Pastry chef Andrew Han has had a life-long dream to open his own bakery and he wanted it to be located in Chinatown where he grew up.

His bakery is defined as; kouign (meaning brioche, pronounced queen) and amann, which means butter.

In my Interview with him over 5 years ago he talked about his background and more.

Andrew loves to create unique baked treats as much as he loves to tell stories through his many videos on both instagram and facebook which document the building and launch of his new bakery.

I have tried a selection of treats from his bakery which included:

The White Rabbit (chewy and squishy with Japanese mochiko sweet rice flour, wheat flour, chunks of 55 percent dark chocolate, and Maldon salted caramel. Baked into the middle is its creamy namesake candy, which was first made in Shanghai in the 1940s and now has a global cult following.)

The Lunch Box (is a spicy peanut butter cookie with Chinese sausage, pork floss, nori, and toasted sesame seeds.)

The Princess (brown butter blondie with ivory white chocolate, coconut cream cheese swirl, drizzled with jasmine caramel)

The Hallokouign (kouign with laminated dough but with pumpkin spiced roasted kabocha squash and coconut butter mochi hearts, cinnamon chrysanthemum honey glaze, toasted white sesame seeds, and 24K gold).

Andrew Han describes his bakery as “k o u i g n café is the modern neighbourhood bakery offering unique treats, beverages, and light savoury fare in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown. What you’ll find here is a balance between sweet and savoury notes in classic European and Asian pastries inspired by my memories of growing up in Chinatown learning everything I could about food, hospitality, and ingredients from my mother.”

Each item tells a story and describes a significant memory from his childhood.

The Kouign Café is located at 18 East Pender Street in Chinatown, you can follow them on instagram @kouigncafeyvr2  

By: Richard Wolak

UPDATED – BUSINESS HAS CLOSED