Hiel Cafe in Burnaby is a hidden gem that serves up coffee, sandwiches, poké, brunch, and soufflé pancakes. Located right at a very busy intersection, where most people pass by and don’t give this cafe a visit. I saw online that they have soufflé pancakes, so I had to come with my friend to give it a try.
Interior
The interior is very spacious and has lots of space especially if you have kids and strollers. Very family friendly, which is always appreciated. I usually lug around a stroller, so very happy to see a lot of space.
They also have a small area for meetings or large groups in this enclosed room, which is a nice touch.
If you have kids, I think you’ll appreciate this adorable tiny picnic table.
Menu
Einspänner
This is a Viennese coffee with 2 shots of espresso and a thick sweet cream on top. It’s actually really hard to find this in Vancouver since barely any cafe makes this nor does anyone really know about this. I really enjoyed it as it brought me back to the days in Vienna.
Latte
They also have another espresso based drinks like lattes. This is what my friend ordered. Very cute latte art on top.
Salmon Poké
I’m surprised they serve up poké. This has rice, seaweed, salad, tomato, cucumber, ginger, vinegar cured onions, sweet peas, corn, sesame oil, avocado, soy sauce, lettuce, and the raw salmon mixed with a house sweet mayo. There were large chunks of salmon but I wish it was wild salmon instead of this kind. I didn’t like the house sweet mayo either, but my personal preference would be more of the marinated salmon like other places.
Brunch Waffle
This comes with egg, smoked sausage, avocado, maple syrup, and butter with the pieces of waffle. A good hearty brunch.
Original Soufflé Pancake
This is a stack of 2 fluffy soufflé pancakes, sweet cream and berries. The pancakes are very airy and fluffy. Ones of the best I’ve had in Vancouver so far. Highly recommend it. If you had to go to one place in Vancouver, this would be the place.
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but its so worth it. They take a lot of care and effort to make this and it shows.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m very impressed by Hiel Cafe. I would skip the poké, but their other items are solid like the coffee, brunch and soufflé pancakes. It’s very family friendly and you don’t have to worry about cramped tables or it being too loud and busy. The parking is limited in the area as it’s a busy complex. You may need to make a few blocks over during busy times.
iTofu is a new tofu shop that has opened up in Richmond and got their start at the Richmond Night Market years ago. They serve up a variety of items from sweet to savoury. They recently won best tofu dessert at the Chinese Restaurant Awards.
There are some reserved parking stalls out front, but most of the parking is reserved for other businesses, so parking can be tricky. Also note, they only accept cash and debit, so no credit cards.
Interior
The space is a decent size and they have a few tables of 4 in the space. We went on a weekday afternoon and it wasn’t busy at all. It’s probably more busy on weekends and weekday evenings.
Menu
Sugar and Syrups
There are 3 types of sugar available to add onto your tofu pudding – ginger syrup, simple syrup, and cane sugar. All great items to add, so personally I add a bit of each.
Cold Tofu Pudding with Taro Balls
This is a popular item to order from the menu. It has the base of tofu pudding and topped with their colourful taro balls. Add a bit of sugar into it and it’s simply delicious. The tofu is smooth and silky, plus the taro balls have a good chew to them. Highly recommended.
With their tofu puddings, you can customize it with whatever toppings you want on top. Depending on what kind, it can be $1 or $2 extra.
Tofu Parfait
You get layers of tofu pudding and 3 topping options or $8.50. A pretty good price since it is a big size. If you want to premium toppings added, it’s only a $1 extra instead of $2 as this parfait comes with toppings.
We got ours with black glutinous rice, black sesame, and taro balls.
Tofu Drink
Their tofu drinks come with 2 toppings, so it’s not a regular plain tofu drink. I got mine with coconut jelly and grass jelly. I really enjoyed it as I got the mouthful of soy milk, tofu pudding, coconut jelly and grass jelly.
Final Thoughts
I love love love tofu pudding, so it is good to see another place open up in Metro Vancouver that specializes in it. The menu has a great selection that is more innovative than just the usual tofu pudding. Highly recommend this place but make sure you have cash or debit.
Usagi Sweets is a small shop with Japanese pastries like mochi mochi, brownies, cookies, and other sweet treats. It is run by the daughter of the owners of the now defunct Basho Cafe, which has now become Yama Cafe after switching ownership.
I had to make a stop here with my friend to chat over mom life. Sometimes it’s just nice to relax and take a break from our babies.
Interior
The space is small and only has 3 tables, so its hard to fit large groups. It’s a good space for a coffee chat over drinks and treats.
