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Kam Do Restaurant & Bakery
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
64 reviews for Kam Do Restaurant & Bakery
Review Highlights
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"I have to admit these are some awesome wife cakes." In 17 reviews -
"The Winter Melon cakes are delicious." In 6 reviews -
"Baked Pork Chop on Rice and Lemon Iced Tea or a cup of hot..." In 3 reviews
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64 reviews in English
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Review from Bob P.
Vancouver, BC
Aside from wife cakes and purple taro cakes that people always rant about, their restaurant serves up a huge selection (like pages and pages) of Hong Kong style or English fusion food alongside typical Chinese fare. While I wouldn't say the food is exceptional they make it up with the humongous portions and reasonable prices.
One thing NOT to get if you're very health conscious (well, food in these types of places are rarely heathy) is their afternoon tea snack, "pineapple bun with butter". Imagine a pineapple bun which is like a large sweet dinner roll that has a 1/4 inch slice of butter inserted inside. That's 1/4 inch slice from a cube of butter you get from the supermarket. Talk about heart-stopping fat! -
Review from Calvin Y.
2/28/2012
For my family, Kam Do's Wife Cakes, candied winter melon filling in a flaky pastry, has been a permanent pit stop for us whenever we do a road trip up to British Columbia. We usually take this opportunity to stock up and buy multiple boxes -- usually as much cash as we have on hand as Kam Do is a cash-only establishment.
Over the last decade of patronage, I must say that Kam Do has done a great job with their pastries. Unfortunately, I have noticed a decline in quality of their Wife Cakes this last time we went up -- there's less filling, the filling itself was bland, and the cake itself was harder than usual.
Perhaps they're spending more time with the new branch or doing the individual wrapping of cakes, but I hope that Kam Do's quality will be better the next time we come up.
Prices: $15.60 for a dozen wife cakes or $1.30 individually.Listed in: C-A-N-A-D-A
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Review from Michael U.
2/20/2012 8 photos
Beginning first with a selection that could best be designated as a snack despite the fact that there is indeed a proper restaurant attached, our visit to Kam Do on Alexandria Road would only be for the pastries, and more specifically the "sweetheart" or wife cake as well as a trio of buns one early morning en route from our hotel to downtown Vancouver. Having heard that most of Kam Do's selections were not only authentic, but also inexpensive and baked at various times throughout the day to ensure freshness our arrival would be just after 8:00am and true to form a whole stack of pastries was emerging from the oven literally the moment we walked through the door.
With the servers seemingly unaccustomed to customers lacking any knowledge of the Cantonese language but trying their best to help guide us through the vast selection my sister and I spent a few minutes browsing before settling on our choices and with the wife cakes actually kept in a separate area behind the counter each of our choices was individually wrapped in cellophane before being bagged - all four items plus plenty of smiles and excellent service for a loonie and two toonies.
Making our way back to the car to explore our choices we decided to start with the warm items first and in doing so opted for the Coconut Bun, a nicely leavened item we had seen on both dim sum menus but failed to order but this time much larger and featuring a sugary interior laden with coconut flakes inside of a soft buttery roll with an egg wash and honey glaze. Somewhat akin to an American dinner roll served at any number of diners but nicely accented by the coconut we additionally selected two more buns, one Taro and the other Pineapple, that were similarly constructed and although I personally love the flavor of Taro it was definitely the coconut version that stood out likely due to its warmth and freshness.
Moving next to the wife cake I have to admit I'd never heard of this item prior to reading about Kam Do but all things being equal I'm sort of glad I had not because I'd have felt a little bit jealous due to the lack of availability where I live. Something like a croissant on the exterior due to a skin made of candied winter melon beneath a sweetened egg-wash yet with a soft yet flaky interior harkening a pull-apart biscuit the texture of this small bun was divine yet what truly stood out was actually the flavor, a complex semi-sweet and savory amalgam of almond extract, sesame seed oil, and notes of cloves and anise all subtle but present and producing a sum much greater than the whole of its parts and definitely an item worth seeking out. -
Review from Melissa C.
Richmond, BC
All I can say is... "Well played Kam Do, well played."
I was not ready for this place at all. I had just recently eaten 2 hours ago but my boyfriend was hungry so he suggested this place. Always wanted to try out the restaurant that was known for elephant portions at mousey prices.
