#Diamond Bakery

[panicinthestudio]

Chinatown staple Diamond Bakery closes as owner retires, July 2, 2023

'Diamond Bakery has been a Calgary favourite and certainly a Chinatown go-to for BBQ pork buns, egg tarts and deep-fried pork dumplings,' said Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong

A decades-long fixture in Calgary’s Chinatown is closing shop, as its owner celebrates moving into retirement. In a social media post, the Chinatown Business Improvement Area commended owner Henry Chan for his 30 years running the bakery. “Henry Chan is one of the kindest and most hard-working merchants you will find in Chinatown and we wish him all the best in his retirement,” they wrote. Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong is a former executive director of the Chinatown BIA. He said Diamond Bakery will be missed, but that there will be an opportunity for a new business to make its home in Chinatown. “Diamond Bakery has been a Calgary favourite and certainly a Chinatown go-to for BBQ pork buns, egg tarts and deep-fried pork dumplings that we’re going to miss,” Wong said. “We wish the owner a great retirement and look forward to another great Chinatown cultural offering.” City council recently approved a plan that aims to grow the historic Chinatown while preserving the downtown area’s cultural heritage. That plan will involve new infrastructure development, including mixed-use residential-commercial buildings and public spaces, with developers needing to meet certain Asian esthetic requirements in their designs. Jason Herring for the Calgary Herald

Further reading:

My go-to for Hong Kong bakery staples like pineapple buns, coconut and egg tarts, and cocktail buns. They had an even wider selection of when I was a kid: 缽仔糕, 白糖糕, fried curry beef bun, wedding pastries, and until the pandemic their selection of mooncakes. The original must-have was their large palmiers--the kind a kid should probably split in two but didn't because there was always the promise you'd have another next week.

"Staple" doesn't quite illustrate the institutional position, it was the oldest independent Chinese bakery in the city and provided a very specific sense of home for so many of us. 老板, his staff, and Diamond Bakery are an integral part of the story Calgary's Chinatown. We were all so lucky to have shared in their warmth.

[formeryelpers]

Diamond Bakery, 335 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles (Fairfax), CA 90036

Diamond Bakery is a Jewish bakery in a historically Jewish LA neighborhood that started in 1946. They’re still using the original recipes that were brought over to the West Coast from New York by Eastern European immigrants and are known for their corn rye and racetrack cakes.

They make bread (challah, rye, pumpernickel), rolls, cookies, babka, rugelach, bourekas, hamantaschen, strudel, Russian coffee cake, cheesecake, cakes, Danish, bagels, muffins, scones, etc. I noticed the items in the case weren’t labeled.

Chocolate chip rugelach ($10.40/lb): These are small, the size of my index finger. They’re good but I like bigger ones with more layers. They’re crunchier because they’re small.

Chocolate chip Danish ($3.64): I ordered this on accident because the pastries aren’t labeled. I thought I was getting something else but they recommended the chocolate chip Danish and I’m glad they did because it was like a giant rugelach or small babka – more layers of dough and chocolate chips, the dough is made with cream cheese so it’s richer and softer. The Danish was big, heavy and dense.

Jalapeno cheddar bagel ($1.30): On the softer side, I like my bagels chewier

Corn rye, $5.72 – 1.5 lbs and freshly baked, good price, I gave it as a gift but I’ve had it before and it’s so good

You can order online and they’ll also ship and cater events. I was surprised that they have gluten-free challah and babka but you have to pre-order them. They serve LA Mill Coffee, so the coffee is probably pretty good? Parking is tough in the area. The bakery looks older but clean.

4 out of 5 stars.

By Lolia S.

[formeryelpers]

Diamond Bakery, 927 E Las Tunas Dr., Unit G, San Gabriel, CA 91776

Diamond Bakery proved to be a very solid Chinese bakery in the same shopping center as 168 Market and Yogurtland. It’s not much to look at and the selection was fairly limited but I went during the stay at home order, so I’m sure they usually have more. The set up is similar to many Chinese bakeries now – grab a tray and tongs. Cakes and macarons were in the display case. There was also a case of egg tarts, chicken pie and beef curry pie. The buns were individually wrapped and reasonably priced. They have the usual kinds – red bean, taro, pineapple, hot dog, etc.

Ham & cheese bun ($1.85): A big bun with a thick slice of ham and lots of cheese (cheddar or American). The bun was soft and slightly sweet. The ham wasn’t too salty, which is a common problem with ham & cheese buns. Theirs had a great balance between salty and sweet.  

Curry beef bun ($1.85): A soft bun and plenty of filling (ground beef, onion, sweet yellow curry). The curry flavor was strong but the beef was bland anyway.

Pineapple bun ($1.40): Nice, soft bun with a soft almond cookie like topping. I like mine a little crispier but that’s a preference thing.

Egg custard tart, regular ($1.55): Pretty decent, a fairly flaky shell, soft custard that wasn’t super sweet

Red bean bun ($1.65): Big bun, lots of chunky red bean filling, pretty good

Crunchy shredded meat bun ($1.95): Didn’t realize that shredded meat meant pork sung, the soft sweet bun counterbalanced the dry pork sung and made the pork sung seem less dry

Chinese tamale ($4.25): On the salty side with mung bean, salted egg, and pork - more fat than pork though. Okay, but wouldn’t get again.

$10 credit card minimum. Custom cakes are available. I’d like to try the Chinese tamales next. I noticed they had durian cakes.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

By Lolia S.