This picture looks nice and colorful but the macarons were awful. They were hard and dry. I had them in a restaurant in a 5 star hotel in Hong Kong.
Yesterday I featured Bar Dolci’s macarons. As I said before I’m not a big fan of macarons but I’ve eaten my share of them in Manila and abroad. I even paid HK$20 for small macarons from La Maison du Chocolat and I found them too soft although the flavor wasn’t bad.
My friend Chris gave me a box of macarons last Christmas and with one bite I knew I’ve tasted the best macarons in Manila.
Gourmet Finds’ macarons are homemade and available by order only. Each macaron cost P40 (cheaper than Bar Dolci’s) and are exquisite. The outer meringue has a crunchy bite and a chewy interior. The fillings were a bright and intense burst of flavor I’ve never found anywhere else.
you can see the ground pistachio in the pistachio macaron
It’s probably because the baker never uses artificial flavorings. All her ingredients are imported and she actually sources them when she goes abroad. A typical trip to Hong Kong would find her luggage filled with the best French butter, the best almonds and even the specific flour she prefers. She’s a perfectionist and refuses to compromise the quality of her products.
I don’t know her personally but I love her products so much I always recommend them to friends.
My favorite macaron flavor is the chocolate with Valrhona chocolate ganache filling. No ordinary buttercream filling here. It’s super dark, rich chocolate ganache baby! My next favorites are a tie between the lemon macaron with lemon mascarpone filling and the raspberry macaron with raspberry puree cream filling. Both are fruity, tart and just the right sweetness to bring oohs and aahs with every bite.
click to enlarge
The other product I’ve tried are her cannelés. The first time I tried cannelés, French pastry with a soft custard center and a dark caramelized crust, was at Edsa Shangri-la’s Heat. I don’t think they serve it anymore. Well you can try this super delicious pastry from Gourmet Finds. A box of 5 pieces cost P450. It’s not cheap but I guarantee you will get addicted to it. She calls it pocket creme brulee.
Recently an Aussie expat living in Manila wrote to me asking where he can find good croissants in Manila. I suggested he try the croissants of Gourmet Finds. After a few days he sent me this email: “Just wanted to say, we got our cheesecakes, macarons and croissants from Gourmet Finds which you recommended, and they were superb, thank you very much, you’ve made a group of expats very happy.”
There are many other suppliers of macarons in Manila and I haven’t tried them all but so far for me this is the best. Trust me on this guys. Try her macarons and tell me if I’m right. Don’t blame me if you can’t stop eating them!!
If she doesn’t reply to your text or call right away she must be out of the country. Tell her Leslie sent you. I hope she remembers me.
Gourmet Finds
cellphone: (0921) 762-2240
pick up is at Narra Ave. Forbes Park, Makati
email: gourmetfinds@yahoo.com
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Hey Les, the best macaroons I’ve tasted so far were in a shop called Visage’ in Paragon in BKK. I’m not a big fan of macaroons myself…. Love your posts
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I agree. It’s hard to find good macarons anywhere. The ones that I like best are – believe it or not – at Patiserrie du Louvre. Its right inside Paris’ Louvre museum, but they only had 3 flavors, and they were huge! We had the chocolate which beat the macaron I had at La Maison, which was just next door to it. The other one was bouchon bakery’s macarons in Yountville. The individual flavors of each macaron are identifiable.
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I feel like you’re advertising and selling more than giving an honest opinion.
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good to know. i think chef cyrille soenen of cicou makes some good ones as well.
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I don’t think macarons are supposed to be chewy. The best macarons are from Ladurée in Paris, although I heard they have a franchise in HK. The macarons are light and crisp (eggshell-like) on the outside, and moist and airy inside, and the fillings are always ganache. BEAUTIFUL. But thanks for the recommendation, I think I’ll try this one.
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In my opinion, the star of La Maison du Chocolat’s macaron lineup is not, ironically, their chocolate macaron but their salted caramel & chocolate one. THAT is the one to buy. It’s a beautiful blend of salty, sweet and bitter, unlike anything I’ve ever had before.I was in Paris a month and a half ago and did my own search for the best macarons in Paris (documented on my blog). I’m having second thoughts about a search for the best macarons in Manila because, really, there’s no way anything can top what I found in Paris. But the other half of me wants to know where to get my macaron fix that doesn’t require a plane ticket. So this post of yours might have just convinced me to get right on it.
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Let me know your opinion after you’ve tried Gourmet Finds’ macarons. Thanks for leaving your comment!!
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I was hunting for macarons in Manila ever since I saw the Paris Patisseries site. Now after seeing your website, I’ve ordered a box of it in Gourmet Finds. Also if you ever find yourself in Paris, check out his site as reference for the best pastries in the locale.
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Let me know how you like them Shelly! I hope I get to Paris one day….
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I just purchased the macaroons last weekend. They were delicious. I wish though that the size of the macaroon to be a bit bigger.
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Glad you liked it!
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I agree with what you wrote about gourmet finds. I know her personally and have tried most of her goodies… Why not try her cakes sometime….they are also divine!!!! Happy eating!
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Hi. Do they deliver? Thanks. 🙂 Can you reply on my email at shapija2003@yahoo.com. Thank you! 🙂
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I have to say your title is premature, if you haven’t had at least most of the macarons in Manila, how can you declare them the best already? Aside from that your description of a macaroni tells me you don’t know what a macaron should really be like so even if you had a good one it doesn’t seem like you’ll know. Just a thought maybe you should research and explore more before you make claims.
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Hi Celeni, macarons need to have some chew to them. But it should shatter the moment you first bit into them and they need to have a certain ratio of filling to shell. They should also never be hollow, which a good 80% of them are which is why you never see an cross section of a macaron cause most people can’t produce it.
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James I’ve just had Laduree, John Pual Hevin and Pierre Herme recently in Paris and these still rate up there. So I stand by my title and comments. I did say they are the best from the ones I’ve tried in Manila.
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Laduree’s macarons ARE crunchy on the outside and a bit chewy on the inside.
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Do try Alchemy by Meryl Go. She makes lovely macarons as well 🙂
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I will. Thanks for the tip!
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