I ordered the minute steak with gravy and mushrooms with a side order of french fries and spring rolls (protein and carbs galore), which also came with garlic toast and a KD special drink of choice, lemon tea of course! I wasn't afraid of the challenge at first but once my food arrived, my stomach did a 180. My eyes could not believe all that food was going to fit in my belly and my belly didn't even want to attempt this feat. However, after a few bites of the soft, rich gravy soaked steak I was feeling up for it. I took a bite of the springroll but the filling was a diaster - bland veggies and rice noodles. Topping it off with crispy fry after crispy fry and ketchup... I was in a food coma.
Overall it was a decent first time here at Kam Do, I'll definitely return and hopefully I'll KO the rice off of their famous baked pork chop dish. Until then, still wading off this food coma with my leftover fries. -
Review from van t.
4/25/2012
Best winter melon cakes on this continent! They are so good that they don't even have time to place them into the display cabinet before they are sold out.
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Review from Herman E.
Updated - 1/30/2012
Another visit.
Another order of baked pork chop on rice
Another 1/2 doz of wife cakes.
Another full belly1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/23/2011
Richmond. The mecca of the lower mainland for Chinese food.
When the Canada Line was completed, I… Read more »
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Review from Terry C.
2/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love Hong Kong food, it so much different than regular Chinese food. It's like a mix of soul food and Chinese food.
I've been here a few times for Wife Cakes, and some other items but this time I actually sat in and ordered food, not once but twice. All the items on the menu have cheap but big portion items. I had two items from this place. During dinner I had the Seafood with spaghetti the next day before I went home had Tomato Pork Chop over Rice.
The Seafood with Spaghetti was adaquate. It's a cream sauce with seafood. The fish was good, I think it was cod or catfish. But I could have ordered something better. This really wasn't an intresting choice to say the least. It was bad or anything but I was not a fan of this.
The tomato pork over rice, now that's the stuff. Flavorful and oh so yummy. Makes me want to order more. I ordered the "small" order of it but it was enough to last me until I reach Portland.
This place is a place to try. It's as authentic as it gets. I always come here when I get a chance to. -
Review from Lukas O.
Richmond, BC
12/18/2011
If you are looking for average food for superior value look no further. This place has so much different set meals and combos to choose from it will make your head spin. Also I have never been able to finish eating the higher end combos in one setting. This place was meant for family style meals & take home the rest.
When you order a meal you get a free drink - I recommend the HK style lemon ice tea. Best iced tea ever. If you want add ons it's really easy. I ordered fried egg & fried chicken wing for a fair price. The service is cafe Chinese style so don't be afraid to wave your hand if you want something.
Protip: This place is CASH ONLY and is not too vegetarian friendly despite their several menus. -
Review from Kenneth E.
Vancouver, BC
12/29/2011
In terms of food, that may be just a tad generous. But I'll be nice considering that it's a laid-back atmosphere, and what does one expect from a HK-style cafe?
Ordered the fried rice w/ chicken, their supposingly-famous beef brisket/tripe with noodles, vermicelli/preserved vegetables/meat, red bean drink (supposed to come with ice cream, deduct points there), and their "Lo Por" pastry wasn't as cracked up...nothing special.
but one thing to be careful are the washrooms... -
Review from Marc D.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 9/7/2011 8 photos
* Not just for wife cakes *
Ok, I'm not sure why I've never sat down to eat here before. I've always just darted in, purchased the wife cakes, and darted out.
Glad I finally sat down for lunch.
Let me start off by saying - Holy ridiculously random combination, Kam Do!
I wanted to order my standard HK style Western Cafe dish of seafood baked rice and started trying to navigate the eight different menus. Someone needs to help them streamline their menu options and make it easier to find what you are looking for!
I finally located my seafood baked rice and ordered it.
The kind waitress then had all sorts of questions:
Her: Sorry. Not much English.
Me: No worries.
Her: Drink?
Me: Cold milk tea.
Her: Soup?
Me: Choices?
Her: Cream or oriental?
Me: Oriental (not having any idea what that actually meant)
Her: Appetizers?
Me: What is best?
Her: Sausage and chicken wing.
Me: OK. Sounds good.
Her: Anything else?
