Back in December, KN and I spent half the day exploring downtown. If you recall previous blog posts, we hit up Tres Carnales for lunch, Gong Cha for drinks, as well as various shops and boutiques. Our last stop of the day ended up being Macarons & Goodies, one of the city's newest bakeries.
Considering its location, a French bakery is far from what you would expect to find. However, it's a welcome addition, especially being so close to the new arena. The owners are a husband and wife team, who have plenty of experience working in pastry. Akram Hasni works as executive pastry chef for Rogers Place so having a nearby bakery makes sense. His wife runs front of the house and she was really lovely. We spent way too much time inside taking pictures of our "macarons & goodies" and she was more than gracious.
Aside from a large variety of French-inspired pastries and cakes, they also serve savoury options fit for breakfast and/or lunch. A beverage menu consisting of tea and coffee also makes it a sit-down affair.
They also specialize in celebration cakes and catering, so they could probably entertain any request you may have.
The shop is painted in a pastel mint green. It's bright and welcoming, and you're welcome to sit down and enjoy your goods in their small but comfy seating arrangement by the windows.
Press to enlarge the next couple of pictures to see an example of their selection.
There was also a third display case that housed croissants and other similar pastries. A little side table featured meringues and cookies in cellophane bags. On top of the counter were daintier items which would be perfect for tea time: madelaines, palmiers, and florentines.
We spent a bit of time perusing their selection before finally committing to a few pastries each. KN's first pick was the adorable Santa Hat ($5.95), a raspberry chocolate mousse cake topped with a vanilla coconut chocolate. It was still the holiday season when we visited (that's how much I like to procrastinate), so this little guy is probably no longer available. Regardless, KN really enjoyed the raspberry icing and thought that the first bite of the cake was delicious. It got a tad bit too sweet for her later on, so probably best to share with a friend.
Her other choice was the walnut pecan brownie ($4.95). On the brownie spectrum (ie. cakey, fudgey, chewy), this leans on the chewier side. KN said the brownie wasn't super moist, but she did like how it wasn't too sweet and that the nuts provided some texture.
I also picked out a few items to share at home. The raspberry tart ($4.95) had a shortbread crust, mascarpone pastry cream filling, fresh raspberries, shelled pistachios and a drizzle of acacia honey. The crust was a bit hard to cut through and I didn't notice too much of the mascarpone pastry cream as it ate a bit dry. I did like the combination of raspberries and honey though, and the level of care and attention to detail really shows in their presentation.
Next we have the choux fleur ($6.25), a choux pastry creampuff with vanilla mascarpone custard, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Super delicious! I loved the crispy texture of the craquelin, and the filling was light and not too sweet. The owner also said this was one of her favourites.
I also tried a mango macaron ($1.75) and an almond pain au chocolat ($3.25). The mango macaron was a bit artificial tasting but the texture was quite good. The almond pain au chocolat was a marriage of a double-baked almond croissant and a pain au chocolat. I know double baking hardens the croissant texture somewhat but I'm also wondering how long the croissants had been sitting in the display case when I made my purchase. They were a bit too tough and dry for me.
It's nice to see new bakeries popping up in Edmonton, especially in the most unexpected places. Macarons & Goodies is a charming little spot with the friendliest owners. I hope they get busier so that the turnaround time for goods is a bit better. Some items were a hit or miss for me but I'd definitely visit again to try more of their stuff!
Macarons & Goodies
10548 101 St NW
Edmonton, AB
(587) 473-6400
(587) 473-6400
- CT
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