vaniye
While in Parnell the other day, my Mum and I were searching for a car park, and the only one we could find just happened to be right outside Vaniyé, a French patisserie. If that wasn’t a sign that we should go in and try their creations, then I’m going to say it was anyway. We picked out two desserts to share: the ‘Cupid’ and the ‘Coco-Mango’. The Cupid ($9) is a pretty pink macaron, with plum & raspberry compote and I light white chocolate mousse. Light and airy, with the sweetness of the fruit, this macaron was a delight to eat. The Coco-Mango ($9) was the star of the day though, as I’m a sucker for both mangoes and coconut and when you put them together it’s like a dream. Coconut mousse and mango cremeux, on top of a praline black sesame sponge and topped with passionfruit coulis. The mix of sweet and tart flavors with the coconut was heaven in my mouth and I really appreciate the use of black sesame in the cake component. Both of these desserts are also gluten-free.
Sonia and Laurent Haumonté are the husband & wife team behind Vaniyé. Pastry chef Sonia is originally from Thailand, and was educated in New Zealand and Cordon Bleu trained in Paris. She met Laurent while living in Paris, where they worked for 10 years before moving to Auckland in 2009. Sonia now also offers master classes, which I hope to try myself one day.
Vaniyé: 1/7 Windsor Street, Parnell, Auckland.