Me: (Silently thinking are you kidding? Sounds like way too much already!) No thank you.
Talk about a ridiculous amount of food! It feels like an all you can eat without having to say that as there was no way I could finish everything that came on my combo!
On to the food:
Cold milk tea (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was a good version. It could have been slightly stronger for my taste. But overall very good. 4 stars.
The soup (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was a hearty homemade tasting soup with lots of meat and veggies. The broth was rich and complex. I really enjoyed this and wish it had a better name than "Oriental." I'll go with, "Soup of the Day." 5 stars.
The apps (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) were perhaps the oddest part of the meal. The sausage tasted very similar to the franks you get in Chinese hot dog buns (and was fine for that) and the chicken wing was fried perfectly while being tender inside. The random piece of cucumber and pineapple just rounded out the randomness of this dish. I could have done without the apps, but am not sure how to get a combo without them? I'm sure it is on one of the eight menus! 3 stars.
The seafood baked rice (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was filled with an enormous amount of fresh seafood. I liked that they had taken the mussels out of their shells (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) before baking them in. The shrimp, scallops, and fish were all cooked perfectly (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...), as was the whole baby squid. My only wish would be that the rice had a little more wok hei. But otherwise this was one of the best versions I have found in the Vancouver area based upon the seafood quality and quantity. 4 stars.
The garlic bread (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) was fine for what it is, as was the dessert (Photo: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) of jello with canned fruit. 3 stars.
Overall it is a 4 for the meals, and still a 5 for those amazing wife cakes, so I'll round up to 5 overall.
Wow. What a meal for a little over $10. Crazy.Listed in: Vancouver Chinese Food, Dentists' Dreams in Vancouver, Thanks, Yelp!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/22/2009
Tried the wife cakes tonight. Thank you for the tip to go here, everyone! Tried the red bean and… Read more »
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Review from Vincent N.
Vancouver, BC
HK Cafe food is the equivalent of Chinese Soul Food to me. You don't expect anything fancy from it, it's predictable but I feel at ease when I eat it.
After reading Marc D. hilarious review http://www.yelp.ca/use... I decided I had to go.
After seeing that they had broken the 50 review barrier mark I drove over at 2:30pm on Saturday to go and check what all the fuss was about.
First off the food: If you're expecting gourmet cooking this is not a place, it's a CAFE. Imagine going to an IHOP but make it aimed at Hong Kong culture, and that's what the food is like, but in my opinion much much better. If you asked me whether I would go to Denny's or go here for a brunch, based on the first experience, hands down I would always come Kam Do.
I had the deep fried chicken breasts with garlic sauce. (It's really a combo that's provided with a variety of different sauces that you can choose.) The combo comes with a drink, a soup, garlic buttered bread, and a choice of rice, spaghetti, or fries, and with a side of frozen veggies mixed in with some fresh (I got large carrots with mine.)
The chicken skin was somewhat crispy with the exception of the side of the skin and fried till it was slightly golden. The chicken was moist and not dry. The sauce doesn't taste salty at first but after a while when the garlic sauce cooled down the saltiness slowly creeps through and you'll feel a bit of a dryness come through.
The garlic sauce is really a gravy with chopped garlic spread over it. A little different in the sense that some places will create gravy with garlic simmering in the sauce so you get that garlic flavour come through.
The rest was pretty plain, which is to be expected. Plain spaghetti, plain vegetables.
Portions: this is where it blows me out of the water. That's why I'll choose this over Denny's any time. It's because for under $10 before tax you're pretty much looking at a really packed meal. I got two chicken breasts, when most cafes give only one.
The service: Pretty Standard, they acknowledged me at the door within a minute. They sat me down about 3 minutes later. And was able to wave down a waitress ( I can't stress enough, in Chinese places it's better to wave down a server to get quicker service. You may be surprised how long you have to wait at certain places if you don't.)
They got my bill in a timely manner after waving them down.
Would I go back. Yes I would, I would be happy to take all my friends.
And the server I talked to...did understand English quite well. But read Marc's review for some kicks. -
Review from Beverly W.
Vancouver, BC
Casual fast food Chinese joint with decent food for a reasonable price. It's a bit dirty everywhere in the restaurant and you obviously would not come here for the decor and ambiance.
