Bakery: La maison du MacaronAddress: 1126 ave. Mont-Royal E, Montreal QC
Website: http://www.lamaisondumacaron.com/
Style: French
Price: $$
[EDIT: Sadly, not only does Maison du Macaron no longer exist, but their updated patisserie, A la Folie, quietly and rather quickly shut its doors before I made it there for a review. :( Please note that La maison du Macaron has, as of May 8, 2014, not only moved to a new address -- according to their website, there will also be another location at Eaton Centre -- but has likewise changed its name to "À la Folie (Pâtisseries audacieuses)" At the very least, there's something added to my 'must try' list for Montreal. :P]
This is really one of these places that, if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, you will not find. The nail salon next door looks more prominent. Yet, once you've made into this teeny tiny patisserie, you know you've got the right place. ;) More specifically, La Maison du Macaron has... macarons, and nothing else. You have big macarons, regular-sized ones, elaborate cakes and mountain-like pastries made of macarons (I *really* need to try one of these next time) and macarons glacés, an invention that pairs together macaron biscuits with ice cream or sherbet in the middle instead of that ooey, gooey ganache filling.
Nevertheless, just after having the regular-sized ones, I must say this is easily the best I've had in Canada. Actually, this place might even be better than the inventor of macarons: Ladurée . A bit strong an opinion, but they are certainly much more affordable and they *are* unbelievably soft and tasty, as well as having rotating flavours according to the season, their own premium selections (usually two flavours -- chocolate orange, for one -- in one cookie), and distinctly "Canadian" flavours like blueberry and maple syrup.On my trip there, I ordered a carnet "passion" ($16... I think), which includes your choice of twelve macarons (in the boxes, you get the premium ones at no extra cost). I selected: 2x raspberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, orange, apple and cinnamon and two more that were eaten before this picture was made. :P The highlights definitely had to be the apple and the raspberry and blackcurrant, the latter two being nice and sour in the middle. These things are always best eaten within a few hours, or a maximum of one day after purchase, because you'll ruin it if you wait too long -- when just bought, these are sooo soft and fresh and delicious! I couldn't believe it; I could never get Parisian ones this fresh. It was amazing! Just be prepared to hunt for this place a little (unless you live near Mont Royal) and be ready to buy yourself some macarons... mainly because they don't have anything else (and rightfully so!). ;D
Rating: ***1/2
In a bold, inspired move, La Maison du Macaron is officially changing its name and location as they delight customers with a new and expanding product line. As of May 8, 2014, La Maison du Macaron will be known as “À la Folie – Pâtisseries audacieuses” and be located at 1126 avenue Mont-Royal East.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for letting me know! I'll include this information in my original post and definitely look forward to trying out this bold new venture the next time I'm in Montreal.
DeleteThanks again for your comment and for visiting my little site! :)