I am absolutely in love with Darcis' macarons. The few macarons I have tried - some were awful, some were overly sweet, some were nondescript and some were seemingly pretty good - but all paled after I tried the macarons from Darcis. Well I have not been to Paris, so I have yet to try the most famous macarons of all - Laduree or even Pierre Herme or Fauchon.
Darcis had a tiny booth at the basement of Takashimaya in February this year and I decided to buy a box of 5 to try.
Kudos to the patient SA manning the booth. She was young (probably a temp or part timer), yet she was knowledgeable about Darcis' products to make recommendations when I told her I prefer something not so sweet. She also took the initiative to ask what type of flavors I like and was able to categorize the macarons accordingly.
In the end I settle for these 5 - Strawberry Poppy, Passion Chocolate, Nougat, Praline and Lemon.
Verdict: I love how the shells are airy and chewy and a bit crispy at the first bite. Then you experience the subtle mingling of the flavors in the creamy and smooth ganache filling. This was the first time I could actually taste each individual flavor before they are swirled together.
In the end I settle for these 5 - Strawberry Poppy, Passion Chocolate, Nougat, Praline and Lemon. She was also kind enough to write the names of the macarons for me so that I would know which flavor I was eating. Don't you just love the look of the ganache peeping out of the shells? I love how none of the macarons looked the same, it showed how they are all individually made and not churned out by a machine.
Verdict: I love how the shells are airy and chewy and a bit crispy at the first bite. Then you experience the subtle mingling of the flavors in the creamy and smooth ganache filling. This was the first time I could actually taste each individual flavor before they are swirled together. The SA said nougat is not a common flavor to be found in macaron and highly recommended it to try. I thought it was alright. I think I veer towards the citrusy flavor as I like how the tartness of the lemon or strawberry actually made a good foil against the sweetness of the shells.
I also like the passion chocolate as one can never go wrong with smooth dark chocolate, especially when it is coupled with the tang of the passion fruit.
The SA also suggested I go to the store at Marina Bay Sands where they also serve desserts like waffles and other goodies. See, she did make an excellent SA.
I need to find time to head down to MBS for tea some day. I just hope it is not crowded and is still an undiscovered gem.