We had Yang Chow fried rice and a baked seafood with spaghetti. The meals come with Hong Kong style milk tea, coffee or ovaltine. I like the ovaltine the best. -
Review from Theresa W.
Vancouver, BC
5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Despite the fact that this place is a grumbling 10-15 minute walk from the skytrain station (which feels twice as long when you're super hungry), I will make my way down here for their massive portions when I feel like HK Cafe food. My regular dish of baked spaghetti (seriously, no place compares to Chinese style spaghetti) is almost always eclipsed by the crazy selection of food here. Sometimes I just sit there and watch what other people are having to help make my decision.
Love the bazillion food options (western, soup noodles, fried noodles / rice, baked dishes, etc.). Love the drink refills (almond milk!). Love the portion sizes (always enough for dinner, and sometimes lunch the next day).
Make a reservation before you leave the house - it minimizes your wait time.Listed in: Richmond!
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Review from Miss Bonnie B.
10/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Random spot to check out on my trip to Vancouver but totally worth it. The wifey cakes (traditional and other similar versions of it) were all super delicious. The best ones I probably ever had (I liked the taro and original wife cake best). The flaky crust with the creamy smooth paste filling is subtle and very nice combination!
Listed in: Jesse VanCoutren
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Review from C L.
9/5/2011
Free wi-fi! Great since I don't have service in Canada.
Baked pork chop was surprisingly good. I usually don't like red sauces from Chinese cafe style restaurants. It had a panko crust whichallowed it to have a decent crunch even thoughthe red sauce was all over it. The rice had egg mixed into it, so it has beena change in pace. Other than that, it's a typical Chinese cafe menu. -
Review from Alice A.
1/23/2011
Sat down with a cup of green tea and a Kam Do red bean pastry to type this review. Finished the pastry before I even began. Tells you it was good. Flaky crust and filling was not too sweet. I'm tempted to eat the date one now. I shall resist.
I say this place deserves a return for lunch sometime. Not sure if my non-Asian mates will like it like I do though. It's definitely acquired taste. -
Review from Sandra L.
Initially, I was referred to this place for their famous wife's cake (made with winter melon). People buy dozens of these to bring home and ordering them ahead is advised. I brought one to try before buying large quantities. I have to say I never ate any wife's cake that taste like Kam Do. The outer crust is very light and flaky. The winter melon is not so sweet. If you are a fan of wife's cake, then this is the place. I brought some home and in one day my brother and I ate 3 each. It is not too sweet and filling to eat for breakfast or snack. I also tried their mung bean pastry which didn't taste that good to me. Due to their popularity, Kam Do make their wife's cake in large quantities for the next business day and when you go in they are already packaged in boxes ready to go. Each cake is individually packed inside the box.
The restaurant is your typical Hong Kong style cafe. It was around 1pm and they were pretty packed. It was hard to see if there was any seating because all them are booth seating with glass dividers above it. They don't have that many waitresses working so it took them a few minutes to seat us. We sat at booth that can seat about 6 or maybe 7 or 8 if you really want to squeeze in.
I tried their Baked Portuguese chicken with rice. The sauce was very heavy on coconut milk. The chicken was cook perfectly. I also tried some of their baked pork chops with spaghetti. The pork chops were thinly made with a crust with a good tasting tomato sauce. Drinks were also included with our plate. Their milk tea was fairly good. They have a big menu to choose from and everything coming out their kitchen has really big proportions. -
Review from Phoenix mi m.
2/5/2011
The Winter Melon cakes are delicious!!! They have taro crispy puffs - YUMMM - lots of Delectable Edible Deliteful Pastries!!!
and there's a restaurant attached too - but I've not tried that part so I cannot comment. -
Review from saul m.
8/21/2011
Another of our YVR family's favorites. They have been coming for years. My 2nd time.
You can pay park on the street or free in the lot behind the restaurant.
The atmosphere is casual family Chinese. We came for a weekday lunch.
The staff was friendly & attentive.
I had a fish fillet in thick noodles soup. The serving was huge! The lightly breaded fish delicious, & the thick noodles succulent. Although I loved the soup, the serving was so huge I could not finish. Of course I took it home. It was almost as good the next day, fish was a little soggy though.
