Monday, 9 November 2009
"I feel like I'm about to give birth to a macaron!"
Yet another gem from the ever quotable Steph who summed up all of our feelings in one humourous line.
Yes it was famed patissiere Adriano Zumbo's birthday last Friday and he celebrated the only way he knew how (happy birthday!). And some of us celebrated by taking the day off work! Out went the cakes and in came box after box of macarons in an orgy of different flavours and varieties (see here for the list!). From the sublime and traditional favourites to the wacky and downright insane, his quaint patisserie was bursting at the seams with a technicolour rainbow of macarons. This will also be the most I'll ever say the word 'macaron' in one post but since it's a one-off occasion, I think I can be forgiven.
Fortunately for the 5 of us who arrived just after 10am, there was barely a line and plenty were still on offer compared to the apparent morning mayhem of around 8am. We were hungry and sugar depraved, so without batting an eyelid we shelled out for the $110 box which had (basically) every macaron before heading to the cafe to begin our sugary debauchery. There were curious looks all round and a few that wanted to see it up close and indeed, a large box of these rainbow coloured beauties was mesmerising.
At first, we were a bit confused with the box as there were 46 macarons in it with the one Black Truffle at $10 and the other 45 at $2 each. Were we short of 5 macarons?
In any case, look at them. Aren't they the most seductive of colours? And we were going attempt to devour them all. Audacious? Crazy? It was a sweet challenge worth relishing. Without an indication what each macaron was, half the fun was taking the first bite and deciphering what flavour it was. There was some that was painfully obvious such as the Olive Oil and Rosemary and some, where up till now, I still haven't figured out whether I tasted it at all such as the Pan d'epice.
The sugar coma appeared about halfway through but we ploughed on, albeit with smaller bites and plenty of water in between. We were nearly defeated with 15 macarons to go but seeing as the box was mostly empty, we were re-motivated. The finish line was just so close! At this stage our valiant efforts weren't going unnoticed judging by the wide-eyed looks and gasps from fellow Zumbophiles and a waitstaff or two exclaiming "did you really eat all of those?!".
The last 15 was a blur as each macaron started to taste like the previous. The esteemed honour of the final macaron went to the Peanut Butter, which was heavenly but its richness was probably best enjoyed about 30 macarons earlier. Even after we've finished (at a time of just under 1.5 hours), we couldn't help but return to the patisserie to check out what we actually ate when we realised there were two macarons missing from our range! Neopolitan and (believe it) Beer and Peanuts! Did we eat them too? You bet your sweet bottom we did!
So what did 5 sugar-filled people do after a 48-macaron binge? We bought ourselves greasy chips and gravy and I'll tell you... they were the best damn chips 'n' gravy I've ever eaten.
So the verdict... some flavours were hit-and-miss while others demanded an encore performance. Do you like lists? I like lists. So in no particular order...
Macarons that I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole:
1. Blue Cheese and Pear
2. Goats Cheese and Blueberry
3. Chocolate Foie Gras
4. Liquorice
Simply because I don't like cheese and I never touch foie gras.
Macarons that confused, bemused and fueled endless speculation:
1. Mexican Chocolate
2. Tanzanian Salted Chocolate
3. Plantation Chocolate (I couldn't tell these apart. There were some chocolate macarons that had weird aftertastes, which I just assumed it was one of these exotic three).
4. Vegemite Sourdough - funny enough, the one I thought was vegemite turned out to be Burnt Toast and Butter! The real vegemite had me scratching my head.
5. Carrot Cake - I'm still figuring out if I ate this one.
Macarons you really shouldn't eat if you've already eaten 45:
1. Peanut Butter
2. Chocolate and Salted Caramel (oh the richness!)
I don't hate them... but I don't think I liked them:
1. Fig and Blackcurrant (I like fig. I like blackcurrant. But for some reason, I didn't like them both in a macaron).
2. Mastic, yoghurt, cucumber and mint (maybe it was the yoghurt I didn't like...)
Macarons that I want to see again:
1. Iced Vovo
2. Strawberry Bubblegum
3. Chup-a-chup (hello? Macaron on a stick with sherbet? WINNER!)
4. Strawberries and Cream
5. Beer and Nuts
6. Date and Orange
7. Turkish Delight
8. Rice Pudding
Disappointed in:
1. Cheeseburger - the one I had was super soggy and tasted like a mouthful of Macca's ketchup
2. Maple syrup, bacon and pancake - no detection of bacon :(
Heaven from the first bite:
1. Chocolate Citrus - my favourite! And everybody guessed as much. Gosh darn I'm so predictable!
2. Chocolate and Passionfruit - better than Lindt. By far.
3. Chocolate and Red Wine
4. Raspberry and Chocolate
5. Burnt Butter
6. Chocolate and Mint
Prettiest Macarons:
1. Black Truffle
2. Green Tea
3. Mysterious shimmery bronze one
And again, I can't stress the importance of salty foods after a heavy sugar binge! So last but not least, the perfect Macaron-antidote Award goes to...
