Loving his cutesy yellow boxes with googly eyes!

Wandering around Omotesando and Harajuku, we aimlessly headed towards Aoyama crossing our fingers and toes, hoping that we’ll have to best of luck to stumble upon the Pierre Hermé cafe…

And what do you know?! I was expecting a teeny-weeny hole-in-the-wall side-street outlet but it turned out to be a double-storied boutique on the main street.

The ground floor has all the takeaway pastries (i.e. MACARONS!) while the second floor is reserved for the cafe. That’s me at the start of the line perusing the menu! (And this was after a 20-minutes wait…)

A very fantastic mirror/glass partition that fascinated Thad to no end. You kinda see the people on the other side… at the same time looking at yourself…

Do you see what I see?

Aieeeee!!! Onnomnom…

After what seems like forever, we finally got to the OTHER side of the mirror and occupied 2 of that precious 15 seats in the cafe. It was soo tiny! And everyone takes their own sweet time with leisurely afternoon tea so the wait can be quite painful if you end up behind a group of teenage girls or tai-tais!

Elegant counter top seats facing the main street. Not much of a view though.

Millefeuille Inifiniment Vanille

PH comes up with a “collection” every year or season just like a fashion designer, and while we were in Tokyo the ongoing collection was the “Infiniment Vanille.” He takes his staple pastries and cakes and infuses them with a particular twist.

Needless to say, the pastry was flaky with a beautiful blend of crunch and cream. I find it hard to be wow-ed by vanilla though so you’ll find that my response is a tad more sedated. Heh.

Thad ordered a bowl of the PH Special Hot Chocolate and oh my! This was as chocolatey as one can get. It was SO RICH the both of us had trouble finishing it! Warms the tummy in the best way possible.

Ah, but this was what we were really looking forward to (apart from the macarons of course!). The Ispahan! Such a pretty sight to behold!

I love cross-sections. Rasperry, rosewater cream and lychee.

Thad enjoying his half of the Ispahan. Unfortunately, he thought the Laduree one was better!! I totally overhyped him so it was a bit of a let-down. Have to say the Laduree one was much more flavorful. What happened Monsieur Herme?

But nothing these little babies can’t save! After finishing up our afternoon snacks, we headed back downstairs for some macaron takeaways. We gave ourselves a limit of 15 pieces (otherwise you can really leave with boxes and a much lighter wallet). It was SUCH a dilemma deciding which ones to buy! Such little perfections… Oh how I miss them!!

Happy with our goodies for the day!

Some procession we bumped into on our way to Harajuku…

The center of attention.

I was drawn more to him!!

Japanese kids are SO. CUTE.

More snacking at Marion Crepes from Harajaku!

I leave you with a parting shot of our happiness in a box And yes, they were as good as I remembered and the best I’ve ever tasted.

After making regular chocolate ganache and rose buttercream, I wanted to try and expand the range of flavours to something more fruity. I was after something sour and tangy, and shortlisted the flavours to lime, lemon, orange and passionfruit.

Eventually I landed with passionfruit after spotting some at the wet market going for HKD$10 for 3. I don’t think I’ve actually bought passionfruits before – I’ve only had them at hotel buffets or dessert platters.

Had a bit of inertia using yellow coloring, but am quite happy with how cheery bright the colour turned out. Wasn’t sure if this batch would turn out well so I skimped on the chocolate dusting usually seen on passionfruit macarons. Next time!

This batch was a little more dome-shaped than I would have liked, with less crisp shells. Having said that, I’m still quite happy with them given how the previous batches (which I haven’t posted here for obvious reasons!) literally exploded in the oven. Broken hollow shells, uncooked center… eeech! It was driving me bonkers for days as batch after batch of shells came out ALL. WRONG.

The passionfruit flavour really surprised me! I loved it! I always enjoy something fruity, and while I’m usually not a fan of milk chocolate (give me dark and bitter any day) it served this flavour well bringing out the fragrance and tanginess of the passionfruit. Knowing that fresh fruit juice went into this also gave it extra points. I have a newfound respect for the intense natural flavour of the passionfruit. Unlike the heavy chocolate ganache or the overly sweet rose buttercream, I see myself enjoying a few pieces of this at a sitting.

Packed off to be given away!