My dining companions shared a sliced beef noodle dish. 1 liked it the other did not. The 1 who did not said the sliced beef was over cooked. She said it tasted like cardboard. I did not taste it.
Having read the Edmonton reveiwer's comments we went in sensitive to salt & grease. No one thought our food was too salty, nor too greasy. Also the ventilation was fine.
Later we took home some pastries. They were all good. Especially the low paw bang(wife cake) & egg tarts. -
Review from Stephen Y.
Richmond, BC
12/10/2010
Baked Pork Chop on Rice and Lemon Iced Tea or a cup of hot HK Style coffee/tea. That is my litmus test on any HK style cafe and this place passes the test. The portions? Massive. Important as I have a bottomless stomach. The drinks? Large, cold and cheap. Service? Relatively non-existant, but I don't go to HK Style cafes for service. Then again, I've never been served by someone rude here as I'm a pretty nice guy to give food to!
They have so many combo specials for lunch and dinner that I'm sure you could come here with no idea what to eat, but yet still find something that will perk your interest.
I usually end up leaving with something from their amazing bakery as well!
Cheap, kinda dirty, not the greatest place to bring a date, but yet...sometimes that's what I want. -
Review from Yumi K.
Richmond, BC
Updated - 5/12/2011 12 photos
Since yesterday's review, I decided to go to Kam do again and tried their famous wifecake :-)
ohhhHHHHOHHH
HEAVEN.
The right amount of sweetness of the filling
The outside part is soft, fluffy, yet crispy
Of course, I also got my favorite sponge cake :-)
I think the wifecake is smaller? Than the usual Chinese bakery place but
I think it's definitely worth paying for!!!
Kam Do, you officially deserve 5 star rating from me!!
I don't usually give out 5 stars unless something is VERY good!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/11/2011
Fluffy, moist, and semi-sweet sponge cake!! just like how I like it to be :-) this is probably the… Read more »
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Review from Melody M.
4/19/2011
I had trepidations coming to this place from the moment I walked in the door to sitting at the tables. But, I was stuck with nowhere to go.
I was pleasantly surprised by this little restaurant. The service was fast and the food bountiful.
I like the Hong Kong style coffee, and the menu selection. A lot of different choices of food to choose from (ex: chicken wings and eggs). You can even come for breakfast and the price is super cheap. The best part, you get left overs for the next day. -
Review from Vincci L.
4/4/2011
Don't come here for the atmosphere, but for the food.
As for HK style cafe goes, this place has pretty good food. Selection is amazing, with 6 menus, with different sizes of items and pairings. They even offer breakfast items throughout the day.
Portion size is huge, and I'll usually have half left over for lunch the next day. My favourite dishes are their baked items; their baked rice comes with fried rice instead of plain rice too!
They also make a decent iced milk tea too. Oh, and with a free refill!!
Don't expect great service, and be patient.
To reiterate, come here for the food! -
Review from Jessica C.
I'm from LA so when I went to Vancouver, all I did was eat. I am not even kidding. Being in Richmond/Vancouver it just reminds me of HK but a less of a plane ride.
Came here maybe twice during my week stay for breakfast. Their Wife cake resembles the ones from Yuen Long in HK since its from the same family. Gotta bring some back to LA and share!
Had their "pineapple oil" which was good one time and soso the second time around. Really depends on how fresh the bread is. http://www.yelp.ca/biz...
Their breakfast combos (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) are big enough that I had left overs for lunch. http://www.yelp.ca/biz... But this is coming from someone that usually don't eat breakfast so go figure.
Overall, just you normal breakfast fast food cantonese style joint. The atmosphere really does remind me of a typical casual food joint in HK though. Kind of old and 80ish looking
Wife Cake is the key here (: -
Review from AhLin C.
4/8/2011
Had their winter melon cake (wife cake) and it was warm, fresh and flaky! I bought a dozen back. The best thing is that they take US dollars!! Awesome!
We got there around 3-ish and they sold out of a lot of their bakery stuff already =(.
Def. want to come back and try their other bakery goodies like egg tart or any other buns. -
Review from Silvia C.
