Pine House Bakery

Well I am not a fan of Chinese pastry. This little corner booth or store or whatever you call it, is a bit dirty and super run down. I don’t know how clean it is inside because I do see nasty stuff on their wall behind. Well maybe its just super run down.
But again it seems like all Pine House Bakery is like that. Not a fan but my dad and I walked by and he insisted on getting Chinese Donuts.
No service here and the people don’t speak fluent English. So be prepared!

Right in Crystal Mall, lucky for the tenants who live above.
Decent product & pricing, but just b/​c of its setup here w/​the rest of the ‘booths’, i don’t find it particularly attractive compared to going to an Anna’s.
Limited cake selection. I’m sure their Hastings one is more fresh, as it seems to have its baking operations in the back.

Pine House is one of the Chinese bakeries at Crystal Mall. It is located in the food market on the 1^st floor below the food court. I was looking to get a small bite to eat before heading to Vancouver for the morning. As I have realized on previous trips, businesses open up a bit later on Sundays. Pine House was the only bakery open at 9am, which is why I ended up here.
This bakery has a good variety of items. It is not just buns and cakes here. So many items to choose from, but sadly I was particular about what to get since I had just a backpack and a grocery bag meaning limited space and a preference not to have to carry too much stuff around town.
I wanted to get one of the steamed pork or chicken buns here, but they weren’t ready yet. Ended up getting a baked chicken bun ($.95) and a day old package of rolls ($ 1.50). Reena was spot on about day old buns. The rolls needed a microwaving. Though I think most Chinese buns have this same problem.
The baked chicken bun was nice and warm. The filling was tasty. Not a whole lot of filling, but not stingy either. It is about right.
I am sure this place would be four star territory if I tried a few more things. Based off the selections I tried, I found Pine House to be a decent Chinese bakery.

Unfortunately, their buns weren’t as soft as Maxim’s and the way they package them, they get stale the following day. I just microwaved them for 15 seconds and they were good again! However, their coconut buns just aren’t my favorite, even though they are the same price. The bread part is a little tougher.

Right in the center of the food market in Crystal Mall, they take up a pretty big portion of the market, and for good reason. They actually make most of the stuff right here, and not have it shipped in from their other many locations around the GVR.
Unlike their other locations, this one really looks like part of the market. The food is well presented is clear plastic boxes, and stacked upon with a cheap sticker tag with a written price in the centre for you to pick, like picking produce. It’s not the prettiest of stores, but I guess that is not needed as this is a market afterall.
They sell all the chinese delicacies you can think of at a bakery like this, from egg tarts, to Chinese donuts, to even mango pudding, and for a fairly good price. You can see the ovens right behind the counter too. They do make some real good butter butterfly cookies, if you have had these before, just remember, they come in a nice small pack of 3, and I must admit, are good. (on a side note, I already saw them selling mooncake, it must be that time of year again!). Standard run of the mill type bakery, that you can get all the normal regular Chinese bakery stuff.

Unfortunately, Pine House Bakery doesn’t sell their rice noodle rolls anymore. They don’t make ‘em anymore, period.
However, we ordered their Chinese style birthday cakes with fruit on the top again just yesterday. They are still consistent as always and it tasted great! Very light, not too sweet and the cream that they use taste heavenly and not too sweet once again. We ordered ours without fruit inside, just plain, but fruit on the top and it was a birthday cake. If you’re into these light fluffy fruit on the top cakes, Pine House Bakery is the best of the best!