Paul

Now I have a thing for macaróns. A serious thing. Me and macaróns go way back. When I lived in Kent the closest thing to the real deal I could get would be a usually stale and fairly flavourless Sainsbury’s almond biscuit, a poor excuse but, at the time, all I could get my hands on. Since moving to London, I have become acquainted with the beast like awesomeness of the version from French patisserie Paul.

From the very first bite I was hooked. I am particularly fond of the pistachio flavour but they also offer chocolate, praline and now vanilla. They do smaller ones in a wider variety of flavours but the large ones, packed with wickedly creamy ganache fillings, are delightfully crisp and chewy yet also soft and melting. I adore them and as such am careful to treat myself to one only occasionally.

Obviously this is a thing the French do so very well and when they first came to London I learned the ways of Ladurée at Harrods. These guys claim to have ‘invented’ the double decker macarón as we know it today. They now have a small store in Burlington Arcade too which is dangerously close to where I work! These exquisite beauties, in all manner of flavours, are unbeatable in this city and my obsession began with a beautifully presented boxed dozen from Nibs as a birthday gift a few years back. I love the Ladurée tearoom in Harrods, it’s very grand and luxurious and there’s often a long queue.

Where Ladurée began, Pierre Hermé have continued and many now claim they make the best versions in Paris, I am eager to try and I hear they will soon be leaping across the channel and opening a UK store here in London.

When it’s my turn to produce a dessert and I don’t feel like making anything from scratch, these fit the bill perfectly. They are widely available in the many branches of Paul popping up across London. Though I’ve had only bad experiences with the other food they offer. I go here for one thing only. This week I branched out and got Thomas a chocolate millefeuille which he was more than happy with.


Paul
29 Bedford St
WC2E
8/10 (for macaróns only)