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Soirette
Categories: Food Desserts Food Coffee & Tea Food Tea Rooms Desserts, Coffee & Tea, Tea Rooms [Edit]
1433 West Pender StVancouver, BC V6E 4S9
Neighbourhoods: Coal Harbour, Downtown
(604) 558-3308
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
26 reviews for Soirette
26 reviews in English
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Review from Sonia C.
5/26/2012
I've been to Laduree and Pierre Herme in Paris and I like Soirette better. Travesty, I know! If it could be boiled down to one reason, it would be Soirette's white truffle macaron. It's a sweet-savory truffle flavored macaron topped with truffle salt - and it was amazing. A close second and third would be the black pepper mango (exactly what it sounds like) and the passionfruit.
I enjoy all the fruit macarons here and especially enjoy the "alternative" flavors much more than I did the chocolate, rocher, and salted caramel. I'm thinking of going again tomorrow... -
Review from Alex D.
Burnaby, BC
5/15/2012
Fantastic macarons and amazingly friendly owner. keep up the amazing work. The macarons reminds me of Laduree macarons.
Note to the owner: Please please make some of Pierre Herme's macarons here. -
Review from Andrea L.
Vancouver, BC
5/10/2012
They are smart little cookies for setting up a temp shop inside Holt Renfrew till Mother's Day.
Within oh..let's say 4 days? I've had 24 of those darn macarons.
I've had macaron's from a few places and I'm quite peculiar about how I like my meringues. This set they have been serving me, is not bad. Not bad for the 4 places I have tried, but not the best yet since I have not tried the legit ones from Paris.
I've tried most of them...Matcha, Vanilla, Raspberry, Pistachio, Cappuccino, Caramel Fleur de sel, Passionfruit, Chocolat, Violette, Malibu and Rocher.
Rocher, Malibu, Cappuccino and Holts are BOMB-DIGGITY.
So, with all that, my muffin top is back and they have a tea that I quite fancy too.
Creme Vanille, oh, its a lovely one. its delish on the first and second brew, but by the third, its pretty maxed out. I've had this one cup here stewing for about 3 hours, all I get is a light taste of it.
All of you should at least pop into Holts and try it, its in a mall, there is a cute cafe area set up, you can walk, eat and shop or creepily stare at people as they try things on. Either way, pop in and try some of those delish macarons. They have a limited edition Holts one available.
So with the other few that I have left calling me from the fridge, I don't see what you're waiting for. My stomach and waist line sure didn't in the past 4 days.
Enjoy and send me your reviews on my few loves.
xo -
Review from Dee D.
Burnaby, BC
5/25/2012
While I think this space is beautiful, its a little too far removed from downtown business they could be getting. Sure during the summer people may be walking by from Stanley Park but its a tough spot to be in. The macarons are good but it seems macarons come a dime a dozen nowadays..
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Review from Amy T.
5/8/2012 1 photo
Finally had a chance to try Soirette and I have converted a friend who hated macarons!
She's a hard sell and stubborn when it comes to food that she's already made up in her mind as something she doesn't want to eat. It took a nice sunny day, a stroll around Coal Harbour and some jokes about stubborness before she tried it. We tried 4 macarons in total.
Pistachio - My ultimate favorite flavor and it was just devine at Soirette!
Lavender - A little sweeter than I've had in other places, but was still very good.
Lemongrass - Just tasted like lime, but was refreshing and light tasting.
Orange Blossom - The macaron that changed her life. She'll be coming back to join me in my macaron binges.
It was a little pricey at $9 for 4 macarons, but the macarons and adorable decor made up for it!Listed in: Macarons
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Review from Tina Z.
5/24/2012
Quite mediocre for the price you're paying. The center is doughy and noting close to the light, melting sensation you're suppose to experience when enjoying a real French macaron. Don't waste you're money here if you want REAL macarons. If your purpose is to show off photos of cute, little French desserts, then by all means Soirette welcomes you.
