Daan Go

If you are fan of Masterchef, I'm sure you know that David George and Christopher Siu are former winners of the show.  David George took season 2 (where Christopher finished 5) and went on to be the corporate chef for S+L for a few years.  Christopher Siu won season 7 being well-known for his precision and natural talent with desserts and pastries.  After his first appearance on the show in season 2, he finished his pharmacy degree and went on to open Daan Go Cake Lab.  He has expanded to 2 locations in Ontario and now he has ventured into the GVRD, specifically Richmond, with fellow season 2 competitor David George as a partner.  I was invited to do a sneak peek of the new store and all of the whimsical treats they offer.

Getting right to it, let's talk about a slice of cake (or phonetically in Cantonese: daan go).  We had the 3:15 consisting of HK milk tea mousse, coffee crémeux, evaporated milk crémeux & pineapple bun crumb.  Upon first bite, the promised flavours in the description came through brilliantly.  The tea was apparent with a creaminess that made way for the coffee.  I found the sweetness level to be purposeful without going overboard.  As for the sponge, it was fluffy and moist.

Onto their whimsical creations, we tried the Cheesecake Fromage with white chocolate, lime & passionfruit cheesecake and citrus ganache truffle mousse.  This was probably my favourite because it had a good amount of tanginess from the lime & passionfruit that was balanced by the right amount of sweetness.  Beyond the fruity tang, the actual cheese flavour was quite apparent, especially at the finish.  Texturally, I loved how light and creamy it ate.

Another delicious dessert was also one of the cutest in the Lucky Duck.  No, the bathtub was not edible (only thing that wasn't), but it did contain a tasty combination of lemon curd, pistachio cream, almond sponge and white chocolate mousse.  Once again, the balanced flavours made this a delight to eat.  There was a creamy tanginess accented by nutty aromatics.  Loved that the almond sponge had an appealing chew to it.

Could this dessert being any more intricate trying to look like a Ramen Bowl?  That is certainly Christopher's attention to detail.  Contained within the dark chocolate bowl, we found coffee jelly, milk chocolate mousse and caramelized pear.  Cleverly masquerading as the broth, the coffee jelly was quite mild.  I loved the caramelized pear as it was texturally appealing while lightly sweet.  Chocolate mousse was light and also not overly sweet.

Looking very much like a cactus complete with chocolate "dirt", the Firmi sported malted milk chocolate, dark chocolate mousse, salted caramel and chocolate almond sponge.  Similar to the ramen, the pot was edible as it was made of dark chocolate.  Once again, the sponge was firmer and was a nice contrast to the creamy mousse and malted milk chocolate.  This wasn't very sweet but the layer of salted caramel really stood out.

They also have a good selection of character Macarons that are super cute.  For my selection, we had mango, earl grey, pistachio, black sesame, matcha and HK milk tea.  Beyond the impactful and natural-tasting filling, the macaron itself was texturally pleasing.  From the initial shattering of the exterior to the soft and chewy interior, the macarons were really good.

Our lone savoury treat was the Furikake Scroll Croissant.  This was a little different, but for me, I love the seaweedy and savoury flavour of furikake.  Hence, this was right up my alley with pointed seaweed notes.  The croissant itself shattered and featured soft insides.  It was buttery and aromatic.  Overall, the stuff at Daan Go is playful and appealing in appearance.  However, there is also plenty of substance behind the cuteness.  Flavours are impactful and delicious while the textures are also on par.  I think I've found a go-to spot for treats to bring to parties!

*Some of the items were complimentary (I paid for the half of them)*

The Good:

- Whimsical and cute

- Impactful flavours

- On point textures

The Bad:

- Maybe for the future, they could use some more savoury pastries