Laduree Paris (Macarons), Westfield Centrepoint, Sydney

Slightly unusual, but this will be a post written in three parts: one part of shopping, one part photo decorating, and one part devouring!

So it's been a week since Laduree expanded to Down Under, opening up their first Australian franchise in the heart of Sydney inside Centrepoint Westfield. After hearing the raves last week, this is definitely a place I had to go visit at some point... and hopefully avoiding all those queues they reportedly had!

Well, on this fine Tuesday morning, I joined the queue at 9.40am, with around 15 people ahead of me. It took around 10 minutes to move towards the front, then 5 minutes for selections, then I was out of the sector by 10am - not too bad, with all's said and done. There was still a short queue after I left - so the crowd's going strong.

The first thing I noticed after heading up the northern escalators in Westfield Centrepoint is the sector they've carved for themselves - long elegant glass displays showing off their selection, then the (rather out-of-place) queue-marking tape they have in banks and airports. Tucked behind the front counter is the cafe zone, shiny place-sets all laid out in a quiet spot, away from the hustle and bustle of pedestrian shoppers.

I'm going to have to come back here for the cafe experience... maybe as a second surprise for my friend (read on for more!)

Well, of course I would be productive - 10 minutes in a queue is quite a bore, you know! Pulling out my SLR, snappy away at a few objects that caught my eye...

Next thing I knew, folks to either side of me had their iPhones out, snapping away too (I started a trend!). Although... I did spot a Samsung amongst the lot...
Also, I struck up a short chat with the chap in front of me - and learnt that a teenage girl will be getting a sugary birthday treat from Daddy - lucky child!

Now if only someone could spoil me too... anyone?? =)

My turn came... and what to choose! Yikes!

The Eternal Dilemma of the Macaron Minded =(

Well... I somehow (with a bit of assistance) got my selection down pat - and ordered three sets of 8:
One for the Clinic Staff (hello UNSW Optometry Clinic!)
One for a close friend as a surprise, and
One for MEEEE! I'm not walking away from this empty handed with an empty stomach!

Pricing: $3.20 apiece makes these one of the most expensive macarons I've had in Sydney. It is worth it? See below to find out ;)

If you want them in a box, you'll have to order a minimum of 6, else you get the unfortunate paper bag.
The premium gift box (I've seen similar from La Belle Miette, Melbourne CBD) will set you back a pretty $2.40 extra - but it's worth it if you're going that extra mile for someone extra special. My friend and I have an understanding - quality and quantity will make up for the superficialities of life. So I saved the $2.40, and went for long-box of 8 - no surcharges but still setting me back at $25.60 per box.

Here's a side-view of them sitting prettily:

*Salted Caramel: Salted? Really? Hehehe... I did like this one for the caramel flavour - sweet and sticky =)
*Strawberry Marshmellow - I had this one much later than the almond marshmellow, and I changed my mind: certain flavours work better having the plain marshmellow core, and this is one of these.
*Ghana Chocolate (dark) - I had this one first before the normal chocolate... but it didn't amaze me.
*Vanilla - light and simple. Not much in terms of flavour, though.
*Pistachio - nuts! That's all I will say about this one =)
*Orange Blossom - VERY similar to the Vanilla - it was hard for me to distinguish between two white macarons with similar (but subtly different) fillings. A slight floral hint came through on this one... but not by much. Still, liked it for what it is.
*Chocolate - less entertaining than the dark chocolate. Both had a nice texture and taste to the shell, but the ganache was dense and chewy. Not what I was expecting for a chocolate macaron - I'm more into one that melts into chocolatey goodness.
*Almond Marshmellow - well, the nutty flavour definitely came through on this one. Not a ganache in this one though - the filling is actually a plain marshmellow, enhancing the nutty-ness. Enjoyable, but not a favourite - marshmellow in a macaron... what is the world coming to!

