My love for French macarons has been well documented on the site, so when Gwen from Macarons & Mint contacted me to review hers, I could not wait. I had seen photos on Instagram of Gwen’s bright, colourful creations and looked forward to biting into them.

Disclaimer: All macarons were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

I met Gwen in North York where we chatted about her macarons, a side business that she’s hoping will eventually turn into a day job. Macarons & Mint began a year ago and has already grown to the point where Gwen is using a commercial bakery at night to fulfill large orders. She currently offers 11 macaron flavours, 6 permanent and 5 temporary ones. New seasonal flavours, like Maple Bacon and Passionfruit, are announced through her social media channels.

I got to taste 5 of the permanent flavours: pistachio, matcha, raspberry, salted caramel and chocolate. Overall, my first impression with each macaron was how strong and distinct the flavour was. There was no second guessing which was which or any that tasted just like sugar. The dozen macarons I tried had more natural colours, but orders over 50 can be customized.

Of the 5, my favourite was the pistachio and chocolate while The Hubby liked the raspberry. The filling used for the pistachio and salted caramel was creamy and light. Each macaron cookie was consistent in size, moist on the inside and had a smooth, glossy shell.

Order inquiries can be emailed to Gwen at macaronsandmint@gmail.com. Minimum order starts at a dozen and discounted pricing is offered for orders over 100, a great wedding favour idea. Delivery is available in the Toronto area for a $10 charge. At $20 for a dozen (single flavour), Macarons & Mint is a steal for value and quality.

Whenever I’m in Montreal, I pick up a box of macarons. When The Hubby worked in Montreal, he’d occasionally surprise me with boxes from my favourite Montreal macaron shop and earn plenty of brownie points. During our trip in February, we stayed at a hotel in The Old Port and there was a slight blizzard. This meant the trek to the Eaton Centre was unappealing, even via underground. Instead, we decided stop by Maison Christian Faure, which was just down the street and had great reviews.

The bakery itself was elegant, with lots of white decor. A white geometric gazelle statue stood in the entranceway and large glass cases full of treats were on display as you entered. While snow fell outside, all of the tables inside the bakery were filled with people enjoying cakes and tea. We decided it was easier to grab a box of macarons and dig in back at the hotel.

That day, there were 10 flavours of macarons available so we grabbed one of each and doubled up on lemon and pistachio (the best flavours). Overall, I found the macarons very sweet. So for flavours like chocolate, the sweetness was overpowering. I liked the tart flavours more, there was a better balance. The shells of this batch were also hollow. I like my macarons light and airy, but this was disappointing.

My strategy is to look for tasting menus or lunches to make the dining experience more affordable. It’s been working so far and I do love researching new restaurants.

Dovetail – 1 Star – NYC, USA
Visited: July 2011

• Sunday dinner, 3 course set menu: $58, regular dinner, 4 course set menu: $88
  • I was lucky enough to be able to make a reservation for Sunday night and it worked with when I was in NYC
  • Dovetail also offers a Chef Tasting menu for each night with an option for wine pairings
• Dovetail is located right by Central Park and is a perfect stop after an afternoon of wandering through nature if you’re doing the tourist thing.
• Presentation was beautiful, rich and hearty flavours

Arbutus – 1 Star – London, UK
Visited: August 2011

• Pre-theatre dinner, 2 courses £18.95, 3 courses £20.95
• Located in the theatre district, this was the perfect location to grab dinner before watching Les Miserables while in London
• The restaurant offered a relaxed and intimate feel
• A great value option for London, their sister restaurant Wild Honey is also a great choice with a 3 course lunch menu for £29 and dinner entrees ranging from £12 to £35