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Review from psylocke r.
Langley, BC
4/19/2012
I've tried a few macarons lately, some delicious, others disappointingly not so. I was curious about Soirette. Follow Me Foodie loves the place: http://www.followmefoo..., as well as my good friend Sherman: http://www.shermansfoo.... You can see more lovely photos and read tips about how to judge a perfect macaron on their posts. Soirette is a chic little tea house not far from Stanley Park, that serves a large variety of these gluten free treats. Macarons are made with ground almonds, or almond flour, so most are naturally gluten free, you just need to check on the fillings. I asked for a dozen that were gfree as well as chocolate free, to suit my allergies, and I was able to get 12 unique flavours to sample.
I managed to resist opening the cute little box until I got home(patting self on the back, hey, its a long trip home from Vancouver). When I finally did open the box, I had to start by sampling the lavender macaron. I love the smell of lavender, and have tried this flavour elsewhere in the past. I was immediately in heaven! This, to me, was the perfect macaron.
I know very little about the qualities to look for in a macaron, I understand its history as a special French confection, but to me, its all about how it tastes in my mouth. It was DIVINE! In fact, I loved every flavour I tried. They all had the perfect combination of sweet, but not too sweet, and original flavours that compliment each other in the cookie. Among them were matcha, vanilla, rose, lemon, raspberry, malibu, pistachio, and caramel fleur de sel.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but macarons are my new favourite dessert! And, I love dessert! Bravo Soirette for a job well done! Check them out on West Pender. http://www.soirette.com -
Review from Katie O.
4/4/2012
Soirette melts me so! On our way back from the Aquarium, my friend and I saw the shop as we whizzed by in our taxi. We knew that we would have to find our way back.
The next day, Soirette was one of our last stops on our way out of town. It was also one of the best! We stood outside for about 10 minutes waiting for the shop to open, looking silly as can be. After much waiting and anticipation, the doors opened and we entered into the light fluffy sweetness of Soirette. The shop itself is adorable, and they have flavor after flavor of macaron! With all those flavors, I was barely able to choose just 18. After tucking those away in a colorful little box, my matcha latte was brought out. For some reason I had thought I was ordering a mate latte, but oh well. It was warm and just a little sweet.
Will I be back? Oh, heaven's to Betsy, yes! -
Review from Nancy W.
3/28/2012 11 photos
I like pretty things... If anyone tells you the ambiance or the decor of the place doesn't matter at all is lying. Fact of the matter is it enhances the whole dining experience. Don't get me wrong. I love finding those hidden gems and don't even mind eating at a hole in the wall. But pretty things do matter! We are all a little superficial...
This place is pretty and very cute. The decor is white based - plush white cushion bench seats, white marble tables, clear chairs. The space is brightly lit and the counter displays the pretty little macarons beautifully.
I felt somewhat guilty neglecting to blog about Soriette Macaron since they first opened earlier in the year by Executive Pastry Chef Shobna who previously apprenticed and worked in several top patisseries and fine dining restaurants such as the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Stoneface Dolly's, and Cakes by Tatiana.
What's nice about Soriette is that there are little macarons samples for you to try... We came here one afternoon and got a 1/2 dozen plus tea...
The Parisian macarons are pretty tasty with an egg shell like crust, soft meringue like center and a well-proportioned foot. Thing with these French delicacies is that they are still a little inconsistent in size - a little fine tuning. Some are significantly smaller in size compared to the other siblings. Another thing I found was that the chef really likes to use ganache as the filling. This is great because chocolate based instead of buttercream is higher quality and a little pricer - a classic!
Lemon - light and citrusy
Matcha - love the sprinkled match powder on top! The white chocolate ganache was stealing the thunder of matcha. More match power would bring out the green tea flavour more. I loved how it wasn't too sweet.