Laduree Paris (Cafe and take-away macarons)

Level 3, Westfield Centrepoint
Town Hall, Sydney, 2000

Location: take the northern entry along Pitt St, or enter via any of the Market St entries and walk to the other end. Up the escalator to Level 3, and it's on your immediate left.

Hours: open 9.30am daily Monday to Saturday, 10am Sundays.
Closes as per Westfield hours (5.30pm standard, 9pm on Thursdays).

Verdict: A fraction overpriced for their value, but definitely one sweet cookie to enjoy in your own sweet time.
(Aside: I'm still composing this post while nibbling away at one of them =P)

Encasa, CBD (Town Hall - Central)

Now my group of friends... are an eclectic bunch. We're bright, talented, knowledgeable... AND ABSOLUTELY INDECISIVE! Three of us have their birthday around the same time, so it's been a recent habit to go out and eat and celebrate. Pretty easy... right?

Wrong.
Planning for this was slow and haphazard, taking over a month to get everyone to say yes...

Then picking a place to eat, then finding a place that's willing to take 11 people... that was a small nightmare in itself. We eventually settled on Spanish/tapas... but our first few choices (Bodega and its sister Porteno) wouldn't fit us easily, and also insisted on a banquet set for $65/pp... which was simply too much for a casual dining experience.

Out of luck, out of choices, we turned back to the tried and tested and true - Encasa, on Pitt St in Town Hall. This was a first time for me, never had tapas before, but for the few who had been before, they were happy with prior experiences.

We arrived for a 7.30pm reservation with the place at capacity - bodes well for me! So the three of us earlybirds sat, relaxed, perused through the menu whilst waiting for the rest to arrive.

Aside: when I do come back, I am curious to try one of their set menus - $34 or $39 for the costlier sets does look rather tempting!

Eventually everyone turned up, and placed our orders after some deliberation - those with prior experience recommended that we aim for individual selections, rather than a pre-set menu. For a novice like me... I'd rather try a bit of everything - but experience is there for a reason...

Patatas Bravas ($9.50) - crunchy bits of fried potato covering with a tangy mayo. Quite filling =)

Chicken skewers ($12.00) - 4 copies of yummy chicken fillet-on-a-stick!

These three I didn't try - no pork products for me, and a personal dislike to seafood of any form. Though my friends liked it, devouring the chorizo quickly...

Chorizo Plancha ($10.50)
Garlic Prawns ($23, Main-sized)
Albondigas a.k.a. meatballs ($22, Main-sized)

Now these two I did enjoy:

Torti Spinach - a.k.a. omelette with spinach ($13.50, Main-sized) - a rather large, quiche-like thing landed on our table. Felt more like a quiche than an omelette, but still rather tasty.

Champinones ($9.50) - a flavoursome bowl of mushrooms!

Last, but not the least by any measure, Pinchos Lamb ($14.00).
These lamb skewers were delicious - unfortunately, I had to share, only getting most of 1 skewer to myself. Yes, I was a bit greedy... =P

Verdict: definitely an experience, with deliciousness flowing from their kitchens. Worth my while to come back, but with a larger crowd - each tapas portion is easily shareable amongst 2 or 3 people, stretching a little to be shared amongst 4. Split over 11... either everyone got a small nibble, else we ordered multiple servings for more of a mouthful.

Considering our roughly half-male-half-female group, we didn't spend too much, with the final bill working out to be just under $18pp. Though I'm not certain if we ordered enough - each tapas is priced around $12-15... which makes out to be... oh, you do the math.

Desserts - was definitely considered, however we had heard about the recent opening of a new gelato place (N2 Extreme Gelato, reviewed ). So we paid the bill, and scooted off in search of this source of chemical entertainment.

Encasa
423 Pitt St
Town Hall, 2000

Location: along Pitt St, slightly further south/Central side of World Square and Goulburn Street.

Hours:
Lunch: noon to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday
Dinner: 5.30pm to late, Monday to Saturday

Cost:
$12-15 for most tapas selection, up to $20 for the meatier choices.