Ladurée’s First Store in Canada
Ganache gods.
Those in the know, know: nobody bakes macarons quite like the French. Canadians can now taste the difference inside the just-opened Ladurée Tea Salon and Boutique in Vancouver. Beneath a ceiling painted with angels, customers can sip tea upon Carrara marble–topped tables and dine on French viennoiseries at the 16-seat tea salon, or pack up a box of ethereal macarons to go.
Founded in 1862 by Louis Ernest Ladurée at 16 rue Royale in Paris, Ladurée has been crafting macarons—meringue shells, or coques, holding together ganache—since the mid-20th-century. To this day, recipes remain strictly (and somewhat indulgently) secretive. Culinary competition has arisen throughout the years, most notably in the form of French pastry chef Pierre Hermé’s unusually-flavoured macarons, but Ladurée remains the original, and to many, the best.
The pâtisserie can be found in nearly 30 countries globally, and Ladurée president David Holder is “honoured” to bring the brand to Canada, noting that Vancouverites will finally be able to “take a piece of Paris home with them.” Those pastel-hued pieces come in 17 macaron flavours, flown in directly from the city of love. Japanese artist Yuko Higuchi’s limited edition gift boxes will be available over the Easter opening weekend, and summer will see seasonal flavours like fresh melon and red fruit, but you can’t go wrong with the salted caramel or fragrant rose bite any day of the year.
Ladurée Tea Salon and Boutique is located at 1141 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C. For more information, visit www.laduree.com.