Mandarin Orange - when you smell it initially it is very fragrant of orange citrus that reminded me of the zest that sprays as you peel an orange. However it wasn't particulary flavourful when you bite into it. It wasn't cistrusy nor tart; it was just sweet. Yet the filing was a little thin.
Passion Fruit - I ran into a similar predicament as the above Mandarin Orange. If only it can taste something like that of Red Mango or Pink Berry's.
Pistachio - finely chopped pistachio nuts sprinkled on top not only is visually appealing but also very tasty and adds texture. The white ganache mixed with buttery pistachio is delicious especially when it didn't come from extract flavours. I however still fancy Thierry's Pistachio Cranberry slightly more.
Pink Peppercorn - the taste was very mild but you will need to savour it for awhile if you expect to feel any heat. This is a nice twist from the every day macarons.
We also ordered two teas: Dragon Pearls and Jade Oolong. Both loose leave teas are fragrant but expect to steep it for a longer time before the flavours fully expel... Perhaps they need to add a little more to the pot?
Everything is pretty good here except they close quite early at 6pm unlike Thierry which closes at midnight. So if you ever fancy some foot and skin after dinner Soriette won't be at your service.
So where exactly is Soriette? It is located in Coal Habour, which is slightly away from the busyness of Downtown traffic. For some of you it may be a little out of the way; therefore, your visits will always be an "event"/"destination" (unless of course you live nearby in a multimillion dollar apartment. -
Review from Debbie P.
5/7/2012
The macarons were good but they were a little pricy- $2 each. This is a trendy spot, great for business travelers in the bottom of a high rise. I didn't try the tea but I imagine it's good but also pricy.
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Review from Joyce VanFoodies L.
Vancouver, BC
4/5/2012
Tried two macarons there. First, Earl Grey Cassis mixes the fruity, black currant flavour in Cassis and the fragrant Earl Grey tea together. I could definitely taste the sweetness from the berries. The earl grey taste was quite prominent -- you won't miss it.
The other one is Chocolate Guinness, which is a seasonal item specially created for St. Patrick's Day. The chocolate ganache filling was creamy and not overly sweet. There's yeasty taste in the cookies, a bit subtle so I couldn't tell if it's Guinness flavour.
Overall, the two macarons were more on the sweet side. They were not very chewy but were light, and quite nutty in flavour and texture.
Pictures and more detail here: http://vanfoodies.com/... -
Review from GirlintheCity A.
Montréal, QC
4/6/2012
The macarons were ok but they were overpriced (not worth it). The lemon flavored one I had tasted like fish but at least they gave me a different one when I told them.
The decor inside is nice but it is small and we felt bad sitting there because many people came and were not able to stay. -
Review from Joseph H.
Richmond, BC
4/27/2012
i can't believe people gave this place two stars.
There are first times for everything. This was the first place where I had a true macaron. From the crispy, crunchy exterior to the soft, sweet, flavourful filling. This was the best macarons in Vancouver.
It is located in the middle of nowhere in downtown, on West Pender and Broughton. But I knew I had struck gold when walking in on a cold Friday midafternoon, I observed that all the tables save one were filled with ladies having afternoon tea and macarons. Staff are very french. Coffee was good too.
Get the box of twelve and share with a friend or two. Its a bit cheaper, there's no HST, and you can choose a greater variety of macarons. I liked lavender and rocher. -
Review from Janice F.
2/2/2012
I must've had one heck of a bad batch, because my experience definitely doesn't match everyone else's below.
The textures were inconsistent between the 5 flavours I tried - ranging from light and airy to hard but not chewy. Yikes!
The matcha had no flavour. Really, no flavour whatsoever. The texture was fine though.
The violet was really really subtly floral flavoured, the caramel fleur de sel tasted just like a chocolate macaron without any salt detected at all and the middle was hard! Totally overcooked. Wonk, wonk, wonk.. I was so disappointed.
