There are certain flavours that immediately transport you somewhere else. For me, Hong Kong milk tea is one of them.
Strong black tea, evaporated milk, that unmistakably silky mouthfeel. It is a drink that somehow manages to be both comforting and intensely flavourful. And at Saan Saan Cafe in Vancouver, that familiar Hong Kong classic has been given a very summery twist. To celebrate Saan Saan Cafe’s second anniversary, the family-run Hong Kong-inspired cafe in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown has teamed up with longtime friends at Passione Gelato to create two limited-edition Hong Kong milk tea gelato sandos, available throughout August while quantities last.
Saan Saan Cafe: A Piece of Hong Kong in Vancouver
Located at 227 Main Street, Saan Saan Cafe is one of those Vancouver restaurants where the story of the space is just as meaningful as the food. The cafe was founded by siblings Eric, Sarena and Jamie Siu and opened in August 2024. But the family’s connection to this corner of Vancouver goes back much further.
The building that now houses Saan Saan was once their grandparents’ home, with the family’s history here stretching back to the early 1950s. Walking inside, you can feel those layers of history. Rather than creating a generic modern cafe, Saan Saan draws from old-school Hong Kong and Vancouver Chinatown aesthetics. Family pieces, Cantonese details and vintage influences give the room a very nostalgic feel.
Saan Saan serves Hong Kong-inspired comfort food with an entirely gluten-free menu, including dishes and flavours that aren’t always easy to find in gluten-free form: curry fish balls, char siu BBQ pork puffs, prawn toast, mochi brownies and, of course, Hong Kong milk tea.
But for this anniversary celebration, that milk tea takes centre stage.
Turning Saan Saan’s Hong Kong Milk Tea into Gelato
The heart of the collaboration is Saan Saan’s signature Hong Kong milk tea blend.
Eric has spent years refining the tea, looking for the right balance of aroma, richness, colour and mouthfeel. Anyone who loves proper Hong Kong milk tea knows why those details matter. It isn’t simply black tea with milk. The strength of the tea, its tannins, the dairy and the texture all have to work together. Which is also why transforming it into gelato makes so much sense.
Gelato and Hong Kong milk tea have something important in common: texture.
Both should be smooth, rich and silky. Here, the tea doesn’t simply become another novelty ice cream flavour. Its character works naturally with the dense creaminess of gelato. For the anniversary, there are two different ways to try it:
- Classic Hong Kong Milk Tea Sando ($11.00)
- Yeen Yeung Sando ($11.00)
The Classic Hong Kong Milk Tea Sando pairs Saan Saan’s signature milk tea blend with Hong Kong milk tea gelato, sandwiched between toasted gluten-free vanilla cookies and finished with milk crumbs. This is the one for Hong Kong milk tea purists. You get that fragrant tea flavour surrounded by creamy gelato, while the toasted vanilla cookie adds sweetness and texture without overpowering the tea. The milk crumbs add another layer of milky richness.
The Yeen Yeung Sando features a gluten-free coffee sandwich cookie surrounds the same Hong Kong milk tea gelato made with Saan Saan’s signature tea blend, along with toasted milk crumbs. The slight coffee bitterness plays against the creamy milk tea gelato, giving the sando a deeper flavour and recreating that coffee-and-tea contrast that makes yeen yeung such an unmistakable Hong Kong drink.
A Vancouver Food Collaboration Years in the Making
What I love most about this collaboration, though, is the story behind it.
Long before Saan Saan Cafe existed, Jamie and Sal worked together making gelato at Bella Gelateria. And now Sal leads the famous Passione Gelato in Vancouver (a personal favourite spot) making the best gelato in town.
Jamie was one of the first friends Sal made after moving to Vancouver, and the two bonded over food, craftsmanship and the idea that something delicious can bring people together. Years later, that friendship has come full circle. Instead of simply creating an anniversary flavour, they’re combining the craft they once shared with something that has become distinctly Saan Saan: Eric’s Hong Kong milk tea.
More Than Just a Hong Kong Cafe
Saan Saan represents an interesting new chapter for Vancouver’s Chinatown food scene. There’s nostalgia here, but the cafe isn’t trying to preserve Hong Kong food in it’s most authentic form. Instead, familiar flavours are allowed to evolve. Hong Kong milk tea becomes a mochi brownie or gelato sando. Traditional cafe dishes are reworked to be gluten-free. Family memories share space with contemporary Vancouver food culture. And yet, somehow, the food still feels connected to where it came from. Maybe that’s what makes Saan Saan worth visiting. It isn’t simply about recreating Hong Kong in Vancouver. It’s about what happens to those flavours and memories after generations of living here.
Please note Saan Saan’s hours are Thursday from 10 AM to 4 PM and Friday to Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
Saan Saan Cafe & Restaurant
Address: 227 Main Street, Vancouver, BC
Website: https://www.saansaan.ca/
