Ladurée Revisited

It has been a week since the renowned luxury patisserie chain credited for inventing the double-decker macarons opened at Ngee Ann City, commonly referred to as its anchor tenant Takashimaya. Snaking queues could be seen at both the counter on 1st floor between Chanel and Louis Vuitton, and the boutique on 2nd floor. These are well-managed by staff despite having to split the queues so as not to block the escalators and other shops within the shopping mall. Without a tea salon for dine-in, I wondered why the queue was slow-moving. While some customers knew exactly what they wanted, others were not sure of the cost and packaging options. Hence, they could only ask the staff upon reaching the counter before deciding on the number of pieces and flavours to get. No matter how many the customers bought (a few were helping family and friends get their hands on the dainty macarons, might as well) and how fast the staff packed, there is only one cashier at each location.

Things you might want to know before joining the queue

New Kid on the Block – Ladurée

You might have already heard that renowned luxury patisserie chain Ladurée has opened today in Singapore. With a counter on the 1st floor of Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Ngee Ann City, between Chanel and Louis Vuitton and a boutique on the 2nd floor (will mostly be closed on 16-17 April for a private event). The former sells macarons while the latter, not a dine-in café, also carries non-food items such as home fragrances, tote bags and trinkets. Founded in 1862 and bought over in 1993 by French company Holder Group who also owns Paul bakery, it already has presence in Asia – Japan, South Korea and most recently Hong Kong. So this, in collaboration with luxury watch retailer The Hour Glass, marks its 1st foray into South-east Asia. Paul is on the 3rd floor of the same shopping mall while The Hour Glass has a shop on the 1st floor.