille (Vanilla)
+ more!

Reviews:
• Chestnut/Blackcurrant - filling is nice and jammy but there is not much of it
• Pistachio - only a hint of pistachio taste. otherwise too 'fake' tasting
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - nice but fairly ordinary. Had a subtle nice milky aroma/flavour.

Rating:

Ladurée

• Address: 
21, Rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris
(other locations too)
There is also a tea salon (busy) decorated in a Chinese-style and gift shop selling kawaii (cute) Japanese-style gift. I bought an adorable macaron and Eiffel Tower keychain as my Christmas gift to me :)
• Service:
Professional and friendly
• Packaging:
Pale green paper bag imprinted with logo
• Price:
1,60€ ea (or 80€/kg)
• Flavours:
Epices et Fruits Moelleux (Spices and soft Fruits)
Fruits Rouges (Red Berries)
Chocolat - Pure Origine Madagascar (Pure Dark Madagascan Chocolate)
Pétale de Rose Gingembre (Rose Petal/Ginger)
Citron (Lemon)
Réglisse (Licore)
Fleur d'Oranger (Orange Blossom)
Café (Coffee)
Pomme Verte (Green Apple)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Praliné Noisettes (Hazelnut Praline)
Cassis Violette (Blackcurrant/Violet)
Vanille (Vanilla)
Marron (Chestnut)
Orange et Passion (Orange and Passionfruit)
Caramel à la fleur de sel (Salted Caramel)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Framboise (Raspberry)

Reviews:
•  Salted Caramel - amazing. Hard to decide between this one and PH's one.
•  Vanilla - didn't like it. Tasted kind of artificial.
•  Rose Petal/Ginger - love it! First tried it in Ladurée Lausanne. The fragrance of the rose combined with the gingerbready taste is just fabulous.

Rating: 

Lenôtre

• Address: 
36, Avenue de la Motte-Picquet, Paris
(other locations too)
• Packaging:
White paper bag with dark purple circumflex logo
• Price:
(Didn't note)
• Service:
Average
Did not allow me to take photos in their store! Because they annoyed me I only bought 2 instead of the 3-4 I normally buy.
• Flavours: 
Café (Coffee)
Vanille (Vanilla)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Caramel (Caramel)
Framboise (Raspberry)
Pruneau/kumquat (Prune/Kumquat)
Abricot/Pistache (Apricot/Pistachio)
Figue/Noix (Fig/Nut)
+ more!

Reviews:
Shells are very firm/tough and not brittle like some of the others.
• Pistachio - nice aroma and flavour, but not enough filling, not satisfying enough.
• Caramel - nice creamy filling but not enough of it.


Rating: 

Les Caneles Lemoine
NB: This is not a popular place for macarons but I passed the gorgeous looking shop and couldn't resist going inside for a sneak peek (and taste)!

• Address: 
74, Rue Saint Dominique, 75007 Paris
• Packaging:
Clear plastic bag with black "L" cursive script sticker
• Price:
(Didn't note)
• Service:
Polite, helpful and as friendly as you can get for Paris ;)
• Flavours: 
Café (Coffee)
Vanille (Vanilla)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Chocolat amer (Bitter Chocolate)
Citron (Lemon)
Menthe Chocolate (Choc Mint)
Coco (Coconut)
Gingembre (Ginger)
Cassis (Blackcurrant)
Framboise (Raspberry)
Rose (Rose)
Passion (Passionfruit)
Cassis (Blackcurrant)
Violette (Violet)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Abricot (Apricot)
Praliné (Praline)
Caramel  (Caramel)
Caramel à la fleur de sel (Salted Caramel)
Foie Gras/Figues (Foie Gras/Fig)
Foie Gras/Chocolat (Foie Gras/Chocolate)
Marron Glace (Chestnut Icecream)
Nutella (Nutella)

Reviews:
• Violet - nice
• Salted Caramel - nice - creamy filling, not very thick like Pierre Hermé though
• Choc mint - nice, reminds me of choc mint ice cream
• Foie gras/Fig - tasted mushroomy. Too 'exotic' and 'weird' a taste for me to be in a macaron!