Onigiri Lunch Set
The only savoury item on the menu is their onigiri lunch set with 2 onigiri rice balls, pickled veggies, egg, black sesame green beans, broccoli, and pumpkin. We decided to split this and it was a nice item to just munch on and pick at the items on the plate. Very nice clean flavours that won’t weigh you down. All this for $11.
Usucha
This is a traditional matcha tea with a bright green vibrant colour but it is unsweetened.
Houjicha
This is their pot of roasted green tea that has a brown colour to it.
Assorted Sweets
We ordered a lot of sweets to share – matcha mochi, cream cheese mochi, matcha espresso cookie, goma miso brownie, matcha alfajores, houjicha cookie, and black sesame mochi. It’s always good to get an assortment of treats.
Final Thoughts
The space is really cute and great little spot to catch up with friends. It is busier on the weekends but during weekdays it’s not too bad and we were able to get a table. A lot of people come here to get the sweets to-go but its nice to be able to sit here if you have the time.
Tsujiri finally opened in Richmond, BC after a long anticipated wait. They specialize in Japanese matcha desserts that are just addictive. I went to their Edmonton location last year and was surprised their concept in Vancouver is a bit different.
Reservations
They have 2 dining areas – one for walk-ins and another for reservations via OpenTable. When I saw them offering reservations, I jumped at the chance and got a table of 4 on their 2nd day of operations at Tsujiri Pastisserie where they serve their Japanese-style High Tea.
There is also another option for Tsujiri Soba Barbut that is only for the evening with an exclusive soba menu.
These 2 locations are one and the same, it’s just a bit deceiving because they seem like 2 different places. They only have 4 tables available for reservations and can only sit for 1.5 hours which is still plenty of time.
I would highly recommend getting a reservation to avoid lining up in the cold. For myself, I went with my parents, sister and my very very pregnant self so waiting wasn’t something I wanted to do.
Tsujiri Patisserie Menu (Afternoon)
Ebiten Udon
There is only one udon on the menu and it is made with old-fashioned udon noodles in a light kombu bonito dashi broth with ebi tempura, shiitake mushrooms, tenkasu crumbs, kamaboko fish cake and green onions.
A very classic dish popularized by the Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. If you’re looking for something savoury before dessert, this definitely warms the stomach.
Unagi Dashi Chazuke
Another savoury item on the menu is their Dashi Chazuke that comes in your choice of salmon sashimi or grilled unagi. We went with grilled unagi since it’s so hard to deny that craving.
It’s a beautiful set with rice, marinated sesame kombu, tamago yaki, soba roll, green onions, wasabi, and a sprinkle of rice cracker garnish.
There is also a pot of that comforting broth that you can pour over the rice and add in whatever ingredients you want into it.
It was very good and so comforting on a cold day. We really liked how interactive this dish was.
Matcha Souffle Pancake
This has matcha-infused souffle pancake that is very airy. It is then dusted with powdered sugar and served with matcha ice cream, hojicha ice cream and whipped cream.
The pancake has a lot of matcha flavour and not too sweet at all. The ice cream served with it was a bit icy and didn’t do much for the pancake.
Matcha Parfait
A popular item as it’s served in a glass with layers of matcha warabi mochi, azuki beans, shiratama, yuzu rare cheesecake, sweet chestnut, roasted rice sprinkles and an iconic tea box moaka.
Discovering each new layer was tasty to our tastebuds and we were really intrigued by the cheesecake in the middle.
Sakura Parfait
This is similar but it has matcha warabi mochi, shiratama, hidden sakura surprise, traditional sakura kuzu mochi and sweet chestnut on top. I love the layers of the matcha frozen dessert paired with all these items. I really liked this and the different texture worked so well.
Hot Sencha Green Tea
This is a popular Japanese tea that is well-balanced in bitterness and natural sweetness. Good when you want to stay warm while enjoying some cold desserts or hot savoury dishes.
O-Matcha Latte
You can get this drink cold or hot. There are also soy milk and lactose free milk available if you have dietary restrictions.
I mixed this before drinking and it was good. Not too sweet and not too bitter.
Yuzu O-Matcha
This was an interesting yuzu infused tea and it is served cold. It has a rich and bitter matcha paired with fruity, refreshing yuzu honey drink. My sister enjoyed this but did not it was a tad sweet compared to the other drinks.
Cakes to go
We had to get some cakes to take home since we couldn’t fit anymore sweets into our stomach. They have a variety of tea infused cakes at the counter that are made daily in limited quantities. We arrived here at 2pm and by 3:30pm, all the matcha-inspired cakes were all sold out. We were able to get our hands on a few before it was all gone.
