By Josephine

I never miss a trip to By Josephine every time I visit Melbourne.
From classic pastries like macarons to more creative ones, like the croissant filled with pistachio — she masters her art to perfection.
What else? The atmosphere is cosy. Coffee, tea and even juices are great.

Please don’t shot me down town when I admit– I don’t like macarons. I’ve tried and tried but they just don’t tickle my fancy. And I’m very fancy. So a casual trip here late on a Friday afternoon absolutely thrilled me when I saw the extensive alternative cakes on offer.
The space is open and filled with natural light. The tables are well spaced out. Cosy enough to be comfortable but not so close that your neighbour can hear about your dysfunctional body issues.
A salted butter cookie and a salted caramel tart was shared over coffee. Coffee turned up swiftly and delicately poised on vintage plates.
The lovely lady happily let us chat the night away until she was at the utmost point of close and we had to make movements.
Next time I go back I’m trying a giant fluffy meringue. Sugar overdose hit me!

These dessert-​only bloggers have taken you on a pilgrimage through Melbourne’s macarons, reviewing macarons from La Belle Miette, Cacao, A La Folie, Luxbite, Little Feat, Macaron de Paris, Macarons Fine Patisserie, La Tropezienne, Chez Dre. Allow us to conclude the tale with what is, in our good opinion, one of Melbourne’s top two, finest macaron maker. Macarons by Josephine. Previously, we have had the opportunity to sample Josephine’s macarons from Merricote and a number of CBD stockists, including Earl Canteen, The Moat, and the now-​defunct Breadwell. Just before the end of 2012, a little store quietly opened along the bustling mish-​mash of trendy restaurants and run-​down shops along Sydney Road in the inner-​north suburb of Brunswick.
Designed by Sasufi — a Melbourne-​based French designer with a distinctive disposition for the modern whimsy — Macarons by Josephine is an interior decorating beauty straight out of the glossiest magazines. It has an unmistakeable nouveau parisien style — its neutral background accentuating a textural myriad. On one side of the shop, a glacial white wall has been cut with soft panelling, with recesses holding a military line-​up of imported French teas. In bold contrast, the opposite wall is washed in midnight purple and dotted with an assortment of beautiful vintage porcelain plates. White wooden chairs surround individual and communal brown tables perched on a black floor. The front counter holds three glass cabinets — one populated by a rainbow’s spectrum of macarons and two exhibiting a variety of Mediterranean-​brown pastries and friands, and on a second visit, exquisite raspberry and chocolate tarts. It is at once, expansive yet intimate, sparse yet elegantly ethereal.
Macarons by Josephine are priced at $ 2.50 for one round critter. They come in a white cardboard box, wrapped in patterned tissue paper, sealed with a cameo sticker, and placed in a lovely embossed shopping bag.
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Josephine also stocks a luxurious range of loose-​leaf teas for $ 32 a tin. Founded in St Petersburg in 1867, Kusmi Tea is presently headquartered in Paris. Because we love our teas so very much, we simply could not resist to add another to our tea caddy. What a lovely tea party we had that afternoon! Tea of imperial Russia, macarons of France. As pictured below, the Anastasia, a very fragrant Russian interpretation of the English Earl Grey using leaves sourced from China and Sri Lanka. A truly perfect accompaniment for Josephine’s macarons.
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Overall, it is an absolute plaisir to know that we no longer need to play hopscotch between one café to another in search of Josephine’s macarons. For exquisite macarons in Melbourne, traipse to Brunswick to rendezvous avec Josephine.

Scrumptious macaroons!
Amazing falvours. Current favourites are Choc mint and Black Sesame