Ladurée

Man, this was a horrible experience. I was looking for a nice place to have some afternoon tea. In France, this place was great, so I thought I would try this place in HK. Worst decision of my trip.
Got there around 4 in the afternoons. Almost all their sandwiches were gone. Not a problem. Next we ordered the afternoon tea set. It says that it is $ 88/​person, and so when we ordered, we thought we were getting a set for two people. Again, NOPE. They provided us with 1 person’s portion. When it arrived, we were staring at it wondering where the rest of it was. Finally, the quality of the food was not impressive. The sandwich was stale, the cakes weren’t very flavourful, and the macaroons were not as good as the France.
Then only redeeming feature of this place was the service. Like most high end locations in Asia, the service was great. They kept coming back to see if everything was ok.
Overall, would NEVER go back again unless I was interested in OVERPRICED STALE FOOD.

This location is great especially if it is a rainy day. When you exit the metro station, you don’t even have to step outside. You just ride the elevator up into the mall and Laduree is right there. Not sure everyone would love the little location but it was great to be able to sip some tea, and eat some macarons while people watching. Our server insisted that a pot of tea is only enough for one person, so we got two pots, but unless you plan to be there for hours, I really think one pot is enough for two people. I think the macarons from Pierre Herme taste better, but these are a close second.

The Macarons are to die for. They are served at the perfect temperature in a cute little box. I had no idea what Macarons were until I tried these wonderful little desserts. It is a bit pricey, but totally worth it for a special occasion. I am totally hooked!

What a different vibe from the New York location! Yes, this is a weird location… perched above the central core of the Times Square mall, the location is neither private nor quiet, but very fitting of the essence of Hong Kong. The ladies working behind the counter were super patient as we mulled over our macaron options and picked out our top choices.
I really enjoyed not having to wait in line for 45 minutes to order some macarons, and it was even better that we got to sit down and have some tea and coffee as well. Totally different experience… it felt almost… civilized. Every flavor we picked was delicious, I found it interesting that the strawberry one tasted like the Asian strawberry flavor, not the American flavor. Being Asian, I thought it was great!

Only in Hong Kong do cafes exist in the strangest spots — square footage is scarce so it’s no wonder. Here at Times Square, a well-​known French bakery that supposedly invented the macaron called Laduree is now serving above Lane Crawford on the 3^rd level right next to the guard rail between shops near the escalator.
This is the third outpost of Laduree in Hong Kong. The flagship is in Tsim Sha Tsui — Habour City/​Ocean Terminal or whatever the hell confusing maze of shopping arcade-​clusterFkery. That one is straight up all-​macaron, tea, and totes, etc. — you queue up, buy stuff and get the heck out. This one at Times Square is inviting and wants you to stay.
I have to admit that back when I lived in the states, I heard of Laduree by way of this rubbish teenage drama where entitled Upper Eastside high-​schoolers try to screw and screw over each other.
Anyway, I swear this café spot had been occupied by Starbucks and/​or agnes B or Ben & Jerry’s before. Oh well. Seeing Laduree operate here was a pleasant surprise. There’s really nowhere to sit at Times Square save those cold benches next to the escalator, so it’s a nice treat to drop a small few notes for some afternoon tea, macarons and some ass time on posh chairs to stretch out those tired legs.
Tea by the kettle is half the price of that at the Lobby Lounge at the Intercontinental and way cheaper than at the Peninsula but of course the ambiance is discounted as well — though not uncool to look at all the double escalator and hundreds of shoppers mucking about.
The Macaron flavors are tamer than those at Pierre Herme’s. Pierre Herme’s has a sheen and gradient which is unmatched by Laduree’s, but Laduree is OG.
What I enjoyed about this «al fresco» /​«al mall» café is that they refilled my kettle and let us stay as long as we wanted without the fake-​friendly «can i get you anything» i.e. «can you please get the check and get the F out.» We didn’t stay long but it sure seemed like they were in no hurry to turn over tables.
Got 4 macarons, madeleine, a pot of tea, a foofy drink and 2 canister of loose leaf tea to take home — it’s the Laduree house blend, and it is delicious.
Laduree macarons and teas make great office or birthday gifts. Just be sure to stop and treat yourself at the café first.