Le Bristol Restaurant – 3 Star – Paris, France
Visited: September 2011

• Summer lunch set €85, including drinks, tax, coffee, came to €140
• Situated in Le Bristol hotel, our lunch spanned a good 3 hours, had over 10 courses (including cheese, petite fours and amuse bouches and special bread for certain course) and is still the best meal I’ve ever had.
• The service was impeccable, honestly they put up with three excited, giggling Asian girls who wanted to take pictures of everything with a level of class and friendliness that was exceptional.
• The food was too die for. This meal made me realize I didn’t dislike cheese, a belief that I had held for all my life, and opened up my palate to appreciate a whole new set of flavours.
• The technique of each dish was also mind boggling. One of the entries was squid, cut to mimic grains of rice and cooked like a risotto. That dish still haunts me today.
• It was an experience that made me fall even more in love with food and is one of the reasons why this blog exists.
• After a lot of Googling, I’m not sure if the lunch menu at Le Bristol is still available or not, which would be sad. I had an amazing experience and would have highly recommended the meal to anyone looking for a “affordable” Michelin Star experience in Paris

Ruelo opened their second location near Yonge and Eglinton over a year ago offering Asian inspired macaron (ie. yuzu, green tea and wasabi) and cake flavours. Since La Bamboche closed their Manor St. location, I’ve been stopping by Ruelo more for my dessert needs. Recently, I ordered a birthday cake from them for the BF’s birthday and while pricey, we enjoyed the sesame, green tea and red bean treat. When I saw a Groupon offer of tea for two for $27, I didn’t hesitate to make the purchase.

I called ahead to book a time for us. Tea seatings were available every hour from 1pm to 6pm.  There are limited seats so it’s necessary to call ahead. Ruelo is also closed on Mondays and they do not have an answering machine. I found the easiest time to get ahold of them was around 11am.

When we arrived, we greeted the girl behind the counter and told her of our reservation. She directed us to pick out a tea from their wall of Kusmi Teas. There was a wide selection of green and black teas with sample tins to smell. I chose the Prince Vladimir, a fruity black tea with hints of vanilla. We sat at a table and the girl brought over our teas and instructions on when to stop the steep. A timer would’ve helped. Also I could see the tea steeping on the counter for awhile before they were brought over the timing would’ve been off.

Overall the service was unenthusiastic. There was only the one girl and it was hard to get her attention to refill hot water. It almost seemed like she avoided eye contact. We were done out first cup of tea before the tray of snacks arrived.

In terms of food, everything was good and there were a few stand outs like the quiche that was flakey and rich. I liked the bottom savoury plate the best, which is usually the case at High Tea. The salmon and shrimp tartines were good. I would’ve loved a bigger serving of clotted cream with the scones, but maybe that’s best for my diet. The scones themselves were buttery and airy. I was a little disappointed by the top layer. The creme brulee was decent and the loaf cake, but the mousse cake didn’t hold up through the meal. By the time we got to the top layer, the mousse had started to soak the macarons. A different cake was served at the table next to us and it looked much more appetizing.

Generally, all the baked goods are Ruelo range from good to great, the service was a bit lacking. If they do continue with High Tea service this would be an area that could use some attention.

The BF and I recently took a weekend trip to Montreal purely to enjoy the culinary scene. With so many restaurants in the city, I had a hard time narrowing down our itinerary. I wanted to visit old favourites like Schwartz’s and try classics. Gaining 5 lbs over a weekend, worth it.

These were my top 5 eats from this trip:

1. Foie Gras Poutine @ Au Pied de Cochon: 536 Duluth Street East
   • Best poutine I’ve ever had
   • Plentiful seared foie gras, melted cheese curds and perfect gravy
2. Pork Cheek Pate @ Kazu: 1862 St Catherine St W
   • Unique style to serve flavourful pork cheek with warm tortillas and great sauce
3. T-rex Poutine @ La Banquise: 994 Rue Rachel E
   • My favourite way to start a Montreal trip
   • Cheesy curds and toppings that spill off the plate
4. Brunch @ Le Cartet: 106 McGill St
   • Lots of options, rich and lighter fare, great fresh ingredients
   • Gift store at front of the restaurant offers gourmet chocolate and foods
5. Macarons @ La Maison du Macaron: 705 Rue Sainte-Catherine W
   • Convenient kiosk located in Eaton Centre
   • Lots of flavours, rich fillings and airy cookie

Montreal is one of my favourite cities in Toronto and also where I lived for 7 years before moving to the GTA. I was in town in August 2012 for the Osheaga music festival and took the opportunity to (of course) eat!