The cake flavours change up daily, so you’ll never really know what’s available until the day of.
Opera Cake
This is the same one that comes with the Japanese Style High Tea. We opted not to get the high tea set since it was a bit on the pricey side but we did want to really try the opera cake. It has alternating layers of cream, red bean, matcha cake, and other things that pair nicely together.
Matcha Cake
I can’t remember the name of this cake but it has matcha spongecake with cream and red bean in the centre.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad they finally opened as we’ve been anticipating it for the longest time. It’s great to have more dessert options in the area especially in this plaza. It’s definitely not cheap when you order certain items. The 4 of us ended up spending over $100 but maybe we ordered excessively. My other friend had a party of 2 and spent around $50. Nonetheless, the desserts, drinks and food are good.
I would go again but I would not line up for it. I really like the reservations via OpenTable but for the time-being, you have to book it in advanced as there are limited seats.
Matcha Cafe Maiko is a great place for matcha and Hojicha dessert lovers. When I was in San Francisco, I knew I needed to make a visit while we were in Japan Town. I couldn’t miss this chance. As it was in the middle of the weekday, it wasn’t busy at all.
They started in Honolulu, Hawaii and is making a massive expansion across the United States and soon in Richmond, BC too. I’m looking forward to the Richmond location as it’s 30 minutes away from my home.
All of their products are imported from Japan from Harima Garden.
Interior
The shop in Japan Town is small, so there are only a few seats inside, but most people just take it to go and walk around while consuming the delicious desserts.
Menu
Maiko Special (Mix)
This has a bit of everything – matcha and vanilla cream together along with matcha chiffon, chestnuts, and shiratama mochi.
A great parfait to devour yourself or to share. I ate this all to myself and I was so damn happy. I loved every part of this parfait. Highly recommended.
Soft Serve Mix
This has a twist of their matcha ice cream and vanilla ice cream in a crispy cone that they make fresh daily. Classic!
Final Thoughts
I loved the quick stop at Matcha Cafe Maiko and excited for the opening of the Richmond, BC location as well. The desserts are solid and will satisfy any matcha craving.
Cacao 70: Sweet House on Granville Street serves up sweet treats to customers who come in. They currently offer a Valentine’s Day special menu until February 17th, 2018.
The regular items in the shop focus on waffles, brunch, dips and drinks.
Interior
The space is very narrow but you can find some seats along the left side of the shop, but not a lot of large tables for big groups.
Raspberry Waffle
This has strawberries, raspberries, whip cream and chocolate drizzle on top of the waffles. We were pleasantly surprised it wasn’t as sweet as it looked. A good balance!
The portion size was good as it has 2 layers of waffles, so share-ability is great for two people.
Raspberry Hot Chocolate
We enjoyed this too as the raspberry flavouring was more authentic to the real fruit rather than artificial. It balances the waffles well as it is sweet because it is a hot chocolate.
Berry Romantic Combo
There is also the Berry Romantic Combo for $33.50, which has a raspberry waggle, single fondue platter and 2 raspberry hot chocolates. Perfect for 2 people to share and enjoy each other’s company.
Ganache Pâtisserie is always crafting up something new for each holiday season. For Valentine’s Day, they have launched their Saint Valentin Cassis Hojicha Chocolat 2019.
The cake is inspired by their current Fall/Winter collection and continues with the fragrant hojicha theme.
Saint Valentin 2019
There is a combination with layers of fragrant hojicha chocolate cake, a fruity cassis mousseline filling, a hojicha créme brûlée, a lavender-cassis guimauve and fresh blackberries. The entire cake is finished in a pink and grey marbled buttercream with a dripping chocolate glaze that is adorned with white chocolate fans, pink rose macarons, gold-dusted blackberries, Valentine’s chocolate decor, crispearls and gold flakes.
The cake was delicious and not too sweet at all. The layers were moist and almost brownie-like. The hojicha makes its presence known and works with all the other ingredients in the cake to really balance out the fruit.
The cake is designed to be shared generously with that special someone, though able to feed 4-6 people. It is available starting Friday, February 8th for $39.95 and pre-orders are highly recommended for pick ups on Valentine’s day.
Bonbon aux The Chocolat
If you’re looking for something else Valentine’s Day themed, they have their Bonbon aux The Chocolat, which has 3 different bonbons in a box – Earl Grey milk chocolate, matcha dark chocolate, and hojicha milk chocolate. It makes for a great gift for those who love tea infused in their chocolate. You can’t go wrong with any of those flavours.
Final Thoughts
Of course, they still have their regular menu with an assortment of cakes and other sweets, but definitely check them out for some of the best cakes and sweets in town for your special somebody.
