Pine House Bakery

–A little change goes a long way here
–tucked between BBQ stand, vegetable shop and some mini market
–I’m Not sure what’s going on with the «special price» and «regular price» labeled on one piece of paper, but the cashier lady gave me the «special» price.
–bread loaf $ 1.50, the size is weird (kind of a irregular rectangular thing)

The first place my friend took us after crossing the border was Pine House. I was a little skeptical at first as to why this was the IT place to go. Richmond public market first of all is a nightmare to park in. I cannot back into parking spots as easily as Canadians can so it took me a little while to find a nice fitting spot.
The bakery itself is downstairs and hidden amongst the many many stands and stores. The bakery itself is pretty small, so you’re bound to shove into someone while trying to grab your favorites. The prices are comparable to the US and even a little cheaper. Unfortunately, we didn’t eat the pastries until we returned to the US the nxt morning so some of the buns seemed drier than usual.
What I would really recommend are the wife cakes and the egg tarts! The wife cake was fluffy, soft and filled with wonderful wintermelon pieces. It wasn’t dry at all even after a day. As for the egg tart, I really enjoyed the custard filling!

Located at the lower level of the Richmond Public Market, this bakery is busy at most times which should be an excellent sign that turnover is quick. The cocktail buns and pineapple buns always come out fresh from the oven. They have an open bakery at the back, and the staff pulls the buns fresh from the oven trays, and not the ones on display in front. Staff are very friendly, quick, and happy to answer any question you may have. Prices are relatively cheap, and as you get tempted to sample all pastries, you will be surprised as this still won’t leave a dent on your wallet.
However, I visit this chain bakery for one thing and only this alone. the Chinese ‘nameless’ cookie. It’s an oddly shaped, amber coloured chewy cookie, with flavours of meat, pork, dates, or some kind of nuts. I love this! (wifey hates the strong pungent smell though) The first time I’ve asked the staff what it was in English, she said «cookie». Hmm. On my next visit, I’ve asked another staff, and she happily said «Chinese Cookie». Uh, okay. But I’ve googled this out of curiosity and I don’t see any cookie with the similar characteristics. Heck, I have no idea what’s in it, but I will still love it no matter what. A Unilocaler out there must know what this is, help! Meanwhile, I will continue to refer to it as my favorite nameless Chinese cookie, and in the interim simply point at it to the staff when buying.