These were my top 5 eats from this trip:

1. Poutine @ La Banquise: 994 Rue Rachel E
   • Cheesy, open 24 hours, quintessential Montreal poutine
   • Classic poutines and many more toppings
2. Smoked Meat Sandwich @ Schwartz Deli: 3895 Saint Laurent Boulevard
   • Layers of meat, rich and fatty, smoked flavour you can’t find anywhere else
3. Macarons @ Point G: 1266 Avenue du Mont-Royal E
   • Unique flavours, denser cookie
4. Brunch @ L’Avenue: 922 Avenue Du Mont-Royal E
   • Be prepared for a wait, the eggs benedict are worth it
5. Coffee Break @ Brulerie St Denis: 3967 St Denis St
   • Great for a pit stop between bead stores and boutiques

I stumbled upon Butter Avenue unplanned on my way to Burger Priest and instantly knew that dessert was needed.  The restaurant inside was clean and crisp with white walls, tables and chairs. The space was softened by the curves of the furniture and all the natural sunlight flooding in from the store front.

I ordered 6 macarons to go and the box packaging is super cute and sturdy. My box is currently being used to store restaurant business cards.

In my six, I had a sea salt and caramel, lemon, white chocolate and strawberry, matcha green tea, lychee raspberry and earl grey tea. They didn’t have any pistachio macarons that day, which was kind of disappointing as I like to think of it as a staple flavour. Of the six, all of the flavours were sweet. I liked the lemon a lot and the earl grey had the most subtle flavour. All of the cream fillings were rich and I liked that the caramel wasn’t too sticky or hardened. The cookie itself was less airy compared to La Bamboche but more so than Nadege or Moroco.

Butter Avenue would be my second go-to for macarons. The location is convenient and the macarons are on the sweeter side. I just wish they had pistachio year round and not just as a “seasonal” flavour.

Moroco Chocolat

• Address: 99 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto
• Visited: 04/21/2011, Dessert
• Cuisine: Dessert
• Rating: C* [$]
• Website: http://morocochocolat.com/

Bite-Size Review

I visited Moroco Chocolat in April specifically to taste their Macarons as I had heard quite a bit about the dessert boutique and entered with high expectations. We arrived close to the end of the day and had to wait for the last batch of macarons to arrive from the kitchen. 10 flavours are offered in total, so we opted for the package of a dozen. The flavours were strong, almost overpowering, and didn’t leave your taste buds confused. However, nothing was a standout for me.

The classic pistachio macaron was good, but not earth-shatteringly amazing. The amount of filling used was a good ratio to the size of the shell, which were on the chewy, denser side. Since I do prefer a lighter shell, Moroco didn’t live up to the hype and I was a little disappointed.

~$35 for a dozen macarons, this was on the pricier side and because the quality of the macarons was nothing to write home about, Toronto has better macarons to offer.

La Bambouche

• Address: 4 Manor Road East, Toronto
• Visited: 07/06/2011, Dessert
• Cuisine: Dessert
• Rating: A* [$]
• Website: http://labamboche.ca/

Bite-Size Review

The macarons at La Bambouche suit my taste pretty much perfectly. The flavours have an Asian twist (with flavours such as yuzu lemon, ume and green tea) and the shells are delicately light and crunchy. The yuzu macaron is delightful with a hint of sourness. The caramel sea salt macaron smartly uses caramel buttercream filling, not actual caramel, which would be hard to eat and too thick for the light shell.

I have tried all of the flavours offered, but am always surprised with their “mystery” macaron that changes daily (so far I’ve tasted strawberry and vanilla). I also love that their pistachio macaron isn’t comically green. In general, I love how subtle, yet distinct the flavours are. These are the best macarons I’ve had in Toronto so far.

Lucky for me (or not), La Bambouche is within a 5 minute walk from work. Their macarons have now become my go to for an afternoon pick me up.$2.50 each, buy 6 or more to waive the sales tax.