Macaroons and Tea ... with a slice of Pandoro

Have any of you visited the new Westfield in Stratford? For those of you who have been, it's amazing, right?! I have been there a few times now and I cannot wait to go back. I think this could partly be due to the lack of malls in this country -.-... For those of you who haven't been there, I recommend visiting it, especially since it's winter now and if you're feeling too lazy to be out on the chilly high streets...then head to a mall =P


I couldn't take any pictures at the mall because it's not allowed, so I don't have any pictures of Westfield to put here but I do have two special buys that I got from there, minus the Pandoro which was given to me (but you can find this in any good supermarkets or Italian shops).


Firstly, I got a box of this White Tea with a hint of Pomegranate. On the ground floor at Westfield's, I bumped into a Twinings stall and they had this tea on show. They offered me a little cup to taste it and after that I simply had to get it.
I'm increasing my herbal tea intake because I think that it's much better than coffee, it certainly has a lot more benefits and it's a great way to reach the 2 litre water intake daily.
This tea is white and doesn't get too dark, which means that it won't stain your teeth as much as other teas and the hint of pomegranate is yummy.





Then I stumbled into a macaroon stall (also on the ground floor) and you know that I can't resist macaroons... so I got 3 different flavours. These are known as L'Orchidee Macaroons. The person who worked there introduced me to all the different macaroons which were carefully kept and presented. And after all the introductions, I picked the ones which sounded the most interesting and limited by choices to 4, because they were £1.60 each! But oh so worth it...

The blue macaroon I was told is inspired by the royal wedding. It's a rich royal blue with a pink filling. I can't remember its taste now but I certainly was impressed with every nibble.

The pink macaroon is made from ingredients which include orchids. Apparently they squeeze the orchids to make this, which is really cool. I was curious to try this one after hearing that....and I have to say, I was taken aback by this because I could taste the orchids. It was a delightful treat.

The chocolate macaroons ... I got these because I have a weakness for chocolates and I was eager to compare these to Paul's and Laduree's macaroons. Laduree's chocolate madagascar is still on the top of my list...! But I also liked this macaroon because it was different (in a good way of course). The filling was softer and it was decorated with funky glitter to add that extra special touch to it.













For those of you who like a light cake....

Not greasy. Soft texture. No fuss. Perfect to go with tea.

Then a Pandoro is what you're looking for.

I usually have this with tea - they make great companions =P

Have a slice...!

Success and Tea

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all well reading this post. I have been very busy lately and could not get around to signing in on blogger since my last post. But I will try to blog more often - so apologies for my late post and my lack of comments and visits on your blogs. I will try my best to fix my timetable so that I can have some 'me' time, which includes blogging and reading all of your blogs.

With university over with, like a lot of graduates, I have been considering the paths I want to take and it is proving very tricky. The fact that there are so many opportunities out there can be confusing, but I have narrowed down my fields of interests. There is also an option to do a Master's degree, a PHD (no thanks!) and professional qualifications... or maybe just dive in and apply for jobs. So it is a tough choice and I'm curious to see where my fate will take me! It's not that I haven't thought about where I want to end up over the years. I did. But time passes by so quickly, before you know it you have to take the next leap... -.-

Anyway, since my last blog post, I passed my driving test (at long last...) ! =D As a gift, I was given these macaroons from PAULs to celebrate the success on the same day.




Last week I visited Laduree and got this Thé Jardin Bleu Royal to unwind during my stressful schedule. It's a herbal tea and smells/tastes delightful - perfect for before bedtimes or as an afternoon tea break.

PAUL's - The Cafe I've been waiting for

PAUL's cafe is taking London by storm. One is opening litterally on every street corner and the queues are slowly building up. People are choosing to opt for Paul's rather than their usual Starbucks, Costa or Cafe Nero. Including me.

When I was in Paris, one of the things I loved the most about the city was their homely cafes and I felt that this was one thing London was lacking. Sure, there was Starbucks everywhere you'd go, but to me, cafes like Starbucks started to seem more commercialised as time went by. I missed the rich tasting chocolate and the fine coffees that I tasted in Paris. I missed the homely welcoming warmth of a cafe that Paris had - an experience that would cost you a lot in London.

So when I first heard about Paul's, I was excited and I did not wait long to try some of their products.

One of the first things I tried was their chocolate cake. It was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever tasted. I shall try to find out its name. And then I tried their mocha - which turned out to be amazing. Although, I have to note that at certain times, it can be a hit and miss. I learnt that some Paul's do their mochas better than others.


And then I tried this hot chocolate, which helped me through revision. It's so rich, delightful and satisfying. At £5.50 it is expensive, but once in a while, it's a wonderful treat. The texture is just right. No sugar is needed. The colour is rich. The smell is yummy. Everything is in balance! And to me, this has to be the best hot chocolate out there.









Bigger sized macaroons are sold in different flavours. I think I tried the pecan flavoured one (I remember its colour was brown but it was not coffee or chocolate) and I have to say...it was a real delight. It's like biting into a cloud ^.^

I wanted to try out every flavour, so I got this pack to trial them all out. At £8 a box, again, it is expensive, but once in a while, it's a wonderful little treat.

Captured with the Canon 7D

Captured with the Canon 7D

And it goes very well with freshly brewed cream tea...



So if you happen to see a PAUL's on your way, I highly recommend it. I cannot wait to sit in one of their cafes. I haven't had the time to visit one properly so far but I know that I will be finding myself there many many times...

Laduree

Laduree has opened at Covent Garden on the 12th May. I visited it 2 days after. I'm SO excited. Partly because I like macaroons. Partly because I think Laduree is a chic girly place. Partly because it's a little piece of Paris transported to London. I could go on and on. But the main reason is - they make the best macaroons and probably some of the best desserts (I will be trialling some of them out in future).

I took these pictures in a rush - next time I'll be armed with the Canon 7D!

I knew my next visit will be a long wait, so, guess what I did. Yes. I ordered each flavour of macaroon. But being the generous person that I am, I shared them amongst friends and family ^.^ We all loved it!

There is an upstairs in this store, which I have yet to visit.

Check out their cool design sketches here.

On to the pictures!

All instructions and information is in French, which I think is pretty cool! Not so much maybe for those who don't know French. I think the presentation is wonderful. I like the fact that they wrote the expiry date with a green pen.