Kam Do Bakery - Chinese, Vancouver

Best: Wife Cake Pastry
8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond, BC, Canada
(604) 231-9216

Last Visited: July 2, 2009

Food: 5 star wife cake
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: N/A
Price: $ to $$

James and Winnie gave us a heads up to try out this bakery while we were visiting the Vancouver area. Apparently, they had spent several days eating at the strip mall next door at McNoodle House enjoying their wonton noodle soup.

It's no wonder that Kam Do Bakery was a must try place. When I was little, my grandpa lived with us and he loved wife cake (also known as sweetheart cake - a nicer translation). Those melon paste centers surrounded by pastry were just okay to me. Kind of dry in fact. I just remember thinking that although the center was soft, it wasn't that exciting. That is, until I tried Kam Do's wife cake. The center melts in your mouth. The flaky pastry on the outside is a beautiful golden brown and the winter melon center has a nice melon flavor without tasting fake. It's scrumptious. Really.

For those that are unfamliar with wife cake, consider the center to have a texture such that when you bite into it, it resists a little - like a soft centered chew of a See's candy confection, but not as gooey. You can bite into it cleanly. The pastry is shaped like a disk and about half an inch thick. It's called wife cake because back in the olden days, when a couple was announcing their marriage, these pastries would be shared with friends and accompany the announcement as a gift to those receiving the news. The ceremonial gift included these cakes as well as Chinese barbecued meats.

If you're in the Richmond, Vancouver area, you absolutely must try the Wife Cake at Kam Do. It's the best I've ever had.