Just Desserts: Golden Gate Cake Shop

By Londonist Last edited 168 months ago
Just Desserts: Golden Gate Cake Shop

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Photo by Abby Chau

Golden Gate Cake Shop

13 Macclesfield Street, W1D 5BR

Nearest Tube: Leiscester Square

Phone: 0207 287 9862

Expect to Pay: around 80p per bun/slice of cake

Chinatown is scattered with restaurants buzzing with chatter, cheesy-looking clubs pounding the latest mix, and Chinese medicine shops promising treatments for spots and chronic fatigue. Sitting quietly amongst this frenzied hodgepodge is an authentic little Chinese bakery.

Golden Gate Cake Shop is so small, you could easily walk by it and not notice it. Despite its size, the shop sells over 80 different types of baked goods, from sweet pandan cake, black forest cake, and custard bun to pineapple bun, coffee cake, and mango pudding. The buns are moist and delicately made with a crispy outer layer of flaky pastry dough. It is self-service so they encourage you to use throngs and trays that are provided near the entrance. Try the sesame seed balls, a deep fried pastry filled with red bean paste and coated with sesame seeds. The custard tarts are also popular favourites, as are the beautifully decorated whole cakes, which are filled with fruit and sweet cream.

Don’t expect to hang around in the shop for too long, there are no seats and it is always so packed that you can expect to bump shoulders with other customers. They are so busy in fact that when asked if it would be ok to take a picture inside the shop, the clerks replied that they were too busy and didn’t need the publicity. This may not be the place to go for a long chat with a friend, but it’s perfect if you want to grab a quick snack before hitting one of the numerous cinemas in the neighborhood.

By Abby Chau

Last Updated 01 March 2010