The Laduree Experience – Travelling Solo New York City Part 3

If you love cakes, macarons and pastries then I guarantee you’ll enjoy this post. Welcome to part 3 of my experience as a solo female traveller in New York City. I love Laduree and first became aware of it through Gossip Girl. And what better way to experience it for the first time than in Manhattan, New York City. Laduree is a famous Parisian patisserie founded by Louis Ernest Laduree in 1862. Read on to see what I thought of my NYC experience.

Travelling to Laduree by subway

Travelling to Laduree in Soho, Manhattan is the furthest I travelled away from my hotel on the Upper West Side (Marrakech Hotel). As I write this, the Marrakech Hotel is no more as the owner of the building was operating illegally. Sidenote – travelling with anxiety does make things harder but it really helps if you plan your journey. This is why I used Google Maps incessantly and screenshot everything for when I was in areas without WiFi. As I neared closer and closer to Lower Manhattan, the subway car got emptier and emptier. This did make me a little nervous as I was further away from the busy tourist area of Midtown but I made sure to stay aware of my surroundings. That being said, the subway is the fastest way to travel in NYC and it’s cheap.

The shop counter

Upon arrival

The street was lined with classy boutiques and it was quiet – nowhere near as busy and bustling as Midtown. I chose the Soho branch because it had the latest closing time of 10pm and I didn’t want to feel rushed during my first time here. I assumed macarons and pastries would be available to buy until 10pm but I was mistaken! It was a good job that around 9pm I decided to head to the counter to order some macarons to go. I remember while I was waiting for my order to be wrapped, a group of ladies left empty handed as the counter/shop had stopped serving. Note to self, order early! My family would have been upset if I’d visited Laduree and then came back home with my long empty han’.

First Impressions

However, I am skipping some major details. Inside is beautifully decorated. The first thing you see is the counter full of macarons of all sorts of colours and flavours, their trademark boxes and ribbons and other merchandise. The statues, plush blue velvet cushioned seats, soft lighting, tea lights, pastel and warm woody colours all made the place look very pleasing to the eyes. They also had leopard print carpet in the main dining area so I loved that. It had the feeling of luxury once you stepped inside and with the soft lighting a soothing atmosphere. I felt comfortable which is important to me as I’m sensitive to my environment. Don’t forget I was here solo and had never dined here before.

This is beautiful. What is that velvet?

Let’s dive into that menu

Now, it’s no secret that Laduree is expensive but I was hell-bent on having something from their fancy menu with my limited budget. Low and behold I ended up choosing a salad (groundbreaking). This salad came with some fancy cheese goop and stoosh crisps. I can’t even remember what the fancy cheese goop was but it was hilarious because I accidentally ate the whole thing in one bite! That meant I had to eat the rest of my salad dry.

I’m lactose-intolerant but I did like the cheese goop

But never mind, as the whole point was to eat something from their menu that would not bankrupt me for the rest of my trip. I was also farse and ordered their matcha lemonade. I’ve never tried matcha before but for now I cannot call myself a fan. The drink was sour but I’d be damned if I didn’t swallow it as it cost me eight bucks.

No, you weren’t supposed to put matcha in the lemonade. It did not taste good.

But how were the Laduree macarons?!

You don’t care about a fancy salad with cheese or a sour matcha drink do you? You want to hear what I thought about the macarons. Laduree macarons are delightful. They’re not too sweet or sickly and are perfectly made and this is why they’re so expensive. You’re paying for the expertise, darling. I tried a range of flavours and my favourites were pistachio, caramel and chocolate. Due to the late hour all the pastries had already been taken away so I wasn’t able to try them (have no fear though, this was soon rectified during my first trip to Paris).

Scrumptious

I bought a box of 12 which retailed for $42. Expensive but worth it in my opinion. The first time I tried macarons was in Geneva. They were reasonably priced (for Geneva) but very sweet. They also didn’t travel well and the delicate meringue broke apart too easily. Another reason why I accept the cost of the Laduree macarons is the craftsmanship is indisputable. But if you want to talk indisputable craftsmanship, check out the pretty cake my mom got in Paris at the flagship store on the Champs-Elysees 🙂

Woi

Service

There is a strong tip culture in the US and even on the receipt it suggested how much you should tip. The maitre d’ was polite and the wait staff fast, efficient and friendly. I remember her talking to customers and even holding their babies. She engaged me in conversation and commented on my accent. They love us Brits 😉 It was her I asked about buying macarons to go and thankfully she advised me to head to the counter quickly. She packed and wrapped my macarons and I loved the pretty box they came in.

The Laduree Experience

I enjoyed my experience so much that I visited the Laduree store in Harrods, London and the flagship store on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. But more on that later 🙂 It’s advisable to book a table if you want to visit as it can get very busy and Laduree is quite popular. I used Bookatable to secure my table and that way I avoided disappointment. I felt happy on my way back to the hotel and enjoyed swinging the trademark bag.

Have you tried Laduree macarons? What did you think?

NYC Solo Series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

Love black pistachio x