We were coming towards the end of our Sexual Abuse Counselling class in school, and this deserved recognition. So to celebrate the occasion I thought to get a cake for my co-students. Being a self proclaimed foodie, I wanted to impress so looked for something special.
Daan Gao is an artisan bakery located in Richmond’s Garden City Plaza. The brain child of Christopher Siu, Master Chef Canada Season 7 winner.
The interior is as whimsical as their collection of baked goods for sale behind the glass counter. Known for cartoon macarons and cakes that resemble inanimate and inedible objects, like bathtubs, cacti, and bee hives.
I ordered my desired cake ahead of time, but like that they have full sized ones ready should you need a last minute option. Like their individual miniature cakes, their shareable cakes are just as unique with one that looks like a durian fruit and others topped with both character macarons and fresh fruit.
It was their Celebration Pig that I was eyeing. A Swiss roll hidden behind the facade of a whole roasted pig, “crackling skin” and maraschino cherries for eyes. The red cellophane mimicked a roasted fire that a real whole pig may have sat over.
This was chocolate mousse crafted around a chiffon roll cake insert with raspberry sakura chantilly and cherry rose confit, all enrobed in chocolate atop a crunchy base. A stunning presentation, but fragile. It didn’t make it to class in one piece, with the crunchy skin flaking off.
Nonetheless it did the trick, both students and faculty appreciated the gesture and enjoyed the treat. It was light and fluffy with the marshmallow-like layer, and fruity with the gel. A wonderful cake to enjoy with tea.
I also requested a decorative chocolate plate that read “Don’t take a piece when you are worth the whole pig”. I thought myself clever with this one.
While there, I also picked up some croissants, it has been a while since I last visited their location, and they didn’t have any then, so I thought to grab a six pack to try this new addition now. I liked that they had just as many savoury croissant options as sweet, as I definitely have more of a savoury tooth.
In order to maximize their freshness, I would spend the next eating croissants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each one best and most flaky fresh, each stuffed full with their respective filling, and each so satisfying that you couldn’t have and didn’t want more.
The Croque Monsieur was a folded croissant with thick layers of Swiss cheese, béchamel, and roasted chicken slices. I didn’t get much of the latter most, but the former offered more than enough to gloss past this. An excellent breakfast croissant.
The Kaya Coconut was the popular South East Asian coconut and pandan jam paired with almond frangipane, stuffed full within a twice-baked, extra crispy croissant. Topped with a sweet and crunchy bolo bun crumble for unique flavours presented in a new and creative way.
The Salted Duck Egg Croissant was best a little warmed up so that the filling had more of a cream texture to it, as apposed to a chunky paste. I enjoyed the taste, but did find it a little too much. I would have liked a 2:1 ratio of flaky croissant to salted egg for a better textural mouthfeel balance.
This was a similar case with the Salmon Furikake Cream Cheese Croissant. It was stuffed full with a dense, herbal cream cheese. It was nice that there was a generous amount of smoke salmon to be able to unravel, and have even bites of it with the rest of the croissant. Given the ingredients I figured this had a shorter shelf life and ate this one the first. As was the case with the others, I didn’t want to put them in the fridge, as to not change the texture of the croissants. This one was filling enough to serve as a meal replacement, and perfect as a snack given its size, weight, and savouriness.
The Pizza Croissant ate more like a tomato and onion Danish, heavy on the oregano and other fragrant Italian herbs. I liked the change of texture the large chunks of veggies provided, sitting on a bed of a cheese spread.
The Cheese Tart was two desserts in one. A whole Chinese inspired cheese tart, minus its traditional baked crust, and instead surrounded by an extra crispy croissant crust. The latter even had the pinched lip of a pie crust. In contrast to the silken, almost liquified custard centre, the croissant was dry and dense. Overall, best within the first few bites, it did get daunting to finish. A smaller version, half this size would have made for a more enjoyable serving.
In short, a great bakery to visit for cakes to impress and some pretty creative croissants. Can and will recommend.
Daan Go Cake Lab
4731 Garden City Rd unit 100, Richmond, BC V6X 3M7
(604) 242-3701
van.daango.com