Vancouver, BC
9/22/2010
It's mooncake harvest festival again. And to add variety between the boxes of gifted mooncakes (some re-gifted) I wanted to try the wife cakes at Kam Do Bakery. They are every bit as good as fellow yelpers have said. The wintermelon paste is distinctively different because it is gently sweetened and the pastry shell is flaky and easy to bite into. Whereas some others have an overly sweet filling, dry and brittle pastry shell that tastes like flour and food colouring. I bought two and had no intention of sharing.
But definitely don't leave without trying the preserved duck egg in lotus paste pastry. Their pastry chefs happen to be a group of women sitting around a worktable forming these delectable bites. If you like "1000 year-old eggs" (blackened duck eggs), imagine half of one coddled in lotus cream and baked in a crumbly pastry shell (think pineapple bun topping). When you bite into it, the shell holds its shape, the egg tastes very mild and the lightly sweetened lotus cream is gooey in texture. I'm convinced that Cadbury should be marketing these every Easter. -
Review from Raymond O.
Vancouver, BC
Prologue: Some trivia about the wife (sweetheart) cakes. "A legend that attempts to explain the origins of the Sweetheart cake tells the tale of a couple that lived a very poor life in imperial China. They loved each other and lived in a small village. Suddenly, a mysterious disease spread. The husband's father became very sick. The couple spent all of their money in order to treat the man's father, but he was still sick. The wife sold herself as a slave in exchange for money to buy medicine for her father-in-law. Once the husband learned about what his wife did, he made a cake filled with sweetened wintermelon and almond. He dedicated this pastry to his wife, whom he'll never forget and sold it. His cake became so popular that he was able to earn enough money to buy his wife back". - wikipedia.
On to Kam Do. Wife cakes galore! Thanks to its Yelp top star reviews, I've finally got to try the 'cult' favorite at this bakery. The wife cakes remind me of a Filipino-Chinese New Year's staple called 'tikoy' also made with glutinous rice, wheat starch, and rice flour. Only difference is the wife cakes have a very flaky pastry exterior. I would have liked it a lot sweeter. Solution? Toast the wife cakes, inhale the sweet aroma wafting from the oven, drizzle some sugar on top.. the horror! - you might say? but works for me! The other varieties are worth a try too, and tasted even better IMHO. The red and green bean cakes are awesome inside and out, but the scene stealer for me was the lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk in the centre. Thick, rich, filling, and tasty!
Sampling the HK style cafe menu, I was pleasantly surprised with the humongous portions offered at cheap prices. Complimentary milk teas, french toast w/ fries, crispy wings and fish cakes delicious. My usual pork chop on rice looked real good and real huge. Pork chop was fried to perfection, however found the tomato sauce bland and lackluster, instant star dropper there.
I have definitely no qualms returning again, but the parking situation ain't pretty. Still, I will be back! Cash only.Listed in: C.O.V. (Cash Only Vancouver), When in Richmond
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Review from DineoutGal A.
Winnipeg, MB
7/24/2011 2 photos
The 4 stars is for the wife cake only. But I would NOT recommend coming here for dinner - that would be 1 star.
They have a new stand alone bakery on No. 3 Road as well that opened about 3 months ago. This location on Alexandra Road has a small bakery section in the front but the main part of this place is a HK style cafe. This place was super busy on Sunday night so I thought it would be a decent choice for dinner. Nope! First, the HVAC was not working as there air had a film of smoke...meaning our clothes were soaked with the food smell for the rest of the night. Next came the bad super greasy and super salty food. We just ordered the the stir fry beef noodles (a fave of mine at any HK style cafe) and some salty fish fried rice (another fave) - both were horrible. We actually left after eating only a few bites and didn't pack any. That is a first as I hate to waste food but it was purely retched. Yes, salty fish fried rice is inherently salt, but it should only be salty with the fish portions, not the entire rice dish. Yes, portions are massive here and they came with the quintessential milk tea and soup with the entrees but it's way too much greasy and sodium for me.
But back to the 4 stars....yes the wife cakes at $1.30 each were absolutely great. They even held up on the trip back to Winnipeg which my sister raved about. So come here to pick up the wife cakes, definitely skip on the meals and the bad ventilation system. -
Review from Odette C.
