Lynn and I were in Dublin yesterday, delivering paintings to the Oriel Gallery. I'll be posting about the Oriel again, but first things first: en route, we called at Brown Thomas on Grafton Street for some Laduree macaroons. If you're into macaroons, you'll know there is a tremendous variation in terms of quality - but for exactly the right combination of crisp outer shell, chewy and flavoursome ganache filling, and last but not least, colour, you can't beat Laduree. Hardly surprising, since they invented the macaroon at the turn of the last century, and have been selling them ever since in their flagship store at 18 Rue Royale, Paris. Every season, they add a new flavour.
Sadly, Laduree are only represented in the British Isles in London (Harrods and Covent Garden) and Dublin, so their macaroons are not easy to find; added to which, they don't travel well, so having them posted is a poor - and risky - option.
Nothing like building to an anticlimax.
