I’ve visited Saan Saan Cafe in Vancouver’s Chinatown a few times over the last year and they are a unique spot which serves gluten-free, Hong Kong-style comfort food. The space has been in the owners’ family for three generations, once hosting meals around their grandparents’ dinner table. Their menu draws on childhood favourites, from noodle soups and rice dishes to milk tea and baked goods.
I tried the Apple Oat HK Milk Tea, an apple butter and oat milk take on the classic drink, and the Satay Beef Finger Ribs Rice Noodle Soup, which was a hearty bowl of braised beef rib in a satay broth with rice noodles. For treats, I’ve had the Red Bean Sesame Mochi Brownie, a dessert combining familiar Chinese sweet flavours with a mochi brownie as well as a savoury Mushroom puff.
227 Main Street, Vancouver, BC