I have been waiting in anticipation for Bake49 to open since they announced their location in Yaletown. I’m a sucker for Japanese desserts, so I had to make my friend go with me despite being on a diabetic diet until the baby comes. Rules are meant to be broken.
Bake 49 is headed by Iljin Kyung and Haram Lee and had quite a buzz since they opened with lines out the door and sells out everyday. Great for them but sometimes it’s hard to get there before they open at 1pm. They really pride themselves of keeping their production to small batches and made from scratch daily to ensure quality.
Interior
The space is very small, so only a small amount of people can line up inside. Also, there are only 2 seats for dining in. Most people do take out or eat it outside.
Menu
The menu currently has 4 items to choose from.
Croquant Choux
This is a long a crunchy, textured almond crusted choux pastry filled with vanilla-bean custard creme. It reminded me of the delicious filling of a Beaded Papa with a super crunchy exterior. It was really good but I wish it had a touch more custard cream inside but at least it didn’t ooze all over my shirt. This will costs you $4.50 each.
Sapporo Style Japanese Cheese Tarts
This is a double-baked tart shell filled with fluffy, gooey cream-cheese mousse. It has a rich and cheesy tang to it. It was warm when it was served and I liked it. Some people get a whole box of 6 for a discount but I just went with one all for myself. It’s $3.80 per piece or 6 for $19.
Double Fromage Cheesecake
They cake is 5 inches wide and will run you $27 and there are limited quantities everyday as they must make it ahead of time. It is a very rich and creamy cake and it comes with a small container of strawberry syrup and real strawberry pieces. The container of the sauce was too small, so I wished it was bigger or had the option to purchase more.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s definitely a great addition to Yaletown with some delectable Japanese desserts. They run out quickly, so it’s too bad that not everyone can get a taste. Make sure to come early to beat the rush to ensure nothing is sold out. Prices are a bit high but given the labour costs, ingredients, and the rent in the area, it makes sense.
Spiritea Drinks is located at Aberdeen Centre and they specialize in cold brewed tea and desserts. They soak the tea leaves in a low-temperature glacial water, which releases the tea tannins and caffeine to produce a smooth and rich tea aroma. It retains catechin and tea polyphenol of the tea leaves to lower blood sugar, increase metabolism, and good for tea lovers. They brew all of their teas on the spot in a special teaspresso machine
They aren’t a bubble tea shop and do not offer any toppings to their beverages. The owners want to provide healthier options and have been perfecting their drinks for the last year. A lot of their drinks use their green tea base, fresh fruit and sugar cane sweetener. No artificial sweeteners or powders are used.
Interior
The interior is beautiful during the day and night with it’s white and pink colours. It is modern, elegant and cute.
A lot of the tables are arranged to fit 4 people, so it’ll be hard to get a large group in here unless you start rearranging tables and chairs.
Menu
Jade Green Tea Cloudtea
This can be made hot or cold. You get a deep jade green tea flavour with the salted cream foam on top. They make the foam in small batches so it stays fresh, thick and delicious.
It’s a good option if you love green tea.
Super Combo Fruitea
This is one of their popular drinks on the menu. It has pineapple, passion fruit, orange, lemon slices, lime slices and a strawberry shaken with green tea and cane sugar. It is a solid fruit tea that is refreshing and light.
Very Berry Cloudtea
If you love berries, you’ll enjoy the very berry cloudtea. The mixture of tea, fruit and foam worked well together.
TanCho Black Tea
This comes in a cute skinny bottle. The quality of the tea is very nice, but it’s a pretty standard black milk tea compared to other shops.
Macarons
They have 4 different varieties of macarons on the menu to pair with their teas – salted caramel, matcha, lychee and earl grey.
Chocolate Mousse
The chocolate mousse has layers of cake and crisp crunchy layers. If you are a chocolate lover, you’ll really appreciate this cake.
Very Berry Cake
This has a layer of cream on the outside and on the inside, there is a berry jam and cake on the inside. The highlight of the cake was really the layers inside. We felt like there was a tad too much cream and it threw of the ratio.
Christmas Tree
This has 3 triangle cakes that make up this Christmas Tree. There is matcha, mango, and very berry flavours. Very cute concept but fairly regular cakes.
Cheesecake Snowflake
Probably the cutest cake of the bunch as it’s shaped like a snowflake and perfect for the holidays. It has more of a cheesy taste to it, so, it may not be for everyone. We still enjoyed it.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Spiritea Drinks is a great addition to the Richmond area and inside Aberdeen Centre. It’s great that their concept of healthy tea and fruit beverages use quality ingredients. The prices are slightly higher than other cafes, but the quality is there. It’s a nice place to sit with friends and just chill over tea and dessert.