Vancouver, BC
10/25/2010 1 Check-in Here
Beware. Parking lot behind restaurant full of little rats and with the door to the kitchen open don't be surprise if the little ones creep in and grab a wife cake or 2 before they get to you. Also available for viewing behind restaurant a blackend with grease deep fryer...very gross :(
In conclusion, not the cleanest Chinese bakery around, if you can stand above the baked porkchops on rice/spaghetti is decent and cheap. -
Review from Kayla S.
Vancouver, BC
4/5/2011
All my American relatives love their "wife cake." KamDo is famous for them. I would only recommend wife cakes at the bakery section. As for the cafe, they serve HK style. Atmosphere is not good but their food is good. For a newbie, you would be absolutely confused by their menu. Till this day, my parents are baffled at their menu. But once you are a regular, the menu confusion is not an issue.
Portions are huge. If you are a big eater and love HK food, then this place is for you. I can never eat the entire meal, so I always manage to bring home more then half of the meal home. Cafe section is famous for baked foods (especially any type of baked rice items). -
Review from Melissa F.
Toronto, ON
2/3/2010
try not to worry about the 5 different menues with differnt, but the same things- it's pretty classically chinese- huge menu- but bassically 100s of dishes made with the same 5 base ingredients. If you know what you want, just ask for it- they will do it for you/make substitutions etc.
This is the classic cheap HK cafe with massive portions. Not AS good as some of the old restaurants in Chinatown (note- gold stone in vancouver's chinatown) BUT it's still damn tasty and a great deal.
Menu reccommendations:
-baked porkchop on fried rice (in tomato sauce)
-portuguese chicken
(they make a ridiculously good almond milk too- i think they use thick creme for that!) -
Review from Joe L.
Vancouver, BC
12/12/2009
Kam Do offers the best deals among all the Hong Kong style tea cafés that I've visited in metro Vancouver. The restaurant offers multiple lunch menus with set meals ranging from just under $8 to $11. They come with your choice of main dish (with rice, spaghetti or fries), a hot or cold drink, soup, and dessert. We ordered one with golden fried sole filet and another one with deep fried pork chops with salt and green pepper and portions were huge, particularly the pork chop dish. When it came, the plate was piled with at least 1 dozen pieces and we wondered for a while if we ordered an a la carte plate instead.
However, similar to many HK style tea cafés, the flavours of most of the dishes come from seasoning. Don't be surprised if the meat itself is bland (due to over-freezing) and extremely tender from meat tenderizer.
If you are looking for a place with lots of menu choices, good prices, big portions and a good cup of rich HK style hot coffee or tea with milk, Kam Do is the place to go. -
Review from samuel a.
Vancouver, BC
7/7/2010 2 Check-ins Here
I don't do the cakes that everyone talks about. I just do food, and boy I love LOTS of GOOD food.
The ridiculous menus will throw you off if you appear for the first time and don't know what to eat.
Everytime I enter I want to get something different, but I'm always drawn to the Baked Porkchops on Spaghetti. It is a ridiculous portion, that comes in a dish bigger than my face (and I have a fairly large head I'm told). It is heartburn in a dish, but it tastes so delicious, and I just can't help myself.
Sure the inside is old and grimy but it's the food. And for it to come with a drink, and soup, there is no better deal around for just over $10. -
Review from HELEN C.
Vancouver, BC
10/26/2009 45 photos
OMG this is my heaven!! I know a lot of people would actually drive alllllllllllllll the way here for their pastry, which i haven't even tried any of them, but the meals here are just so good I didn't even bother to check out their bakery section.
My problem with this place is... toooooooo many good food selections (they got like.. 5-7 different menus)! I would be like, "oh my god i want this, oh my god i want that, oh my god i want this too!" Since I love chicken so much, I now just stick to the grilled chicken steak combo (oOoh my god.. their chicken is sooo good man, if yer a chicken lover, gotta try it).
This dish comes with a slice of garlic bread, a bowl of soup (chinese or western, i always choose western and it's cream soup, i love cream soup!!!!!!!!!!!!!), rice or spaghetti and the best part, a cold or hot beverage of your choice (from their drink menu) and you can get a refill (once only, that used to be unlimited few years ago, ha ha). All that for a cost of $8 something something + tax.
If i ever live in Richmond, oh man.. I can't imagine how much weight i'd be putting on...Listed in: Good for Groups
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Review from Paul B.
