Ollia Macarons & Tea

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love macarons. I have tried contenders within Calgary, and have been to Paris to taste the «original» macaron by Laudree.
I am often disappointed with the selection of flavours available, but NOT at Ollia! The first time I tried Ollia macarons there must have been at least 30 flavours available! It was incredible! We ordered 14, scampered off to the car, and ate nearly all of them before arriving at home. Savouring each and every bite.
In the same night, I decided to sign my partner and I up for a macaron making class. Equally amazing! David (the France native and owner) was funny, informative and a great teacher. My portion of the macarons turned out extremely well, and I can’t wait to whip up a batch of my own at home and experiment with flavours I love the most. I do wish the recipes we use in the class were a little more exciting — we made Raspberry with a White Chocolate Ganache and a natural Red Velvet with Cream Cheese. (Salted Caramel would have been SO much better! Who doesn’t love Salted Caramel?!) In the end, we went home with about 25 macarons and after they had «aged», I pretty much inhaled them all. Macarons for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because, why not? :)

If I were a store, this is the store I would want to be.
Ollia is a girly, glam, decadent, delicious oasis. This shop carries a ton of marvelous macaron flavours. As the seasons change so do the flavours. I love, LOVE, the Rocher (hazelnut-​chocolate), mint-​chocolate, salted caramel and that is just naming a few… this list could go on and on forever.
It’s $ 14 for a box of 7. At first, it seems a bit pricey but it is definitely worth the price tag. The macarons are filling and I have yet to finish a box– but believe me I am up for that challenge!
Along with the macarons they do serve tea, which I didn’t try because I spent a hardy lump-​sum on the treats– but I do recall the tea lattes costing about $ 4.50. And they have baking classes too! Like, c’mon! Ollia is worthy of a 5-​star rating!

By far, aside from Laduree, Ollia has one of the best macarons in Calgary. Eating gluten free is quite a pain when it comes to having desserts but thank goodness for Ollia’s macarons, such craving is met if not surpassed.
Lindsay and Dave’s place in Mount Royal Village is a chic and really pleasant place for dessert. We met them when they were very new in the business and really glad they are doing well as they truly have the passion and love of what they do.
Personally, I like their savory flavored macarons while hubby loved the sweet variety.

Stopped in with my girlfriend today for some loose leaf tea and a sample box of macaroons $ 14 box of 7 (earl grey, salted caramel, cotton candy, pistachio, passion fruit, lavender, and? blue cheese pecan and something). Super fresh, soft and ooey gooey. Packaged nicely, great for gifts. A couple of small table for two out front, but generally it’s a stop and go.
Update:
Alright I did it! My first attempt at baking macarons under the direct supervision of David (the owner with a beautiful accent) thank you for your patience. Super fun class and no baking experience required, $ 100 per person you can sign up online, classes do fill up fast. I would try to get your own group of peeps together (minimum of 8) to get your own class going. I got to take home 32 of my own creations, white chocolate raspberry, Italian style meringue and red velvet without food coloring (I am thoroughly impressed with myself) and sample a couple of the stores while I sipped tea and waiting for the shells to bake. Wear comfy shoes, my class was 2.5 hours. Now I just need someone to buy me a kitchen aid.