On Friday, I had a day of fun with my cutie pies niece and nephew at Disneyland. After saying goodbye to them and boarding the train at Disneyland Resort Station in the evening, I immediately felt something was wrong.

Sudden onset of exhaustion. (Had too much fun?). Breathlessness. (Over-excitement from the rides?). Gurgling stomach. (Ate too much for dinner?). The train was unfortunately packed and I couldn’t find a seat. I was almost desperate to tap a guy on the shoulders and ask if I could take his seat because I felt so tired.

Thankfully I managed to find one when I changed train lines. I started feeling dizzy (Was it the Flying Dumbo ride?) and felt like I was gonna throw up (Possibly “The Slinky”?). I had post-dinner plans so I thought I could head home for a short rest before coming out again.

The moment I got home I collapsed on the bed shivering under the covers and too exhausted to peel myself off the bed. Onset of aching bones and breathlessness and just PLAIN MISERY. Texted the husband who managed to finish work early and made his way home to find me hidden under a mountain of blankets.

Unable to stand the cold any longer, I literally crawled into the bath and stood under the hot water for a good half hour. And still emerged shivering. Threw on my pajamas and crawled again into bed, hair wet and all. Tried to call out for the husband but my squeaks fell onto deaf ears since he was out in the living room. Finally mustered out all the strength I could and let out a miserable moan and he came dashing into the bedroom to find Gollum curled up on the bed.

Feeling feverish yet shivering in cold. Bones that feel like thousand of pins are pricking at them. Exhaustion and utter lack of strength. Churning stomach.

Churning stomach. Wait, this is waaaay too familiar. This is more than a fever.

It’s food poisoning. The third time in the last 3 years – all in HK!

The first time I ate some expired cereals – knowingly – to the chagrin of then-boyfriend-now-husband. It was around Christmas and his parents were visiting as well and we had feasts every other day but my appetite was non-existent and I felt nauseous at all the food. I remember walking with him at Maritime Shopping Mall at Tsingyi and dashing off the the bathroom for a mega throw-up. One of the great things that came out of this (pun unintended…) was that I became a lot more careful about eating expired food.

Flashback to yesterday when I had a can of chili (the stew, not the vegetable) for dinner.

The freaking same brand that caused Food Poisoning Incident #2 a few months back.

The first question husband asked me as a I lay pathetically in bed was “Did you eat expired food again?!”

No lor… Even told him specifically it expires in 2013. What I failed to put together earlier was that those two cans probably came from the SAME BATCH, so they were both likely contaminated. I have to say, I am usually more wary of raw produce (as we are so commonly warned) so to suffer such a miserable fate as a result of canned foods really makes me boil (literally).

Anyway, too late now. My poor stomach is just churning all that gunk right now. The only great thing about this was that I got to be taken care of by the husband. I was so weak I had to get him to dry my hair for me (though he kinda fumbled and burnt my scalp for a bit). He got me water and pills and sat in bed and talked with me over his packed dinner. I have a cute hot water bottle to make my tummy feel more comfortable. He sat next to me while I fell in and out of sleep mumbling. Occasionally I doubled over the toilet bowl and he had to hold my hair back and pat me on the back. Acccckkkkkkk.

After the first few attempts, I’ve managed to keep the liquids down. The thought of meats and stews make me want to dash to the bathroom. The stomach still feels sore and cramps up at will.

You know what, I’m just thankful the onset of the symptoms is apparently 12-72 hours, so I managed to enjoy a day out with the kids before I keeled over at home, and that my husband was around for the worst part of the pain before he left HK again.

Super duper craving for Maccas, which really doesn’t happen too often. Even less so for me to venture out to buy it. And have never been so desperate as to order via McDelivery!

Until tonight.

Oh, but how you disappointed me Ronald.

Called Ronald (or one of his boys anyway) at 1857hr and placed my order for the following:

1. Filet-O-Fish EVM Meal
2. 9 pc McNuggets
3. Taro Pie

Told that delivery time will take 30 minutes otherwise I get a free-hashbrown coupon.

Ronald’s delivery man arrived at 1947hr.

More than 30 minutes. With no free-hashbrown coupon in sight!! How can you do this to me Ronald!!

My food was literally steaming because I could see the condensation in the clear plastic bags.

Which is not a good sign.

Soggy, cold, chewy fries. Not the good kind. And Ronald makes the best fries!

