Photo : Andrew Kumar
Amongst the glass and concrete of Yaletown, there now sits a little sunshine. The PanDa Fresh Bakery has set up shop in their little yellow school bus at the east corner of David Lam Park.
The Japanese inspired bakery is serving up lovely, fresh-baked flaky croissants. They are stuffed with assorted ingredients, ranging from sweet to savoury.
PanDa Fresh Bakery is owned and operated by the very amicable brothers, Derek and Michael Ip. After Derek took a trip to Japan, he was not only influenced by Japanese culture, but also by the food.
He found a shop in Harajuku that filled waffle cones with soft serve ice cream, with a fresh baked croissant hidden in the middle. This discovery was the origins of their famous Ice Cream Croissant. The green tea ice cream with red bean paste is an instant classic!
Photo : Andrew Kumar
When asked about how they came up with the name, Derek replied, “The name of PanDa has a funny origin. Because of my size, Kan (Ogata) playfully calls me Kuma (Bear) and Panda in Japanese is 'Chinese bear'. But the way we have written it in Japanese, the first two characters mean Bread (pan)- so someone with knowledge of the language would read PanDa as 'it's bread'.”
Kan Ogata is the brain-child behind the Japanese
Yatai that operates in Richmond by the River Rock Casino. Derek approached his good friend Kan four months ago about going into the mobile food business.
Mr. Ogata helped build their bakery, hoping to add another mobile food cart to the existing three trailers (
Shoryumen Ramen,
Bakudanyaki,
Fumisen Sushi Cones). But this was not to be. PanDa Fresh was chosen as one of the seventeen lottery winners and were Yaletown bound instead.
In the few weeks since opening, the menu has expanded to include the delectable S'mores (reminded me of the campfire treats of my childhood, re-booted), shaved milk chocolate, banana and cheesecake fillings, to name a few.
There's more to sample than just sweets. Ham and cheese, smoked salmon and cream cheese (both with lettuce and tomato) have also been added to the menu. For an old-time favourite, PB&J croissants are also available.
They plan on having rotating specials, changing bi-weekly.
