JoDeen Cafe is a small cafe located just off Kingsway in Burnaby. This small shop specializes in Taiwanese wheel cakes. Wheel cakes (車輪餅) are made from a waffle-like batter cooked in cast iron pans and filled with a variety of fillings. Named after its rounded shape, this Taiwanese street food staple originates from Japan’s imagawayaki. JoDeen Cafe is one of the few spots in the Greater Vancouver offering this delicious treat. In addition to these wheel cakes, they also have a selection of bubble tea drinks and coffee to pair with your wheel cake. Check out my full review of JoDeen Cafe below!
JoDeen Cafe – Wheel Cake Flavours
JoDeen makes their wheel cake fresh, so expect a 15-20 minute wait. I’m a firm believer that good things take time, and these wheel cakes are worth the wait. They are crispy on the outside with a soft cakey inside. And at JoDeen they do not skimp on the filling, each wheel cake is filled to the brim. The regular flavours are $3.35 each and include:
- Custard
- Red Bean
- Taro
Their special flavours are $3.85 each and include:
- Pearl and Custard
- Oreo and Custard
- Cheese and Corn
- Cheese and Potato
JoDeen Cafe also has rotating special flavours, and on my visit it was Matcha Red Bean and Custard.
The Matcha Red Bean and Custard, was a really good combination of very classic Japanese flavours. However, if I had to pick one wheel cake that really encapsulates the Taiwanese wheel cake experience, it would definitely be the Pearl and Custard. The pearls are perfectly cooked, with a nice chew and goes so well with the silky custard and the crisp cake.
Surprisingly, my favourite was the Cheese and Corn. The savoury cheese and sweet corn works so well in the wheel cake. However, I thought all the flavours were very delicious and well worth the wait. The sweet flavours weren’t ‘too sweet’ and my mum was a huge fan. A close second was the Oreo and Custard. The vanilla custard went so well with the slight crunch of the Oreo cookie.
The Taro one was another favourite, with a slightly sweet taro paste absolutely bursting out of the wheel cake.
Worth a Try?
Yes! These are a bit pricey at almost $4 each, but they are very filling and you can get a couple to share. I would pass on their drinks, unless you’re looking for a nostalgic early 2000’s bubble tea taste (read: artificial). While everyone is going crazy for the Eggyaki just down the road at Guulu Cafe, I think these are a good alternative if you don’t want to wait in that crazy line.
JoDeen Cafe
Address: 6969 Gilley Ave, Burnaby, BC V5J 0H4
Website: https://www.instagram.com/jodeencafe/
