Saint Germain Bakery

I'm not really enamored in visiting Metrotown on a Sunday. It's usually a madhouse and I'm quite crowd-adverse. However, everywhere I need to visit was at Metrotown. First I stopped at EB Games and traded in a couple of games. I really love the TIV (trade-in value) at EB Games, it allows me to get some new games for ones I've finished with. After that, I stopped by Stupidstore (I really mean Superstore...) to pick up a few items. On my way out after paying at the self-serve kiosks (are they really all that much faster?), I was face-to-face with Saint Germain Bakery. Oh! Wasn't I on a mission to find the best Chinese buns and pastries? Hey! I have my camera with me (what a coincidence...). I've had stuff from Saint Germain before, but it has been awhile. So I zip over to the counter and only got 12 items. I guess I felt guilty after my 6 egg breakfast at Horizons. After getting over the sticker shock, I quickly made my selections. I got BBQ Pork Buns, Pineapple Buns, Egg Tarts, Ham & Egg Bun and a Strawberry/Lychee Mousse Cake. The service at Saint Germain was outstanding. I know, great service at a bakery, how exciting... Well, with the indifferent attitude I got at Anna's Cake House, this was good!

The first thing you'll notice with the pastries at Saint Germain is that they are very nice looking. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better looking pineapple bun at one of the large chain bakeries. It's uniformly round (because of the paper liners) and the topping covers the entire bun. Does this translate into a better tasting product? Well, I think it's a matter of personal preference. Taking a bite into the pineapple bun, the topping was not too sweet; rather it was delicate tasting. The same could be said about the BBQ pork bun. It was so light tasting, it was bordering on bland. The egg tart wasn't bad, it had an extremely thin crust which is slightly flaky. The egg custard was smooth and lightly sweetened. However, the strawberry and lychee mousse was quite sweet.

For me, the pastries at Saint Germain are a bit too delicate. I much prefer the old school looking and tasting pastries at New Town Bakery. However, if you like delicate tasting pastries, then Saint Germain is not a bad choice. But, you must take into consideration that you are paying much more for it.

The Good:
- Products are made with care
- Great service
- Pastries are not too sweet

The Bad:
- Expensive
- Pastry dough is a bit chewy
- Flavours are a bit too delicate, bordering on bland

Saint Germain Bakery
#1144 - 4720 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C.
604-438-8182
www.saintgermainbakery.com