Saturday, October 16, 2010

Macarons @ Nathalie's Gourmet Studio, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

Andy the Anchorman (in studio): Move over cupcakes, we have a new 'IT' dessert in town and her name is Macy the Macaron. Today, we bring you an exclusive interview with the leading lady herself about what makes the perfect macaron, at one of the city's macaron hotspots, Nathalie's Gourmet Studio at Solaris Dutamas. Over to you, Berry.


Nathalie's macarons are packed in a clear box to showcase the dazzling colours


Berry: Bonjour Mademoiselle Macy. You're looking exquisite.

Macy: Merci beaucoup Monseuir Beh-ry.


Meet Macy the Macaron :)



Berry: The macaron craze has been taking the nation by storm. So tell us, what brings you to this part of the world?

Macy: We started out in France and we thought it would be a nifty idea to venture into USA, Britain and other parts of Europe. We're also a big hit in Asian countries such as Japan and Singapore. We heard that the Malaysians are a bunch of dessert lovers, so here we are trying our luck!

From Paris, With Love



Berry: Oh, we do love you cute little macarons. Care to share what makes a perfect macaron?

Macy: Firstly, there is the upper crust; it needs to be crisp with a smooth domed top and flat base plus a ruffled circumference (also known as the "foot"). It has to be light and airy when you bite into it. And the filling should be moist, with a chewy and melt-in-the-mouth consistency.

Looking good, baby!

Berry: How many flavours are you available in?

Macy: Well, at Nathalie's, they have a huge range of flavours, 16 if I'm not wrong.

Berry: You are quite a sensation over here, turning heads with your colourful personality. What's your favourite colour?

Macy: Anything goes, as long as it's bold and vibrant! The more colourful, the better.


Sophisticated, fashionable candies for grown-ups


Berry: Mademoiselle Macy, it was a pleasure meeting you and we wish you the best of luck in Malaysia.

[looks at camera] And thank you for tuning in to BBC (that's Berrylicious Broadcasting Channel) for the hottest news on the baking circuit. Back to you Andy.

[starts munching on a macaron (hopefully not Macy!!) as soon as cameras are turned away]


The leaning tower of macarons


Our verdict: Nathalie's is well-known for her macarons, so a visit to her restaurant is not complete without sampling some of them. We tried 8 flavours; framboise (French raspberry), noix de coco (coconut), nougat, caramel, matcha (green tea), rose-litchee (lychee), lavender-abricot, and praline. Although the macarons here have the characteristics of a near-perfect macaron, we found the crusts to be too sweet. For me, the best flavours were the fruity ones (my favorite flavours were framboise, rose-litchee and lavender-abricot), as they take some of the edge off the overpowering sweetness of the crust. Overall, we also felt that the Daniel Rebert macarons we had previously were slightly better than Nathalie's due to it's more unique flavours.


Opening times: 9.00am to 6.00pm. Closed on Sundays. Nathalie's also serve breakfast and lunch daily, click here for the review of our previous visit.

Price: RM4.40++ each

Location: Nathalie's Gourmet Studio, Solaris Dutamas, Unit A4-01-5, Jalan Dutamas, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Walk to the left hand far end [left when you're facing the main road] until you spot Heidelberg Kaffehaus, then take the escalators to the fourth floor)

Tel: 03-6207 9572

Website: http://www.nathaliegourmetstudio.com/

GPS Coordinates: 3.1711, 101.66583

11 comments:

  1. Wow, since you put it that way & I've never seen a Macarons before then I must try it :D

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  2. hope to get to try these someday soon

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  3. So cute!!
    Such an original post! Hehe..
    Yes, I find them sweet too..and alws there for food but nvr order the macarons!

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  4. its expensive but i suppose a once in a while treat is not all too bad!

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  5. ken: You should try Nathalie's restaurant too, it's very good.

    melmonica: nathalie's macarons are one of the best around, albeit being a little too sweet.

    smallkucing: just gotta drive down to solaris dutamas for some :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. thenomadGourmand: thx for dropping by! i enjoy reading your posts on nathalie's every mth.

    joe: not sure if you've tried babycakes macarons before, but they're much nicer (in my opinion) and much cheaper too.

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  7. Just bought some macarons from nathalie's gourmet. Too sweet and the staff attended to us was very unfriendly :-(

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  8. Macarons are supposed to be sweet. Albeit the asian taste and general tolerance for sugar, the macaron is what it is and there is no such thing as a "lesser sweet macaron" simply because the alteration of sugar content will disrupt the entire baking dimension. Bottom line is, less sugar, macarons won't rise and have the texture it is supposed to have.

    Secondly, MOST malaysians have never tried a real french macarons before so how could you comment on the quality of the macaron? you can very well say you "don't like it" rather than defaming it and saying it is not nice or too sweet.

    It's a take it or leave it situation. I have tasted the world-class famous Pierre Herme' before and Nathalie's is quite close to it. Babycakes is not even close.

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  9. Alright, seeing as you have a rather extensive knowledge of macarons I assume you are a baker/pâtissière or at least someone who has attempted to make macarons before. I on the other hand have not. But I have seen recipes for macarons and it is a fact that a lot of sugar is used.

    However, I HAVE tried the world famous Pierre Hermé macarons and I must say that Nathalie's does not come close to it. Taste is subjective and if you critisise another person for finding a macaron slightly sweeter than the other, then this is way off the mark. There's nothing here in the lines of defamation, just a general opinion on how a macaron tastes like. Methinks that you are just nitpicking over nothing.

    ReplyDelete
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