The Sweet Spot Bakery - Richmond, BC

Macaron Mania Part 4! 

Ok, so I didn't know this place has macarons but I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon them at The Sweet Spot Bakery in the quaint village of Steveston. It's a tiny little shop on the corner of Chatham and 1 Ave and you'd normally walk by if it were not for that intoxicating bakery smell that lures you in. There's seating only for 2 at a small bar and through another doorway is the kitchen where the magic happens.

Giant pain au chocolat, delicate madeleines, quiches, fruit tarts, homemade ice creams, homemade soups, korean style braised chicken...  and the list just goes on!  What don't they serve?  There's so many yummy looking desserts we end up standing there in silence (looking stupid of course) for a few minutes before deciding on...

Almost Croissant - $2.50

The pain au chocolat would have been the obvious choice - of course that'll be good so we decided on the almond variety for the true test.  And?  Warm and buttery, flaky on the outside, flaky on the inner edges and then there's a denser center with a strong almond taste.  Although this is normally something the Piglets wouldn't order, we weren't disappointed.  Warm croissant and hot coffee on a sunny day = awesome.

 Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee - $4.25

This is Mr. Piglet's favorite dessert so if it's bad, it'll ruin the entire day.  The chef brulees the top in front of us with the torch and we are immediately enticed.  Cracking that hard caramel top is one of Mr. Piglet's favorite things and eating it is just above that.  The custard is cool and light but has a rich vanilla flavor - check out all the vanilla beans!  It might all be at the bottom but that flavor has permeated the custard.  Mr. Piglet approves.

Chewy Coconut Macaron - $2.25

I've honestly never seen one of these before but they smell and look great from a distance so we had to get it.  The macaron has a lightly browned crispy sugar exterior that overflows into crunchy chewy caramel pools around it.  The centre is chewy, moist and completely composed of coconut.  This monstrosity is super sweet and massive so you might consider sharing - I said "consider".  You don't have to if you don't want to.  If you are a coconut lover, this is not to be missed!

Chocolate Pot De Creme - $4.25

It's a light mousse with a rich semi sweet chocolate flavor and for a simple dessert, there are a multitude of textures - chewy sugared orange rind, crunchy chocolate square, crunchy chocolate beads and light whip topping to cut the rich chocolate.  Perfect balance of flavors and textures.  Ms. Piglet's favorite by far.

Pistachio - $1.75 ea

Banana/White Chocolate, Coffee/Milk Chocolate

Ah, the macarons.  There aren't a lot available but what is available is good - light crunchy exterior and a smooth ganache filling on the interior.  Pistachio was the most forgettable as it was just mostly sweet.  The banana macaron is the complete opposite - chock full of banana flavor, so much so that the white chocolate is completely drowned out.  

The winner of the pool is the coffee/milk chocolate since it has a great balance of deep coffee and chocolate flavors.  This had a stickier centre, much more so than the banana macaron, but I think it's because we had these on the counter for some time before devouring - note to self: keep macarons refrigerated if you aren't going to consume them right away.


What The Sweet Spot Bakery has proven is that you don't have to travel to downtown Vancouver to have a great dessert. No, it's not one of those hipster boutique dessert places where you go to see and be seen. The Sweet Spot Bakery encompasses the quality of ingredients, attention to detail and the craft of fine French baking - it's about the food and not the trends. If you're looking for a beautifully crafted and sinfully sweet confection, then try The Sweet Spot to satisfy that sweet spot. Bon appetite!


Pros:

• Excellent desserts
• Moderate pricing (versus a cafe in Vancouver)
• Moderate portions sizes (that coconut macaron is a different story - it's huge!)
• Free Parking
• Friendly service
• Food available for takeout - apparently their homemade soups are amazing!

Cons:

• Limited hours
• Limited macaron flavors
• Coffee is self serve - I like the made to order coffee at cafes so this was a bit disappointing