1. Chips with chicken salt and gravy!
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26 Coffee Breaks:
you are such a lucky girl! although, i would think, that's a bit too many macarons in one sitting but oh the color palette is love:)
Great coverage! If you're going to have a sugar binge, you may as well do it in style with macarons from Zumbo ;) Love the photo of the colourful macarons in the box - a rainbow of sugary goodness!
I have to go lie down now - I have a virtual distended tummy! I am in awe of you and your friends. This was a monumental task and not only did you manage it, you also took great notes and photographs before succumbing to the sugar shock. These macarons look heavenly although some of the flavors are a bit dissonant (I'll have to draw the line at Cheeseburger). This is the way to celebrate a celebrated patissiere's b-day!
I didn't go down to the shop to experience the whole macaron fever that day, but I felt macaron-ed out too - thanks to Simon who shared his with me and Richard LOL
Wow well done. I ended up with about 18 macarons but I'm eating them all myself! There's a box of half-eaten ones on the fridge now. lol. There were some gems in the lot. Burnt toast and butter was amazing and the cheeseburger was so much fun.
I think you guys made the better decision on the day - arriving at a decent hour (not 730am, lol) and then spending time in the cafe to leisurely eat and critique them all :)
WOW
excellent effort i'nm amazed haha
i'd certainly be hitting the gym afterwards - NOT getting chips & gravy . but thats me haha you don't need to!
Woah. *wipes drool off keyboard* such pretty colours!
Wow, that's awesome! You guys are full on for trying every single flavour, though I think would have done the same! Beautiful photos as usual!
Heehee my stubby fingers are on foodgawker now, awesome! I really should think before I speak sometimes, everyone ends up with these quotes from me on their blogs :P Thanks for bringing me along for the macaron madness, it was a day to remember!
You only had 48 macarons? Not trying hard enough, Karen! I do like your lists, too.
Wow. My stomach hurts now haha. You ate so many! I enjoyed reading the detailed lists and gawking at the lovely photos, though.
That is ridiculous! I'm very jealous. I would have happily eaten your cheesy macarons.
I agree Karen, Mastic, yoghurt and mint was a bit weird, I think the yoghurt made it a bit too sour.
Does anyone remember those ice creams which were coated with a thin shell of sherbet that would go crackle pop in your mouth....bring them back I say.....hence the chuppa chup flavour brought me back to my youth!
I agree Olive Oil and Rosemary was my overall favourite. Everything was just perfect in this amazing macaroon....but now need a break fro them
Oh my pain in missing out on Zumbo Macs. The paaaaaaaaaainnn.. OMG I would have been the happiest little camper this side of western Sydney with all those Macarons. Yummy
You crazy, crazy people! Well done - I applaud your bravery in the face of dental madness! I though Adriano had made 60 flavours fo macarons though, what happened to the last 12???
Awesome post! It's hilarious and love the title! Beautiful pictures as always ;)
I read on twitter that you ate 40 macarons, but you know they're quite small. I think it's entirely possible (although advisable in another matter hehe)!
I bow my head to you in eating all those macarons in one sitting! Not to be tried without professional training, kids!
Oh my goodness, this sounds quite certifiable! Brilliant but insane. Guess someone had to do it - the photos are brilliant.
48 eh? Wow, I bought five and couldn't even finish two! But then again, maybe was really sick after all the Daring Baker challenges! But that is really one big feat to eat that many. Don't know how you stay so damn slim! :)
amazing effort girls! did you cut them into fifths or just 'take a bite and pass it on' hehe?
the carrot cake one was actually quite prominent in flavour, but maybe that's cos i ate my macarons in separate sittings lol. It had tiny flecks of grated carrot in it though.
btw i actually saw you guys at zumbo's! i was in the queue, prob a few ppl after you :)
Yum! Such amazing flavours! They sound absolutely fantastic =D.
that day..killed me and the day after that my tongue felt inflamed from all that sugar. It was fun and a good experience. Glad to have done it with u girls whoo hoo!
Seriously the macarons i brought home.. i didnt even touch it and its still in my fridge.. im quite scarred by biting into that many LOL
That picture looking inside the box of all the macaroons is beautiful. What a fantastic rainbow of colours. I have never tried any Adriano Zumbo macaroons but i am hooked on the Laduree ones. I like to refer to macaroons as my "housewife crack" LOL. Great post.
Have you tried their desserts? We had "Paris" ...friend's description was "this tastes like Barbie food" - everything was pink. The tapioca shake was the only disappointment, tasted like bad suntan lotion. "It's a Macaron not a Hamburger" was delightful. Texture, taste, inventiveness.
Am still working off the calories 5 days later :(
THIS IS MACARONIINSANE!!!
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