Address: 4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1968, Richmond, B
There is a new French bakery on West Broadway close to City Hall – Forêt Noire Pâtisserie. They just opened a a few weeks ago serving up delicious treats like croissants, macarons, chocolates, cakes, and beverages. They have a few other items planned on their menu like sandwiches to cater to different times during the day.
Interior
The space is about 2,000 square feet with some seats inside and outside on their patio.
They can’t fit many large groups from the tables observed as most of them seem to be tables of 2.
Beverages
On the menu, they have a variety of hot and cold beverages – teas, coffees, and other non-caffeinated drinks.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
They have a spiced hot chocolate served with a whole cinnamon stick. A nice way to enjoy an aromatic hot chocolate that isn’t too sweet or bitter.
Latte
I went with a latte to go with the pastries. A good ratio of espresso and milk.
Cheese Croissant
This croissant is crisp and butter on the outside and the inside is stuffed with feta, ricotta with fresh herbs and lemon. It was good to have more of a savoury item as it was around noon.
Apricot Danish Puff Pastry
The puff pastry is crisp and buttery with the apricot and creme in the centre. Pretty good item for texture and sweetness.
Mont Blanc
The Mont Blanc has made of muscovado sablé breton, mascarpone rum cream, yuzu compote, chestnut cream, coconut meringue, and a marron glacé.
An interesting flavour combination with the yuzu incorporated into it, but it balanced out the other ingredients to keep it a tad light.
Paris-Brest
This has pâte à choux, hazelnut mousseline cream, homemade praliné and hazelnut craquelins.
This classic item was good with all the different textures. It is a bit sweet on its own, but when paired with a latte, it’s not as noticeable.
Final Thoughts
It’s a good addition to the City Hall area where you can get pastries, coffee and hang out with a friend. There are a lot of options on their menu too which is nice.
Convenient to get to and there is metered street parking around.
Ganache Patisserie has launched their newest Bûches de Noël which will feature 2 modern interpretations of the classic yulelog and 2 of their classic flavours. We got a sneak peek of these 4 flavours of their Bûches de Noël.
Traditional Bûche de Noël Bûche au Marron Café
Bûche au Marron Café takes a coffee chiffon cake rolled with a Zephyr Caramel coffee ganache, a chestnut mousseline filling, chestnut pieces and vanilla buttercream finish.
Both yulelogs are decorated with meringue mushrooms, fondant snowflakes, woodland inspired chocolate decor in contrasting colours.
The cake is super most and surprisingly good. A nice strong coffee aroma when devoured.
Bûche au Chocolat
Bûche au Chocolat takes a chocolate roulade sponge rolled with a dark chocolate ganache and dark chocolate mousseline filling with sour cherries and chocolate buttercream.
This one reminded us of Black Forest Cake due to the chocolate and cherries, but of course an elevated version.
You can order yule logs in 2 sizes depending on how many people you intend to feed:
8” size (feeding 8-10 people) for $46.95
12”size (feeding 12-15 people) for $65.95
Modern Bûche de Noël
Bûche Caramel Cafe Pistache 2018
This starts with a base of moist chocolate cake covered with a coffee cocoa nib crunch supporting a duo of espresso milk chocolate mousse and Zephyr Caramel chocolate mousse while a hidden core is composed of moist chocolate cake, a dark chocolate mousse with cranberries and a pistachio parfait. The entire bûche is sprayed in milk chocolate velvet with a dripping Zephyr Caramel chocolate glaze and is adorned with marbled milk and white chocolate leaves, pistachios, cranberries, cocoa nibs and white chocolate bark bookends.
Eating this was a symphony of flavours and a lot of textures from the pistachios, cocoa nibs, and cranberries.
You can order this in 2 sizes depending on how many people you intend to feed:
6″- $39.95 feeds 6-8 ppl
12″- $69.95 feeds 12-15 ppl
Bûche Coco Amande Chocolate
This is comprised of a dark chocolate almond mousse studded with caramelized almond pieces surrounding a middle of a coconut cream, pineapple curd and toasted coconut sablé with a chocolate coconut brownie base. The bûche is covered in a coconut chocolate glaze with glittery gold glaze stripes, white chocolate bark, caramelized almonds, white and dark chocolate crispearls, coconut shavings and dark chocolate curls and endplates.
If you love almonds, this is the cake for you.
You can order this in 2 sizes depending on how many people you intend to feed:
6″- $39.95 feeds 6-8 ppl
12″- $69.95 feeds 12-15 ppl
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for something unique and festive this year to take to holiday get togethers, check out Ganache Patisserie for their Bûches de Noël.
