Tuesday 4 June 2013

Pierre Hermé Macarons (France, Paris)

Most of us maybe familiar with Pierre Hermé and associate it to the chain of luxury pastry boutique shop well-known for their Macarons. Did you know that Pierre Hermé is actually the name of a person; the French  pastry chef who started the Pierre Hermé chain of shops. Pierre Hermé was also involved in the expansion of Laduree (famous for Macarons) and only started out Pierre Hermé in 1998.

I have heard so much about Pierre Hermé and Laduree but did not have the chance to try it. I have been wondering what was the fuss and hype with Macarons. This time as I was in Paris (France), I knew that I had to try the Macarons since it all started in France!

We thrilled to know that Pierre Hermé had an outlet at Galeries Lafayette and made a point to hunt search for it.

Side track a little: Galeries Lafayette is an upmarket French department store. Noticed that there were a lot of tourists. This is especially so when you step into one of the luxury shops such as Louis Vuitton or Longchamp.  I am sure you know what I mean since its cheaper to purchase such goods here compare to back in Singapore.
'Christmas Tree' in Galeries Lafayette
'Christmas Tree' in Galeries Lafayette. Beautiful right?
Pierre Hermé is located at the building called "Lafayette Coupole" (do noted that Galeries Lafayette is very big, with at least 3 standalone buildings). Lafayette Couple is in the same building as Galeries Lafayette Main Store. An easier method is locate Pierre Hermé is that it is at the basement (-1 floor) in the Women's Shoe Department near to the Chaussée D'antin La Fayette Metro station exit. Alternatively, this is the very same building which houses all the luxury goods such as Louis Vuitton, Longchamp, Coach, Burberry, Cartier,   and Guess at level 0.
Cover of box
We bought a box of 7 Macarons for 17 € (S$26.6). That meant each piece of Macaron cost $3.8. 
Packaging of box

Box of 7 Macarons 17 € (S$26.6)
The Macarons were packed nicely with ample of space so that they would not be squashed.

The Macarons were heavenly! Delectable and beautiful! As you bite into the Macarons, it first provide a slight crunch followed by a melt in the mouth sensation as you reach the fillings. The two tiny shells (biscuit) that sandwiched the fillings were made perfectly. They each had a perfect texture with no cracks and were so incredibly soft. The outside of the shell was crisp which the inside (where the shells are in contact with the fillings) were soft such that it provides a slight crunch as your teeth sinks into it. As for the fillings, they were moist, not too creamy and with distinct flavours. The shells and the fillings complemented each other. Whoever came up with Macarons concept is a genius!

It was fun trying out the different flavours of Macarons such as Infiniment Caramel (Caramel au Beurre Salé), Mogador (Chocolat au Lait & Fruit de la Passion) and Crème Brûlée (Vanilles & éclats de Caramel). Most of which were impressive, but there was one or two that was too exotic in taste for us.

Now I know what all the hype is about. It was a pleasure sinking my teeth into these Macarons!

Do note the Macarons have to be kept in a cool place and is best eaten within 3 days. If you are buying it back to Singapore, buy it on your last day and hand carry it up onto the plane.

ps: great news for fans of Macarons. Laduree has opened a branch in Singapore at Takashimaya Shopping Centre / Ngee Ann City. Laduree's Macarons are all made in Switerland and then flash freeze before being shipped to its outlets worldwide.

Pierre Herme (France, Paris)
Basement (Floor -1) Galeries Lafayette
40 Boulevard Haussmann
75009 Paris
Tel: +33 1 43 54 47 77
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 930am - 8pm
                         Closed on Sun
Website 
Location

The locations are as follows:
A - Pierre Herme in Galeries Lafayette
B - Croque Saveur & Galerie Kebab
Blue area shows Galeries Lafayette


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Monday 3 June 2013

Domino's Pizza MegaSale: 50% off Pizzas and other promotions (till 5 Jun 2013)

Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza MegaSale: 50% off Pizzas and other promotions (till 5 Jun 2013)

- Valid till 5 June 2013
- Not valid with other promotions or discounts

Sunday 2 June 2013

Galerie Kebab (France, Paris)

We were still at Galeries Lafayette when it was dinner time. We decided to head back to the same street and try Galerie Kebab
Galerie Kebab is located along Rue Joubert; less than 5 minutes away from Galeries Lafayette. It is located just directly opposite Croque SaveurGalerie Kebab is a restaurant specialising in Middle Eastern cuisine, to be more specific, Turkish cuisine. 
It is a small restaurant with limited sitting capacity with simple and no frills decoration. Ironically, their kitchen size took up a quarter of the total restaurant size. If they had made the kitchen smaller, they could sit even more customers.   
The food took a very long time to be served. As I was hungry, I decided to pop by the kitchen to see if I could find out the reason. Well, the meat skeers were cooked only upon order. I guess we Singaporeans are too used to our fast-paced lifestyle. I really should take things slow. Feels good to know that the food was freshly cooked, not heated up or cooked a second time. 
The staff were all Middle Easterns, not Europeans. They were friendly and always with a smile.
A quick look at the menu.
Luckily besides French, the menu had English translation at the bottom! Yeah! This makes it so much easier to decide what to order.
Thé Turc (Turkish Tea) 1 € (S$1.6)
We were not keen on ordering any drinks until we saw 'Thé Turc' which is in French, when translated to English, it means 'Turkish Tea'. We had no idea how Turkish Tea would tasted like. Hence we decided to order this.

The Turkish Tea was served in a very small cup. The height of the cup was almost the same as the packet of sugar you see in this photo. As for the taste, well... it tasted exactly like English Breakfast Tea! 
Brochettes De Poulet (Chicken Skeers) 9 € (S$14.1)
The partner ordered the Brochettes De Poulet (Chicken Skeers) which was served with salad, fries, wheat and chicken meat on metal skewers. This was well worth the wait. The chicken chunks on the metal skewers were cooked to perfection. So tender and juicy on the inside. On the outside, the it was crisp with some parts charred that provided a different texture and also a smokey fragrance. Heavenly! The wheat and fries complemented perfectly and were delish. Not oily too!

Do be careful as the metal skewers are hot.
Brochettes D'Agneau (Lambs' Skeers) 11 € (S$17.2)
I ordered the Brochettes D'Agneau (Lambs' Skeers) which was also served with salad, fries, wheat. The lamb was also cooked just right. The lamb skeers compared to the chicken skeers was slightly tougher. Nevertheless, the chef grasped the cooking time perfectly. Moreover, it was well marinated. What a great meal! 
Bread
The bread was served after we were halfway through our mains. It was hard and tough to chew. By then, we were too full and left the bread untouched.

Although the service tended to be on the slower end, the staff were friendly. Overall, the mains were well executed and it was an enjoyable meal.

Next post on Europe will be on Pierre Herme!

Galerie Kebab (France, Paris) 
8 Rue Joubert
75009 Paris 9
Île-de-France, France
Tel: +01 48 74 13 09
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 11am - 1030pm
Location


The locations are as follows:
A - Pierre Herme in Galeries Lafayette
B - Croque SaveurGalerie Kebab
Blue area shows Galeries Lafayette


View FoodieFC's Europe Map in a larger map
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