Patisserie Mimi, Belfast - Macarons (11 November 2013)
A brand new French style patisserie opened in the city centre today, apparently the first of it’s kind in the region. With a window full of freshly made macarons, I simply had to try it. I ventured in and found a pleasant interior trying it’s best to emulate the chocolateries and patisseries of France. I left £10 lighter, with 6 macarons.
It would have been nice to have my hand-selected (not entirely cheap) treats presented to me nestled in a tissue lined branded box. Instead, I received a plastic carton-like contraption, that barely closed and certainly didn’t protect them, with a strip of Patisserie Mimi paper loosely wrapped around it, like a tube. Not what I expected.
Nor, sadly, were the macarons themselves. Rather than the delicate treasures I’ve come to love (on holiday) these were clumsier, with inconsistent textures, but always chewy and heavy. The pistachio tasted strongly of almond, but the salted caramel and passion fruit, strawberry and rhubarb both had great flavours (although 3 main ingredients may have been a waste). The blue/black one was tonka bean - an unexpected, strange but not unpleasant flavour - and the peach one, peach and honey - mellow, nondescript. So, an unusal selection of flavours on offer. But at least they are traditional macarons, not made with coconut, and are very tasty, without a doubt.
All in all, I shouldn’t really have hoped that a patisserie born in Belfast could ever rival the refinement produced by the years of training you’d see in France…and I’m undecided. Perhaps I’ll try a strawberry tarte or a loaf next…
Really…bread in a patisserie?
It would have been nice to have my hand-selected (not entirely cheap) treats presented to me nestled in a tissue lined branded box. Instead, I received a plastic carton-like contraption, that barely closed and certainly didn’t protect them, with a strip of Patisserie Mimi paper loosely wrapped around it, like a tube. Not what I expected.
Nor, sadly, were the macarons themselves. Rather than the delicate treasures I’ve come to love (on holiday) these were clumsier, with inconsistent textures, but always chewy and heavy. The pistachio tasted strongly of almond, but the salted caramel and passion fruit, strawberry and rhubarb both had great flavours (although 3 main ingredients may have been a waste). The blue/black one was tonka bean - an unexpected, strange but not unpleasant flavour - and the peach one, peach and honey - mellow, nondescript. So, an unusal selection of flavours on offer. But at least they are traditional macarons, not made with coconut, and are very tasty, without a doubt.
All in all, I shouldn’t really have hoped that a patisserie born in Belfast could ever rival the refinement produced by the years of training you’d see in France…and I’m undecided. Perhaps I’ll try a strawberry tarte or a loaf next…
Really…bread in a patisserie?
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