Inside BC's first Daan Go Cake Lab before it opens tomorrow
It’s been a while in the making, but it’s finally here: BC’s very first location of Christopher Siu’s Daan Go Cake Lab.
Winner of MasterChef Canada season seven, Siu has previously opened five locations of Daan Go in Ontario, but the Richmond location is the very first for BC.
Officially opening its doors to the public tomorrow, Dished had the chance to take a sneak peek of the space, chat with Christopher and business partner David Jorge (the winner of Masterchef Canada season two) about the concept, and, of course, try some of the shop’s irresistibly adorable treats.
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
“What we have currently are our most popular items from our Toronto store,” Siu explains of the Daan Go Richmond location. This includes a selection of sweet, character-shaped macarons in flavours like White Peach Lucky Cat and Pandan Coconut Frog, as well as cakes (whole and by the slice), and intricate desserts in the shape of ramen bowls, ducks in bathtubs, and terracotta pots of cacti.
As for what’s different about this location versus the other established spots in Ontario, Siu shares they’re planning on focusing on more local produce and ingredients here. The top row of the dessert cabinet, he explains, will be fully dedicated to seasonal desserts, totally unique to this location.
With a forthcoming selection of gelato, as well as some weekend brunch offerings, there’s no doubt that this place is going to be very popular among the Richmond foodies â and likely many coming in from Vancouver, too.
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
Siu tells us that he chose Richmond as the first BC location for Daan Go because he “has relatives that live in Vancouver, so even before [the opening of Daan Go] I would fly over to visit them.” He always loved the variety of Asian cuisine in the area and felt this area was so rich with great dining destinations that Daan Go would be a good fit here.
“We do target a slightly more Asian clientelle,” he adds, as many of the desserts centre on flavours influenced by his background, Hong Kong, and other culturally significant cuisines.
Black Sesame Supreme Croissant and 3:15 cake slice | Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
Included in this category is the popular 3:15 cake, named after the time that people typically enjoy their afternoon tea in Hong Kong. This cake is modelled after this experience, with components that include HK milk tea mousse, coffee crémeaux, evaporated milk crémeaux, and a pineapple bun crumb.
Daan Go also offers a cake that looks like a real durian, as well as the special Celebration Pig cake, offered as a sweet alternative to the culturally significant roast pig, which is often used in Chinese culture to mark major celebrations.
This spot will also offer a selection of pastries made in-house, such as Supreme-style croissants in varieties like black sesame, Hokkaido cheese, matcha, pineapple crumble, and house furikake. To start out, there will be eight varieties available at any time, with several more being added soon.
Daryn Wright/Daily Hive
In addition to its charming sweets, Daan Go offers coffee drinks and HK milk tea, a beverage that Siu himself is very fond of.
“I actually go back to Hong Kong to compete in competitions [for HK milk tea making], where we actually do something called throwing our tea,” Siu shares. “I would love people to come in and give our tea a try.”
Daan Go Cake Lab in Richmond will officially open tomorrow, Saturday, April 14 from 11 am until 7 pm.
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Daan Go Cake Lab â Richmond
Address: 4731 Garden City Road unit 100, Richmond
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