Inside Vancouver’s new bakery from a 'MasterChef Canada' winner
Over time, Siu started to learn new things and take more classes. “Through some very amazing chefs that I worked with and also hired, we were able to bring this amazing line of beautiful, cute cakes, pastries, and croissants for everyone.”
Eventually, Siu honed his baking skills so much that he signed up and participated in MasterChef Canada’s second season. While he didn’t win at that time, when he eventually returned for the show’s seventh season in 2021, he walked away victorious.
“I always say to people, if you’ve never been on a reality TV show, you should definitely try one because it is a unique experience. But for me, to be frank, it was very, very stressful,” he told us.
Marco Ovies/Dished
Despite spending months practicing for it in the kitchen, Siu said that it was a lot more challenging than he thought.
“A lot of the challenges are really what you see on TV. You only get a few minutes to think about your dish after you open your mystery box, and you don’t know what the item you’re trying to replicate tastes like. It’s kind of crazy thinking back, almost like a giant fever dream, but it was a fantastic experience, though, and I loved it.”
“It’s very stressful, but I would never trade it for anything because I met so many amazing people and I learned so many great things.”
As for whether Siu would ever participate in a challenge like that again, he said he wasn’t really sure.
“I don’t want to say no,” he said with a laugh. “I think someday I will definitely compete again. As to when, where, and what competition, I don’t know yet.”
Launching Vancouver’s very own cake lab
Daan Go first got its start in Metro Vancouver with its Richmond outpost, which opened its doors in 2023. However, the brand currently operates multiple locations throughout Canada, with four in the Toronto area and now two in Metro Vancouver.
“We had lots of people coming out to Richmond always asking us when are you finally moving into proper Vancouver,” Siu told us.
Despite his desire to expand into the city, Siu said that this location was a bit of a happy coincidence.
“We actually got this space from a friend, and she’s a good friend of a chef friend back in Toronto that we did collaborative dinners with,” he said. “We were so fortunate that when she was moving out of the space, she asked us if we wanted it.” This former space was True Nosh, which has since moved and rebranded to The Skript Kitchen and is scheduled to open later this summer.
As for specifics, the interior is bright with some seating available for those wanting to dine in. Its lineup of pastries is displayed right by the window to entice you to walk in (just in case the wafting aroma of baked goods didn’t do that already). The interior wasn’t quite picture-ready for our visit, so you might just have to pay it a visit to see what all the buzz is about.
Marco Ovies/Dished
When we walked in, we were presented with one of the many unique offerings that Siu offers: a chocolate duck that rattled like a real toy duck.
This is just one of the many whimsical products that Daan Go serves up. Other items that we saw included a cake that looked like a bowl of ramen, a cactus, and one that looked like a cup of boba (even the cup was edible on this one).
Ramen and Cactus Cake (Marco Ovies/Dished)
After we asked for recommendations, Siu referred us to a slice of his Pandan Paradise, a cake that was actually inspired by his time on MasterChef Canada.
“There was one very famous dessert that I made that was called ‘Into the Ravine,’ which was actually based on this little ravine that was behind my house as I was growing up. It was a little bit of a forest-themed cake, and the main flavour component was pandan and coconut, because for that challenge, we were paired with one random flavour and also one random tool. So, I had a siphon whip and pandan, so we had a cake.”
The cake here isn’t an exact replica of the one during his time at MasterChef Canada but is very inspired by the flavours of that original cake.
It was remarkably light, airy, and sweet, essentially everything you’d want from a cake on a warm summer’s day. Aside from the obvious pandan inclusion, this cake also featured whole slices of mango and coconut shavings. We’d definitely come back for this.
Pandan Paradise (Marco Ovies/Dished)
But it’s not just cakes that are available for sale here, too. There are plenty of pastries, including savoury options like the Truffle Carb on puff pastry, as well as plenty of sweet croissants. Daan Go also serves up a variety of adorable macarons shaped to look like frogs, penguins, and more.
Additionally, Daan Go offers exclusive items available only at this location, including specialty croissants like shakshuka and French onion soup-flavoured ones. Plus, Siu said that they will be starting a focaccia program where locals in the area can drop off their flavour ideas, and once a week, Daan Go will make that flavour.
Marco Ovies/Dished
Daan Go Cake Lab is currently softly open, with a grand opening scheduled for Aug. 15.
Daan Go Cake Lab — Vancouver
Address: 1450 W. 7th Ave., Vancouver
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