You can now pre-order and available in-store starting Sunday December 8th, 2018. They advise to order in advanced for pick ups between Dec 20th and 24th as holiday hours will be in affect afterwards.
If you want something smaller, don’t forget about their smaller cakes made just for the Fall and Winter.
Ganache Pâtisserie has been one of our favourite bakeries in Vancouver for a long time. Situated in Yaletown, they have been creating amazing pastries since I can remember. It’s always a treat when I go to birthday parties or some sort of celebration and someone has bought a cake from them.
For this Fall and Winter, they have crafted 4 new seasonal flavours for the holiday season. We were invited to give these cakes a taste test.
Hojicha Sake Sésame
Hojicha Sake Sésame pairs hojicha, or roasted matcha tea, parfait with a coconut sake kasu panna cotta, elderflower-soaked goji berries with a black sesame chiffon cake and hojicha chocolate glaze.
This may look sweet because of the chocolate glaze, but it wasn’t as sweet as we thought. A good balance of flavours too.
Earl Grey Chocolat
Focusing on a classic black tea, Earl Grey Chocolat layers a moist Earl Grey chocolate cake with a fragrant Earl Grey mousseline filling and a layer of caramel crunch while an Earl Grey ganache is drizzled over top and accented with a dark chocolate tile and gold flakes.
The earl grey flavours really translate well through the cake and the layer of caramel crunch was a good added texture.
Paris Brest au Marron
A new take on a classic French pastry, Paris Brest au Marron fills the donut-shaped creampuff with a buttery chestnut mousseline containing crushed pumpkin seed nougatine, savory chestnut pieces and a Chai-spiced chantilly cream.
Different than the other cakes due to the shape, but it’s not too sweet either and good flavours for the holiday.
Noisette Caramel Chocolat
Noisette Caramel Chocolat combines a hazelnut milk chocolate cheesecake with a layer of moist chocolate cake, a light hazelnut Zephyr Caramel chocolate mousse and a milk chocolate caramel glaçage, dusted with toasted hazelnuts and fleur de sel.
Perfect for those who have a sweet tooth and are chocolate lovers.
Final Thoughts
Overall, 4 great flavours for the holiday and any occasion in the Fall and Winter. Ganache Pâtisserie has always been knocking out amazing pastries in Yaletown and continue to do so.
It was late at night and my friends and I stumbled upon Hui Lau Shan open on Denman Street close to Robson Street. I have been anticipating their opening for a while as the first location in Kerrisdale is a bit far for me to get to.
Hui Lau Shan is a Hong Kong dessert maker that specializes in Mango desserts. If you’ve been to Hong Kong, it’s the place to cool off during the hot Summer with their mango drinks. They look like they are slowly expanding in Metro Vancouver with the next location inside the T&T Supermarket in Richmond.
Interior
The space is a decent size with a few tables for groups of 4ish. There seemed to be some people doing take out and some staying inside to eat and chit chat. My friends decided to stay a bit and enjoy the desserts while chit chatting.
After you put in your order, you get an electronic device that will signal you when your order is ready.
Menu
Mango Romance
This is a popular item as it’s essentially a taster of 3 different dishes – mango pomelo sago, mango mochi and mango chewy ball. It’s full of mango goodness.
Mango Pomelo Sago
A classic item with mango puree, tapioca, mango pieces, and pomelo. You can devour this all yourself or share with a friend.
Final Thoughts
We got the 2 most popular items on the menu and it really took us back to Hong Kong. The mangoes were perfectly ripe with the right amount of tartness and sweetness. The size of the overall desserts could be a bit bigger for what you pay for but given the rising costs in Vancouver like rent, labour, and food costs, I can see why they charge higher prices in comparison to places in Asia.
The taste itself was good, but presentation could be a bit better as the mango chunks were hastily cut. It took then a while to create the desserts but given that it was their first day, they have some kinks to work out before they have their grand opening.
Nonetheless, they are in Vancouver and gives us more dessert options in Downtown Vancouver.
Lot185 is located inside the Vancouver Convention Centre West, closest to Jack Poole Plaza. They are a coffee bar by day and wine bar by night. They feature locally-roasted coffee by Moja Coffee, freshly baked pastries made in-house, and tapas with a full wine and beer menu.
The Vancouver Convention Centre has award-winning catering services and with similar staff, they operate out of the same kitchen using the freshest local and seasonal ingredients when possible. Whether you work in the area or are a convention attendee, you’ll have a good bite and sip here.
