Vaniyé – sweet treats heaven

Girls this is a post entirely dedicated to you and your love of sweets. And boys, when your girl is upset you’ll know just where to go.

Vaniyé first came to my attention from the sheer beauty of their desserts. You can stand at the counter just gawking at the huge selection. From their roots at the Howick and Grey Lynn markets, Vaniyé’s loyal customers have found them at this cute Parnell cafe. Only Parnell residents would know it used to be a clothing shop!

You’ll find zero arrogance here.  One step inside and the warmth and truthfulness of the staff is all that’s needed to bring any rainy day to a halt.

Everything in the cabinet changes based on season. While I was thoroughly gutted I missed out on their green tea dome, I was greeted by rows and rows of beautifully posed French delicacies. All different and all just as appealing.

These mararons are just so beautiful. With flavours like pistachio, salted caramel and lychee, it’s a  refreshing break from the fluoro macarons popping up all over Auckland.

Sonia and Laurent are the wife and husband team here to bring us Aucklanders the true meaning of French patisseries. All the recipes are original and adapted to suit our Kiwi palates. They’re not afraid of sharing their trade secrets! It’s the technique which is really important and Sonia described it like a painter and tools. With your techniques, you can create something truely original and owned by you.

When I asked for one must-try dessert to help my indecision, the ball was returned back to me. “Depends on the weather. What is your mood?” Wow, I’ve always been advised from the other side of the counter based on the baker’s own tastes and mood rather than my own. It was like Vaniyé really wanted to personalise the experience for me, knowing I’ll love their food anyway.

 Flavours are bold with the notion that “you can’t please everybody”.

To have the desserts so beautifully crafted is no easy feat. Going along the ups and downs of the schizophrenic Auckland weather, the caramel can easily flop over on a bad day – making experimenting in NZ even more adventurous. Every beautifully presented sweet treat tasted just as intricate as it looked. Only the finest ingredients are used and the attention to detail is incredible.

Sonia & Laurent are set to train our palates with their French delicacies! “Step by step!” Sonia laughs. And I can’t wait. With the creativity and the warmth of this couple in Vaniyé, you can bet that I’ll be back again to try their new creations.

Some may freeze at the price of $6-$8 per delicacy but honestly, these days at restaurants you can easily pay $15 for a piece of brownie with a scoop of ice cream on the side. Just that they slapped a sexier name over it on the menu ;).

We love hitting up these little cafes that bring the best of the world to Auckland. Do you have a cafe that you think deserves an OmNom mention? Drop us a comment below, we’d love more excuses to try out new cafes. In the mean time, stay warm! It’s winter reversal with spring this year so we have to live a little longer in our puffy jackets and ugg boots!

Vaniyé

1/7 Windsor Street

Parnell

Auckland