Darvella

Darvella owes its existence to 2020's national Covid shutdown, which completely reshuffled Brisbane's hospitality make-up. The Swiss-influenced Bulimba bakery and patisserie wouldn’t have been conceived if pastry chef Lindsay Krahenbring hadn’t been temporarily stood down from Hillstone St Lucia, or if Venzin Group owner Giorgina Venzin hadn’t decided to operate her popular Pawpaw cafe as a bakery during 2020's March lockdown.

Krahenbring earned her qualification working at Neil Perry’s Rockpool Bar & Grill, and has done stints at fellow Sydney fine diners Bentley and Quay. More recently, she’s worked at Flour & Chocolate in Morningside and Daintree eco lodge Silky Oaks. In short, she knows her croissants from her cruffins. That expertise made the Pawpaw bakery a hit – so much so that Venzin quickly turned her attention to a permanent bakery and patisserie in Bulimba, convincing Krahenbring to stay on in the process. The result is Darvella.

Krahenbring is using sustainable organic flour from Gunnedah’s Wholegrain Milling, Canary Butter from New Zealand and local Emu Creek eggs to create a rotating selection of jam-filled doughnuts, croissants, cruffins, tarts and signature triple-tier baby cakes. There’s also sourdough, savoury pies and Swiss-style braided challah bread, alongside a deli section serving Swiss cheeses from Eudlo-based Fromart, and sister venue Monocle Coffee’s house-blend espresso.

The Swiss influence references Venzin Group patriarch Raymund’s Swiss background, but is also a canny move that allows the bakery to draw its influences from all over Europe. The bakery itself is a handsome space of timber, terracotta and flagstone paving. Out front, there’s a bi-fold window for takeaway coffee orders, and large picnic tables will soon be installed for those who want to stick around a while. Inside, customers can see through to a large kitchen at the back of the venue, which doubles as a production kitchen for sister venues Pawpaw and Monocle Coffee.