Cafe by Day
The cafe is great for a quick coffee and pastries in the morning. As most people are on the go, their lines go quickly. There are other cafés in the area, but sometimes it’s nice to try something different. Plus, their pastries are made in-house and are quite tasty.
Menu
Coffee and Pastries
Coffee, teas, and espresso based drinks are popular especially with the morning crowd. It’s best paired with their freshly baked daily pastries, paninis or breakfast sandwiches. You can get these items for lunch too.
Wine Bar by Night
The Wine Bar is open in the evenings from 4pm till 9pm. They have a selection of local and international wines and beers. On the menu are small tapa-style dishes to accompany the drinks. Always good to have nibbles and drinks.
Menu
Small Bites
The menu focuses on their Neapolitan-style pizza that have a thin crust with simple ingredients. They have 3 different varieties – funghi blanca, prosciutto e rucola, and margherita.
The other items are small bites that are meant for sharing like their charcuteries with different meats and cheeses.
Serrano ham and marinated olives
Manchego cheese and roasted red pepper bikinis
They even have a few homemade dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. This is their Tart Au Citron with a vanilla crust, lemon curd, and toasted whipped marshmallow. They also have a few other desserts for those who are into chocolate and other fruity flavours.
Final Thoughts
As Lot185 is inside the convention centre, it is hard to spot from the outside despite the signs.
The wine bar is a great place for people finishing conferences and are looking for a comfortable and chill space to hang out.
Address:
78-1055 Canada Place
(next to Jack Poole Plaza)
Bouchon Bakery in Yountville California is Thomas Keller’s first and original location for his bakery. This is beside Bouchon Bistro as well as French Laundry a little bit further away.
We came here for a snack in the morning before we headed off to some wineries.
Inside the bakery, there is only standing room to order. A lot of people do take out or sit outside if the weather is nice.
There are treats everywhere and getting just picking 1 item is so difficult so we got a lot to share between the 4 of us.
If you come here earlier in the day, you can see the staff making the pastries. We came later in the day, so there wasn’t much action going on.
Coffee
As everything is take out, they only have to go containers for their coffee and water. Even though we asked for our lattes for here, there are no reusable cup options offered.
The lattes were pretty average and nothing special.
Pain aux Raisins
This is packed full of raisins and they were not too dry. It had a good amount of sweetness to it.
Croissant
The croissant is a classic and it has many flaky layers but we were missing more of a crunch at the end tips of it.
Chocolate Almond Croissant
The almond chocolate croissant is decadent and filled with the almond mixture to give you a sweet kick to your day. Delicious.
Strawberry Cheesecake Croissant
The croissant-like tart has the strawberry cheesecake mixture in the centre. Fun to eat it with a knife and fork so you don’t get messy.
Lemon Tart
The lemon tart was ok but nothing too impressive about it.
Final Thoughts
Bouchon Bakery is a good option in the area, but I found it wasn’t the best bakery I’ve ever been to. There are a few other places that can do croissants better but its all up to personal preference. I thought Bouchon Bakery was ok, but it didn’t wow me.
Miss Lina Crepe Cakes in Richmond is another new addition to Alexandra Road for desserts. There have been a few dessert shops in Metro Vancouver opening up that specialize in Crepe Cakes, so it’s interesting to see the demand for them. They also have a liquor license if you want a boozy drink to go with your sweet treats.
We came here specifically for the crepe cakes but they do have other items on the menu like Afternoon Tea.
Interior
The interior is nice and has lots of tables for small to large groups. They try to make the decor look luxurious with the simple and light colours.
Menu
Matcha Crepe Cake
Matcha crepe cake is a classic flavour with 25 layers of matcha creme and crepes. It’s definitely a labour of love to create, but delicious to devour. Matcha is generally bitter, so you will have to like matcha to fully enjoy the balance of sweet and bitter tastes.
Earl Grey Crepe Cake
Earl Grey tea is infused into this crepe cake with a good balance where the earl grey shines through and overall isn’t too sweet. Pair it with some tea and it hits the spot.
Taro Crepe Cake
Have you heard of taro crepe cake yet? It’s a pretty great combination that I don’t see that often. If you are a taro fan, you’ll enjoy this. The natural colour of the taro shines through and it’s very good.
Final Thoughts
The crepe cakes that we tried were very delicious and delicate but can be pricey as you are paying over $12 per slice. Even their rainbow crepe cake has a price tag of $16. Definitely not an everyday indulgence.
Crackle Creme is a cozy cafe located in Chinatown specializing in crème brûlée, cute macarons, waffles and drinks. As the Fall is almost upon us, they are releasing 3 new crème brûlée flavours – Apple Pie, Pumpkin Spice and Malt Spice. 3 flavours that capture the Fall season.