The lemon was brightly citrusy and this one had a great light texture, it actually cracked in my fingers - maybe I just don't know my own strength? The passionfruit also had a tart, bright flavour.
Also, the size of these are considerably smaller than others around town. Yet, not cheaper at all at $2 a piece. Props for the box it comes in though, great packaging. -
Review from Nick R.
Burnaby, BC
2/6/2012
I'm not going to lie, I'm really picky when it comes to macarons. They are, after all, an extravagant thing to eat, so execution should be top notch. Not only that, each shop offering macarons is going to be compared to institutions such as Ladurée and Pierre Hermé (whether it's a fair comparison or not).
Anyway, Soirette is a cute shop with friendly staff, so it's a win in that department. The macarons themselves are noticeably smaller than what's offered at other places around town, but they're still about $2 each. Personally, $1.50ish seems like a more reasonable price for what's offered. Also, it sounds like they run out of certain flavours a lot (half the trays were empty when I went in).
Simply put, the flavour and texture of the macarons is just okay. My personal favourite was Maple. Other tasty ones were raspberry and rose.
Happy macaron hunting, Vancouver! -
Review from Andre S.
Vancouver, BC
2/14/2012
I find Soirette an odd business: a specialty macarons and tea shop. It is not like a patisserie, which offers cakes, tarts and assorted pastries. Both are frivolities, but one caters to current fashions and tastes, whereas the other serves a variety of tastes. Soirette may not survive past its first year - no matter how good its product - but a good neighbourhood patisserie, like Patisserie Bordeaux (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) will carry on for twenty more years than it already has.
So, how do you review a flame that will soon cease to burn? Its products are fine. The maple macaron was tasty, its crispy meringue holding a sweet, flavourful filling. So too were the vanilla and lavender ones: same packaging, different flavour. But then what?
Regrettably, that's all there is. I don't know what it will do for you, but it's not enough to bring me back. -
Review from Angela L.
1/20/2012
Soirette, at the end of their third week of opening, is jumping on what seems to be one of the newest Vancouver food crazes - macarons. Their grand opening is February 4th, if I'm not mistaken, but there was a steady influx of traffic in the short time that I was there and I suspect that there will be no shortage of demand for their product.
With its dainty white decor, it certainly looks the part of upscale Parisian cafe (for now...we'll see how the pristine interior fares over time. Vancouver rain and slush is the enemy of pale colours everywhere). Upon entering, one is met by a row of seating and an expansive counter which houses the colourful and tasty morsels of goodness, as well as numerous canisters of loose leaf tea. There is an LCD menu board which displays several drink options and the prices of macarons. A single macaron is $2, and boxes of 6 and 12 are available for $11.50 and $22 respectively, undoubtedly to provide the token illusion of a generous discount for bulk purchases. There is also a round window that opens into the kitchen, so that lookie-loos can get a glimpse of the magic going on therein.
There are several flavours of macaron available to choose from, which the helpful staff working behind the counter will pluck from the display with gloved hands to place onto your tray (or into your box). From the selection, I picked matcha, pistachio, raspberry, rocher, pink peppercorn, and lavender. Some other options that were available included malibu, lemon, chocolate, passionfruit, vanilla, and mandarin (practicing my memory skills seems to be working out for me). There is a wide variety of tea offered, as well as specialty beverages. I sprung for a lavender grey latte, and my fellow macaron muncher had an Americano. Apparently the coffee wasn't quite up to snuff, but the tea was rather nice.
Of the macarons that we sampled, four were texturally ideal (crisp shell, soft, slightly chewy interior) while two seemed at a little bit less than their prime. The raspberry one shattered a little bit too much, and the lavender erred on the side of too much chewy and not enough crispy. For fear of sounding like a yuppie, macaron quaffing snob, I will hurriedly add the caveat that the flavours were all quite good.
