Laduree

There are few things one can readily get ones hands on to eat that feel really, really indulgent. luxuriously indulgent, naughtily indulgent. not quite in the league of Ortolan, but almost. I think macaroons are up there - so colourful, so sweet; the sugary crispness of the exterior that delicately crumbles before melting on the tongue, the thick gooey stickiness of the jam inside that slides around your mouth. this week i ate some for breakfast, which ratcheted the decadence factor up considerably. i was taken by a PR to the Laduree cafe behind Harrods for a midweek morning meeting, and shall certainly be contriving to have more than one more rendez vous there in the future. walking inside is like entering the home of the sugar plum fairies. soft pastel coloured decor, low french antique style chairs and tables, floor to ceiling shelves filled with brightly coloured pyramids of macaroons and stacks and stacks of beautifully packaged jams, candles and room sprays with vintage pumps. It's sugary pastel paradise.