Interior
The interior is small, so there aren’t too many seats inside. A lot of people come to get treats to- go or they sit a short little while enjoy their crème brûlée fresh.
Menu
Apple Pie Crème Brûlée
All their ingredients are made in-house and use fresh ingredients in their crème brûlée.
They torch the crème brûlée in front of you, so there is no mystery at all. Apple pie crème brûlée is topped with an apple mixture that accentuates the flavour just like an apple pie without the crust.
This was our favourite of the 3 flavours.
Pumpkin Spice Crème Brûlée
The Pumpkin Spice crème brûlée has spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves to make the classic Pumpkin Spice flavour. It has an interesting combination of flavours as a crème brûlée with these warm Fall flavours. If you’re a Pumpkin Spice fan, this might be for you.
Malt Spice Crème Brûlée
The malt spice is an interesting flavour with a stronger alcohol taste compared to the other 3 flavours. If you like a boozy kick to your crème brûlée, this might be for you.
Pandan Coconut Crème Brûlée
We tried a few more crème brûlée on their menu and the pandan coconut has a subtle flavour of the pandan leaf and a stronger coconut taste. It was pretty good in my opinion if you enjoy pandan.
Thai Iced Tea Crème Brûlée
Thai Iced Tea infused in their crème brûlée is a good combination, but don’t pair it with their Thai Iced Tea or else it’s too much of the same flavour.
Thai Iced Tea and Thai Jasmine Iced Tea
If you’re looking for some beverages to go with some desserts, they have some Thai Iced Tea and Thai Jasmine Iced Tea for a limited time.
Thai Iced Tea is a classic drink, but the Thai Jasmine Iced Tea is very interesting and floral in taste. We really enjoyed it a lot.
Macarons
They have the cutest macarons available at the café with different cartoon characters. It makes for a really great gift too.
Final Thoughts
If you’re wanting to find a place with an amazing amount of crème brûlée flavours, you’ll definitely find something unique at Crackle Creme. They have so many that it’s hard to choose what to order.
SweetHoney Dessert is a new Hong Kong style dessert restaurant in Richmond. It’s tucked away in a small plaza near Aberdeen Mall. They serve many hot and cold soup based dessert items.
SweetHoney Dessert takes pride in preparing all ingredients in-house daily. They let us know that they don’t use powdered additives, instead they grind the raw ingredients in their kitchen. This extra step makes a difference in taste, texture, and quality. The morning is spent doing prep, then they open at 3:00pm until 12:00am everyday.
SweetHoney Dessert Richmond is part of a franchise that have over 600 locations in China, over a dozen in California, and now its first location in Canada.
Interior
The interior is cute, well lit, and welcoming. It’s a large space with plenty of comfortable seating. As part of a franchise, the look and feel is consistent with other locations throughout North America.
Mango, Strawberry, and Durian Pancakes
SweetHoney Pancakes is fruit and fresh cream wrapped in surprisingly thin crepe. The wrap is so delicate, there is one dedicated staff trained to make them.
We tried mango, strawberry, and durian. My favourite was the strawberry, which had sesame flecks on its wrapper and provided a flavour contrast.
Durian and Thai Black Glutinous Rice
Fresh durian and black glutinous rice ball are served on vanilla “frost”. Frost is a semi-sweet sauce that is half liquid, half very finely shaved ice. It looks liquid but retains a slushy texture as you eat it. The durian is flown in from Thailand.
Mango with Grass Jelly in Vanilla Frost
This is one of their most popular items. It’s served with a generous amount of fresh, ripe mango. The grass jelly and their signature vanilla frost is a great combination.
Mango Pomelo Sago Tofu Pudding
These are all ingredients that I know and love together. SweetHoney makes its own tofu in-house, which was very delicate and semi-sweet. The pomelo bits were a burst of flavour. It’s cool, refreshing, and is easily my favourite item on their menu.
Sesame and Almond Soup with Glutinous Rice Balls
SweetHoney also serve warm dessert options. They toast, grind, and make all the ingredients in this dish within their kitchen. It’s tasty, comforting, and would be a perfect cold, weather treat when fall arrives.
Final Thoughts
I visited during the heatwave and the cold desserts were a perfect way to cool down. The fruits were all very fresh and juicy.
Fair warning: the portions are large, and because the warm soup can be quite filling, make sure to bring a friend or two. Treat it like dimsum, more people means more options!
SweetHoney Richmond is slightly difficult to find because of the parking lot layout, but it’s worth visiting. They offer so many ingredient variations and options, that everyone can find something they will like.