The layout of the space doesn't really invite "camping out" with it's limited seating and the slightly non-patron friendly design, but it would be a lovely place to treat yourself to a pot of tea and some pretty pastries with a dear friend. -
Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
1/31/2012
Wow, who would think there's such a difference with all these macarons craze?!
Finally made the trek and well worth it in all this rain. When ordering, it's almost like ordering gelato thru its window dome covering.
Love the caramel, rocher & maple. Just the perfect texture, chewiness....if I had to compare, though, the thierry ones are thicker...mind you, still a good mouthful!
But it's their packaging which is 5star, and the best of all of them; even put the dozen macarons onto a transparent plastic 'dish' before placing in a fancy rectangular box. no wonder it's not cheap, but hey, the price of marketing. To top it off, they put tissue paper w/ a nice bag with string, similar to one would get from a boutique retail store.
Decor, very spa-like, lots of white, expensive looking leather booth seating...much smaller, only 4 round mini-tables, so come early. -
Review from Lindsay W.
North Vancouver, BC
1/25/2012
When someone first told me about the existence macarons I was amazed, two tiny pieces of meringue held together by ganache? I was drooling all over the place.
I immediately ran out the first macaron merchant I could find. (not naming names) But I was so disappointed, they were bland and flavourless. It was a crushing experience :(
Then two friends brought me to Soirette a couple weeks ago. We walked into the adorably sleek cafe greeted by samples of their loose leaf tea and a giant case of macarons, maybe 15 favours or so. We ordered one of every single flavour, and I had the hot chocolate.
We tried and discussed every burst of flavour, it was actually really fun! My most faves were the lemon, vanilla, caramel fleur de sel & maple. But who am I kidding... I loved them all. I bought two dozen to take home and "share". -
Review from Ernesto G.
2/6/2012 2 photos
It's only okay.
Drove all the way down to try Soirette for myself, and of course to bring some home to my wife.
The chocolate macaron was dense and jammy, so its very true to its French roots of what true macarons are suppose to taste like. What I found weird, but not a big deal is that for some reason, depending on which flavor, the size of the macarons differ. For example, the caramel fleur de sel was larger than the chocolate.
I also agree with Janice F. The textures do vary slightly: I only tried the two flavors, and although they were both somewhat dense and jammy, the chocolate was more dense than the caramel.
I am a big fan of consistency when it come to food, so I can only give Soirette 3 stars. -
Review from Quan H.
2/5/2012
Hmm, I haven't had macarons before, so I have nothing to compare my experience to, but my first experience was given by this place.
I went on Saturday, Feb. 4th, which was supposedly their grand opening... but seeing all these other reviews, I'm guessing that it has opened long before =P
The place was packed full of people... and a line-up reaching the door. The line went pretty quickly though, but so were the macaron selection...
I watched from the line as the last pistachio and matcha were plucked from their plates and into someone else's boxes. Thankfully, the kitchen seems to be churning them out continuously, as it only took 7 minutes for the next batch of matcha to come out (didn't wait for the pistachio though). I tried:
matcha - I've yet to try something of this flavour that I don't like. SO GOOD!
violette - The boyfriend said it tasted like purple yam. I said it tasted like taro. Maybe the color was playing with our heads, but it was good.
passion fruit - Very fruity, almost too sweet like candy. I just tasted sugar, really.
vanilla - classic flavor, like vanilla soft ice cream.
rocher - another favorite of mine. Hazelnut & chocolate = heavenly match
strawberry champagne - these were heart-shaped, I guess, as a tribute to Valentine's Day. Once again, it just tasted like sugar to me.
Overall, they have a nice presentation as a dessert. From the appearance, though, I would expect the outer shell to be a bit crispy? Most of them were chewy though. Is that normal? Not that I mind it. If I had wanted something more crunchy I'd opt for a cookie instead. Very interesting thing, macarons....
They are priced $2 per piece, with slight discounts if you buy in multiples of 6. A tip: have water or tea nearby while you eat these. One macaron can easily overwhelm the palate with sweetness.