10/12/2010
This place was aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
It looks like an 'Asian' establishment. But then again, what else would you expect coming to Richmond. The food selection was alright. And the baked goods were equally as alright. I guess it was delicious...it just didn't blow me away.
Word to the wise: they only accept cash here. Although, they accept USD as well. Please don't make the same mistake as us and remember to tip haha. -
Review from Anthony F.
Vancouver, BC
3/9/2010
Background: I'm Chinese and grew up on Chinese food.
Food: All the HK diner classics are here and good. The portions are unnecessarily huge. Fried rices, fried spaghetti, fried pork chop with tomato sauce, and Portuguese chicken will all be good here.
Service: Typical fast and no-frills service. As expected.
Ambiance: OK, kind of like Honolulu cafe. It's drab with many large booths for whole families and large parties.
Pricepoint: Some of the cheapest food you'll find in Vancouver.
Overall: I love this place more than my own mother. Just kidding, but it's very good, and hundreds of Chinese families I'm sure agree.Listed in: Chopsticks not chopsuey
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Review from Claudia L.
Burnaby, BC
12/19/2008
The best place to get Lao Poh Bang (aka Chinese Wife "Sweatheart" Cakes): an Chinese iconic wheel-shaped pastry with winter melon and almond paste filling [enter cartoonish Honger drool here].
The cafe part of the restaurant is infamous in Richmond for it's thriftiness (both in price, food quality and decor) and serves dishes in Hulkish portions. I still go here to get a quick breakfast before/after the airport. Serves typical Honger fast food: chow mein, fried rice, sandwiches, cold Ovaltine and the works.
**Food Pervert's 5-star Disclaimer: This rating means it's one of my favourite places to go for what it offers. Please leave any foodie wannabe syndromes and red carpet expectations at the door.** -
Review from Tabatha Anne Y.
Richmond, BC
8/12/2010
I didn't enjoy my dining experience here. My friends like to go here because it's so cheap, but I would prefer to spend the extra cash and have a nice dinner.
I ordered "Potato Pancake and Fruit Salad" off the 6 page menu. What I received was a frozen hash brown patty with a side of very strange potato salad that had watermelon and oranges in it. Not a good flavour/texture combination!
The service was poor and I felt like we didn't get paid attention to because we are white, but I could be projecting my suspicions. I have no proof of this, it's just the vibe I got. There's a lot of places in Richmond you should only really go to if you have at least one Asian friend in your party, and this feels like one of them. Such a shame.
The bakery was pretty picked over by the time I was there, so we didn't get any treats. Too bad, I heard they were amazing.
The home brewed iced tea is freaking amazing though. Mmmm. -
Review from Masaki L.
Richmond, BC
5/17/2010 1 Check-in Here
It's a very popular "Hongkongese-Western style cafe/restaurant" () in Richmond. I'm a Honger so I know well about what it should like.
The environment is pretty much as typical as the ones in Hong Kong. The food portion is relatively big in size, compare to many others. IMO, the deep fried chicken wings and deep fried fish fillets are the tastiest stuff among all. However, the typical "instant noodles in soup with beef satay" () is the most disappointing dish, for they use a very low quality instant noodles and the satay is not traditional and doesn't taste good either.
Service depends on whether they're busy or not. If they're not too busy, service is OK. But if they're very busy with lots of customers lining up waiting to be seated, the service really makes the customers who are still eating feel pissed. For example, no matter how many times you ask for the missing items, they'll just ignore you until you almost give up; but then once you ask for your bill, they'll clean up your table in less than 1 second so as to seat the new customers in line as soon as possible!
Besides, what an unfair and weird policy?!
Generally, they offer you one free refill, no matter for hot or iced beverage. In which, the refilled drink cannot be taken away but only the initial one if you didn't ask for a refill. However, if only one person over a group of people from the same table asked for a refill for his/her own drink, then even all the rest initial drinks cannot be taken away! Why?!
The price is very reasonable and the food is generally OK, but......... I won't go there too often. -
Review from S L.
Coquitlam, BC
5/11/2011
If all u care is portion of food they serve, sure. This could be the place for u. Other then that, this restaurant need some real maintenance. Furnitures and decoration are run down. Floor is greasy and wet water mark all over. Waitress need some manner training. Tried it two times due to other good reviews. However, still can't stand it.