Rating:

Gérard Mulot

• Address: 
 93, Rue Glacière 75013 Paris
(another one at 76, Rue de Seine 75006 Paris)
Shop has absolutely gorgeous displays
• Service:
Professional and polite like you'd get in a hotel
• Packaging:
Paper bag imprinted with logo
• Price:
(Didn't note)
• Flavours: 
October-March: Réglisse/Fruits rouges (Licorice/Red Berries)
Cassis/Violette (Blackcurrant/Violet)
Orange/Cannelle (Orange/Cinnamon)
Noisette (Hazelnut)
Marron (Chestnut)
March-October: Ananas/Gingembre (Pineapple/Ginger)
Mûre (Blackberry)
Feuille de menthe (Mint Leaf)
Cerise griotte (Morello Cherry)
Fraise/Coquelicot (Strawberry/Poppy)
All year round: Passion/Basilic (Passionfruit/Basil)
Amande (Almond)
Framboise (Raspberry)
Citron (Lemon)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Café (Coffee)
Nougat (Nougat)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Caramel au beurre salé (Salted Butter Caramel)
Noix de coco (Coconut)

Reviews:
His just look amazing! Everything in the shop looks amazing in fact. They are round and puffy and very solid. Nicest shape/size.
• Passionfruit/Basil (yellow with dark brown specks and yellow filling)- freaking amazing, jam/gel type filling. Very tasty.
• Orange/Cinnamon (with brown specks and yellow filling) - tastes like custard, lots of crreamy filling. not too sweet.
• Almond (cream with brown specks and cream filling) - tasted like vanilla. OK, pretty average tasting.
• Combaves? (green shell with pistachio bits on it) - nice shell but filling tasted artificial.

Rating:

Paul

Address: 
(various all over the country)
Service:
Friendly
Packaging:
Brown paper bag imprinted with logo
Price:
0,60€ ea
Flavours: 
Caramel (Caramel)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Coco (Coconut)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Framboise (Raspberry)
Figue (Fig)
Mangue (Mango)
Citron (Lemon)
Citron vert (Green Lemon)
Lychee (Lychee)
Mandarine (Mandarin)
Banane (Banana)
Vanille (Vanilla)
Praliné (Praline)
Café (Coffee)
Rose (Rose)

Reviews:
• Pistachio (green) - lots of filling, strong flavoured.
• Rose (pink) with something else - nice combination. perfect flavour.
• Lemon (yellow) - centre kind of chewy. Nice flavour, not too sweet, nice aroma.

Rating: 

To review next time I'm in Paris:

• Aoki Sadaharu
• Fauchon
• Jean-Paul Hevin




Honorable mention:
Although not in Paris, these macarons absolutely blew me away with their fruit flavoured filling. I have not tasted macarons like these anywhere in Paris. They are from Sève Maître Chocolatier et Pâtissier in Lyon. They are just impeccable! Their appearance, colour, aroma and flavour. Maybe even better than the king and queen of macarons (IMHO), Pierre Hermé and Ladurée. Bonus points for innovative packaging.

• Address:
Lyon Centre – Presqu’île
29 Quai Saint Antoine 69002 Lyon
(Other locations in Lyon too)
• Service:
Professional
Packaging: 
Glossy full colour cardboard tetrapak shaped bag
• Price:
(can't remember but around 1,50 or 1,60 ea I think)

• Check out the great flavours:
Caramel au Beurre salé (Caramel Salted Butter)
Cassis - Violette (Blackcurrant/Violet)
Chocolat (Chocolate)
Chocolat - Figue (Chocolate/Fig)
Citron (Lemon)
Fraise Gariguette (Gariguette Strawberry)
Framboise (Raspberry)
Malaga (rhum-raisin) (Rum and Raisin)
Marron glacé (Frozen Chestnut)
Moka (café) (Coffee)
Pêche (Peach)
Pétale de rose (Rose Petal)
Pistache (Pistachio)
Pomme Tatin (Apple Tatin)
Praliné noisette (Hazelnut Praline)
Réglisse (Licorice)
Sève Cola (Cola)
Vanille (Vanilla)
Verveine (Verbena)

Rating: 

Final Comments (and complaints):


Winner:
I'd have to say that Pierre Hermé's were truly the best and Ladurée's second. Both their salted caramel ones were awesome. I just wish PH's shells were not so soft and fragile, then they'd be a clear winner.