And one packet of Ketchup. For a Filet-o-Fish and a pack of fries. ONE PACKET. Seriously?! I love your ketchup!

To top it all off, I had a broken straw. I couldn’t even enjoy my generic cup of Sprite. (OK I drank straight from the cup like a normal human being, but can’t I even get a good straw after all I’ve been through?!)

Half the nuggets are still sitting in the box and the Taro Pie is waiting to be eaten.

Ronald, you could have so warmed my tummy on this cold winter’s night. But in the end, I’m left with a half-eaten pack of fries and a craving unsatisfied. I’ve wasted too much calories on you. I was still thinking of seeing you again for breakfast tomorrow, but I can’t even do that now, not without my coupon.

Quite possibly the prettiest ones I’ve made so far.

Enjoying the piping process very very much.

Identical rounds!

Rising in the oven…

Voila!!! Equal sizing makes matching the shells a cinch.

Pretty swoon-worthy for me.

Cooling off!

SQUEEEEE!!!

Hellloooo there!

Can’t resist taking a few more photos.

Taken under another lighting to show off the pale pink.

Packed off as my contribution for Thanksgiving dinner!

Shows clearly how the Rose macarons rose beautifully with well-formed feet.

Always wanted to make a macaron tower! Demonstration of even, flat tops. Taken with low-res iphone.

Ready to enjoy my hard work!!!

The husband has been traveling quite a fair bit to Korea the last month (and the next as well, it seems). We’ve seen each other a couple of times in the last 3 weeks I think, but at least we get to talk on the phone everyday so it’s not too bad. Helps that we’ve had long-distance training previously I guess!

Turns out his boss in Korea didn’t realize he was married and was terribly apologetic. “You’re married?! I am so sorry, please apologize to your wife for me.”

Over the phone, he told me “Hey, they’ve got you some presents because they feel so bad.”

Complete with Hello Kitty plastic bag.

Apparently, he had happily shared with them my love for Lee Min Ho.

*dies of embarrassment*

His boss got the secretary to run an errand – buy Lee Min Ho related products. I am now the proud owner of Lee Min Ho clear folder, Lee Min Ho 2012/2013 Calendar and Lee Min Ho Postcard Stickers.

I’m not too sure how I feel about them…

On the one hand, I’m glad I’ve gotten the piping size consistent. Sense of satisfaction when you see a tray of similarly sized shells. Makes the matching a lot easier too!

On the other hand, the feet is kinda… meh. I know I can get them higher (did I just jinx myself?!) but my fundamental question is whether these are the kind I like or want. Are they supposed to be like this? Or more like the previous pink batch, where it’s more frilly? And don’t even get me started on the last macaron with lopsided feet… urgh.

Was unwittingly stingy with the ganache filling so the macarons look a little anorexic. Gotta remember to plump them up the next time.

Success rate is hovering around 30% at the moment. They taste great so it’s fine, but I get the usual bouts of hollow pockets, lopsided or no feet and sticky bottoms… all in the same tray! The pretty ones keep me going, but I do feel bad giving away less-than-perfect macarons or worse, throwing them into the bin.

A lot of broken-macaron-shell snacking at home right now.

Frilly feet, just the way I like my macarons.

A piece of joy, at my fingertips.

Lovely shade of pink.

Is it healthy to be this obsessed?

Cannot wait to bake the next batch!!

More updates to come!

Rising gloriously in the oven!!

Smooth dome shells and feet! FEEET!!!

My precious tray of macaron shells.

Feet! They all have feet!!!

Wahey! Lookie what we’ve got here!

Pretty decent looking macarons if I may say so myself!

After putting them off for so long and reading horror baking stories, I finally got down and dirty with these legendary creatures. In retrospect, the lead up to the baking was more nerve-wrecking than the process itself. I put on some James Blunt, turned up the air-conditioning, got all the ingredients sorted and got down to work.

I want to say that it was all precision and accuracy, but I think I mucked around a little bit. So you can imagine how shell-shocked (pun totally intended) I was when these babies started rising 5 minutes into the oven!!

Oooh husband just got home and chomped into one – “Hmmmm. This is actually quite good.”

Yay! And he didn’t even eat the “good” one – I’m storing them overnight and piping the ganache tomorrow instead.

More updates tomorrow!