There are still some flavours left in the box that I haven't tried yet. Too much sweetness for one day. Will update when I get to those. -
Review from J N.
Vancouver, BC
2/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cute place. Nice, white and clean with five star service and five star packaging, just as others suggest.
The lady who just-might-have-been the proprietor was as sweet as her delectable tea. Cool tea flavours and I'm not much of an afternoon tea drinker, either.
The hot chocolate was pretty good and "French" made but not as sharp as the dark from SB. (I know, I know, but I happen to like theirs.)
We tried every choco/hazelnut/maple/espresso/vanilla and one lemon.
Some def. seemed fresher and chewier than others, and some crumbled to the gentle bite.
We differed on which ones tasted the best.
The consensus? At $20 for a six piece sampling of these teeny-tiny treats plus one drink to share, we'd rather eat a "real" cookie. Perhaps they are better suited to bring to a dinner party "soirée."
At any rate, I'll be sure to hop on that wagon again and try out their competition before I next return. -
Review from TheHungryNomad E.
2/8/2012 10 photos
What could be more delightful than a shop dedicated to macarons and only macarons in every possible delicious flavour you can imagine?
Soirette Macarons and Tea has done just that! Located on West Pender street this new gem caters to all of those out there are crazy about macarons. The design inside is very modern chic with a splash of colour here and there. There is a large glass display of colourful macarons set against a backdrop of cans of marked tea. On this occasion, we opted for the lavender latte- always a delicious option with a colourful choice of macarons including the Rocher (my personal favourite), violetta, matcha green tea and coconut. The macarons were just perfect and one of the best I've tasted in Vancouver. Perfect texture, chewiness and flavour. I tasted a bit of condensed milk... don't know if that is an ingredient in all of the macarons but since I drink condensed milk by the can (occasionally!!!) I didn't mind the hint of flavour it added to the macarons.
For photos see my blog post:
http://hungrynomadeats... -
Review from Tom T.
Vancouver, BC
5/9/2012
Great little spot, slightly out of the way. Maybe why they have a Popup in Holts until Mothers Day. My favourite are the raspberry macaroons. Just had the Harbour Morning, a good breakfast style tea.
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Review from Judy H.
Richmond, BC
1/21/2012 1 photo
Thanks to the twitter-verse, I found out that there was a new macaron shop in town. I have to admit, my love for macarons are known amongst my girls, so much my girlfriends and I had macarons everyday while in Paris. Also lining up for an hour in New York for a certain shop...
Onto the shop review..
The shop has a white and powder blue color concept with pretty frames and damasks here and there with Louis Ghost clear chairs. We were greeted with a sample of a macaron ( I tried the caramel fleur de sel ) and genmai-cha for tea. Perfect to nibble on while perusing the selection. I decided to have one at the shop and a dozen to take home. The pink peppercorn was surprisingly not too spicy or overpowering and had a fresh after taste. Perfect pied, crispy shell, and chewy middle. I tried my friend's matcha, and it had the subtle taste of the bitter tea which off set the sweetness.
The girls were very attentive and timing of service was good. Didn't feel rushed to choose, and no girl can complain about the pretty packaging.
Since the shop is past the financial district, street parking was easy to find on an early Friday afternoon ( while everyone was at work ). I will be going back to this cute little shop many times over.Listed in: Oh My Sweets
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Review from Vicky L.
Vancouver, BC
3/12/2012
It's a cute little place specialized in macarons and tea. There were only few tables, so I wouldn't recommend to eat in. I went there to get some macarons to take out. I tried the pistachio, vanilla, raspberry and passion fruit flavors. I think the macarons were okay, but nothing spectacular. Out of the bunch, I found raspberry the most flavorful. The rest were really nothing special. Personally, I prefer Thierry's macarons. I gotta commend the friendly staff though. She greeted me right away despite it was packed with people at that time.