Packaging:
The thing that annoys me the most is that they don't provide boxes unless you spend like $15 or $20 which means by the time you get them home they are squashed (and my photos of them are crap). I mean even a cheap crappy white cardboard box or clear plastic thing (that pastries come in in the supermarkets) will do, it doesn't have to be fancy.

Menu:
In the places that tend to be crowded I wish they'd have the board of flavours to choose from for you to see while you are waiting. Pierre Hermé was probably the worst. The shop is so small and the queue was longish and when it was my turn to be served I couldn't really see them properly to choose. Plus to save time I could've have looked at it before whilst waiting in the queue (if they had a 'menu' closer to the front door). In Ladurée they had a board with the flavours but I had to actually pick it up and move it closer to me to look at it.

Prices:
Regarding the price, I wished they'd just have a set price. Doing it by weight seems too fiddly to me (and also wastes time). Sure they are all slightly different sizes but who cares?! Just make a price for each and stick to it. I don't really use price to judge though.

Photos:
I'm always nervous about taking photos, just waiting for the moment that I'll get told off. I did eventually get told off in Ladurée but if it wasn't so busy/crowded I'm sure they would've told me to stop much earlier. I find this annoying because I just want to share the photos with my friends and family (and my blog readers). What's the harm in that? They get free advertising so it kind of gives me a bad impression of a place when they don't allow photos. Dalloyau also told me to stop taking photos after a while and Lenôtre stopped me altogether. Don't they realise that people can still take photos of their window displays? What are they going to do? Hire someone to stand there 24/7 to stop them taking photos? Ridiculous!!

Taste:
I prefer the ones that taste as natural as possible. I dislike the ones that taste artificial and are too sickly sweet. I like the fancy gold dust or sprinkles of pieces on the top as decoration as it looks pretty as well as adding texture :) It really depends on which flavour you choose as some are good and some are not so good (from the same store).

Appearance/Size:
Since I've tried making macarons a few times (and never truly succeeded) and read some macaron cookbooks (in both French and English) I know what they are supposed to look like. They are supposed to be flattish but with a slightly rounded look and rounded edges and with the frilly 'feet' (pieds-which should not protrude out too much). There should not be a 'nipple' in the centre of the exterior of the macaron shell. This is caused by the mixture not 'settling' before it hardens (it is probably too thick and not watery enough or the pastry chef did not tap the tray hard against the benchtop to settle it). The filling should be just visible (I don't like the appearance of the ones without the filling visible enough). Each macaron should be roughly the same size/shape as all the others. There should not be a variation in size. There does not seem to be a standard size as Pierre Hermé's and Gérard Mulot's were very chunky and Dalloyau's were tiny and the rest were in between. All the ones I tried were fairly uniform in appearance. Some things to keep in mind if you are wanting to try them. Winner would have to be Gérard Mulot's. I just wanted to buy them all when I saw them!

Locations:
If you're short of time you can try a bunch of them in the food hall of Galeries Lafayette in Paris. I kind of wished I knew this sooner as I wasted so much time criss-crossing Paris on the métro to get to them all... I also wish I knew that there was a Gérard Mulot in the 6th arrondissement instead of me going all the way to the 13th!

PS - talk about a marathon. Typing up this post (and finding and collating all the information, editing the photos, watermarking them, creating the custom Google map and embedding it, uploading the photos to Facebook, etc etc) was a marathon ;) but it was worth it so  Enjoy! :D


Facebook album of photos