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Saturday, February 04, 2012

La Belle Miette - Some Of The Best Macarons In Melbourne

The macaron craze is still going extremely strong in Melbourne, so much so that even the two major supermarket chains are selling macarons. I had previously written about how Luxbite may have some of the best macarons in Melbourne. La Belle Miette would also have to be a major contender for the best macarons in Melbourne. Every food blogger and his dog has already written about La Belle Miette but I'll weigh in with my few opinions as well.

The wonderful I-Hua helped me buy every flavour in the store and even took photos so I knew which one were which. The macarons looked perfect in terms of shape, feet, colour, size and smoothness. The vibrant colours are beautiful and the fillings sandwiched right to the edge but not overflowing.



While the way a macaron looks is important, how it tastes is key. And the La Belle macarons do taste very good. The texture on every one was either excellent or good. Flavour wise, there were some that I completely loved, while some flavours weren't to my liking. The flavours come down more to preference rather than being executed badly.


Awesome
Violet & Blueberry
Cherry Blossom & Sake - little bit dry
Pimm's & Pomegranate
Hazelnut Belle Miette
Pink Grapefruit

From the awesome ones, the most awesome is without a doubt the violet and blueberry. I'm totally obsessed with the violet flavour, especially in macarons so this one really appealed to me. The addition of the blueberry gave it another excellent dimension.

The Cherry Blossom & Sake, Pimms & Pomegranate and Pink Grapefruit had very fragrant fruity flavours that you can sort of identify but are unsure what they are at the same time. I loved them.

The Hazelnut was probably the biggest surprise. Hazelnut macarons from other places tend to be rather dull in flavour but this one was really prominent and the chocolate was so indulgent and wonderful.

Great
"Bastille" - Kir Royale. Moet et Chandon & Cassis
Strawberry & Vanilla
Raspberry
Fleur de Sel Caramel
72% Cocoa Chocolate

All these flavours were really great, all tasting very distinctive. I was impressed that the strawberry and vanilla didn't taste fake and sickly. The fleur de sel caramel could have had a touch more salt, which would have made it even more to my liking.

Good
Pistachio
Rose

Pistachio and Rose are two classic flavours that most places do horribly. Both can be far too overpowering and fake in taste when done wrong. Only Pierre Herme has managed to master these two flavours to my liking. The La Belle efforts were good but still a tad overpowering for me.

Dislike
Olive Oil & Vanilla
Lemon Citron
Mariage Freres Earl Grey Tea

These macarons were executed well but I don't like these flavours in general. Again I refer to the master Pierre and his use of olive oil. Even with Pierre's olive oil macaron, it was only ok to me. This La Belle olive oil one was far too pungent for me. I've never been a fan of lemon in any dessert and it has to be done extremely well for me to like it. The Earl Grey, loved most by quite a few people, was my most disliked. The tea flavour was true but really did not agree with me.

La Belle Miette clearly does amazing macarons. Overall, rating all their macarons as a collective, I would say they do the best macarons in Melbourne due to their consistency across all macarons. As for singular macarons, while the violet and blueberry is sensational, I still prefer the Luxbite creme brulee a bit more.

La Belle Miette on Urbanspoon

13 comments:

  1. I have a confession. I think i've only eaten two macarons throughout this whole craze thing. Not sure why. They never did quite appeal. But i love violet flavours in desserts - and anything rose flavoured - rose and violet centred dark chocolates are a favourite. So the violet and blueberry sounds appealing. I'm also partial to pink grapefruit. So, now you've got me thinking. Awesome photos!

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  2. I'm not a huge macaron fan either! But I do think they are one of the most beautiful looking things around. Maybe next time I have lunch in the city I'll pop by La Belle Miette and give the macaron one more chance.

    xox

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  3. As someone who likes to make macarons on a fairly regular basis, La Belle Miette is one of the few places that make macarons I'm happy to fork out money for! :)

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  4. I thought Macarons were so 2011 but apparently still going strong :-)

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  5. Rachel, macarons are really sweet and not to everyone's liking. I don't think I've ever tried chocolates with rose or violet. I must investigate into buying some or making my own. Thanks about the photo.

    Merowyn, they are definitely beautiful with all the colours. I think you should try the violet and blueberry one, you just might like it.

    EatPlayShop, they do make good macarons. Your macarons also look great and I'd love to try yours one day :-)

    Simon, haha they're still going fairly strong I think. What do you think will be the rage of 2012?

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  6. What??! I love the lemon but then again I love citrus anything and I TOLD YOU SO about the violet! BEST EVER!!!!

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  7. You must be on a roll! Two posts in less than a week :)

    I still haven't been here, what a disgrace huh? I guess I'm not that into macarons but these ones do look super pretty and perfect!

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  8. *GASP* You don't like lemon desserts? GET OUT.

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  9. I-Hua, I'm not a massive fan of lemon desserts. Totally agree the violet and blueberry is awesome.

    April, I'm on a small roll :-)
    You must try these macarons. They are really good.

    Agnes, I'm outta here!1!?!1??!?!

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  10. I never use to be a fan of macarons but my life has changed since having La Belle Miette macarons! I've had my fair share of macarons in HK and they're really not that great :( They're either too sticky and thick or really dry with an unpleasant filling!

    You're photos are amazing too ~

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  11. Hi Daisy, the La Belle macarons are great. Maybe HK hasn't gotten into the macaron craze yet so they're not very good?

    Thanks about the photos.

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  12. I think La Belle Miette is my favourite place for macarons, even though I'm not the biggest fan of macarons. Will you be checking out the supermarket variety? (for scientific purposes)

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  13. Cindy, La Belle macs are great. I will be checking out the supermarket ones soon actually. I've heard they're not too bad. So I will do all the scientific research and let you know the out come.

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