Laduree (Tokyo, Japan)

Ladurée Ginza Mitsukoshi
Ginza Mitsukoshi 2F
4-6-16 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8212
Dining date: various

Ladurée Shinjuku
Shinjuku Lumine 2, 1F
3-38-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022
Dining date: various

I’ve posted before about the abundance and quality of sweet confections all around Japan; one of the places where I seemed to most consistently stop in was Laduree. Primarily famous for its macarons (and inventor of the standard double-decker macaron we know today), the French patisserie has 6 locations in Japan (3 in Tokyo). Two of them happened to be within a quick 10 minute walk from my apartment.

The store I stepped into most often was in the heart of Ginza, on the second floor of the Mitsukoshi department store. It’s a full service restaurant, with a counter filled with all the wonderful goods taken to-go, as well as table service with the same desserts, some savory options, and wines. The cafe offered excellent views of one of the main intersections in Ginza.

Of course, the macarons are a top draw with a beautiful arrangement of colorful flavors. About 20 flavors are offered.

I found the macarons to be very good, as expected. I loved the texture and the flavors popped. However, there are so many producers (both French and Japanese) of excellent macarons in Japan that I wouldn’t say these necessarily stood out. But they’re very good (and also some of the most expensive at ¥240 each), and were consistent among many visits. My favorite was probably this salted caramel variety.

In addition to the macarons, there’s a host of small cakes and treats that look equally as decadent. I tried a number of them; they were solid, but I wasn’t blown away by anything.

Ispahan

Saint Honore

Mont Blanc

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake

However, if there was one thing I was really impressed with, it was the soft serve. The Shinjuku location was the lone spot that served it…but it was worth the trip out there. There were a few different flavors available, along with a variety of syrups, fresh fruit, and crumbled macaron shell toppings.

chocolate soft serve, chocolate macaron shells, hazelnut, caramel

ispahan rose soft serve, fresh raspberries, raspberry macaron shells

The soft serve was delicious, sweet but not too sweet. Each of the toppings were excellent too, and I loved the chewy texture that the pieces of macaron shell provided. So simple really, but so good!

Given only one domestic location in the U.S. (NYC), it will be some time before I visit a Laduree again. It’s one of the things I’ll miss about Tokyo.