Little Pisces is a new taiyaki cafe opening in Metro Vancouver and will be the first of its kind in the area.
Not only will you be able to grab tasty taiyaki in many flavours, but you’ll be able to order taiyaki soft serve in various unique flavours.
Dished was able to get in ahead of opening to check out the space, learn about taiyaki, and try some of the many flavours Little Pisces will offer. Keep reading to learn all the deets about this new taiyaki spot.
The concept
Little Pisces is run by co-owners Linda Dai and Jacky Tian. The duo met in high school and were friends but drifted apart after graduating and living in different countries. Then they met up again and threw around the idea of opening a cafe, and it soon became a reality. Soon, they quit their corporate jobs and committed to opening Little Pisces.
We’re both pretty young,” said Dai. “I’m 27. He’s 26. And at our age, I don’t know many people who are willing to just quit their corporate jobs and start something like this.”
The idea to serve taiyaki came when the duo stumbled across a shop serving the snack in LA.
Marco Ovies/Daily Hive
“We tried it and thought, ‘This is this is great,” said Tian. “A taiyaki cafe is something that I don’t think Metro Vancouver really has. So, we wanted to be unique. We wanted to be fun, and I think we hit both of those points.”
“We don’t want to start a shop that’s just the latest fad,” added Tian. “We want to build a business that we won’t have to shut down in a couple of years once the fad and virality kind of dies down.
Tian said that since taiyaki has been time tested in Japan and Korea, where it’s known as bungeo-ppang, they’re confident it will stand the test of time in Metro Vancouver.
She also added that taiyaki is just a great snack in general, and after tasting Little Pisces offerings, we couldn’t agree more (but more on that in a second).
What is taiyaki?
Taiyaki are fish-shaped pastries that are often sold as street food. The most common filling for these treats is red bean paste, but you can really put whatever you want inside.
In regards to the history of taiyaki, Dai told Dished that taiyaki dates all the way back to the 1900s.
Marco Ovies/Daily Hive
“Back then, in East Asia, there wasn’t a lot of economic development, and a lot of people poor. But then they were able to invent something called taiyaki. And it was something that was only 100 yen at the time, which is something that everyone could afford.”
“They would often give taiyaki is kind of like a snack or some sort of dessert during parties and anniversaries and all that. It’s kind of a sign of good luck because people were too poor to eat fish. So instead, they were eating fish-shaped snacks instead as a way to celebrate small wins.”
Some people believe the way you eat taiyaki can give insight into your personality. If you take your first bite at the head of the fish, then you’re optimistic; if you take it from the tail, you’re calm; and if you go right for the middle, you’re easy-going.
The food
When opened, Little Pisces will offer seven different varieties of taiyaki. They include red bean, custard, Nutella, ube, hotteok, pizza, and matcha strawberry. We got to sample one of each flavour during our visit, and choosing a favourite was incredibly difficult.
For those new to taiyaki, we’d recommend grabbing one of the red beans. Hotteok is another tasty option and is served with sugary syrup inside. Additionally, the matcha strawberry was also fantastic.
Those looking for something savoury will enjoy the pizza taiyaki. It’s filled with tomato sauce and cheese and has one of the most impressive cheese pulls we’ve ever seen.
Marco Ovies/Daily Hive
But it doesn’t stop at just taiyaki at Little Pisces. You can also get a taiyaki soft serve in so many unique flavours.
First, you start by choosing which soft-serve flavour you want. Options include milk, yuzu, matcha, black sesame, milk/yuzu twist, and matcha/black sesame twist. Then, you choose if you want your soft serve in a cup, in a taiyaki cone, or in an upside-down taiyaki cone. Then, you finish it all off by deciding what filling you want in your taiyaki cone. You can choose either red bean, custard, or Nutella.
Marco Ovies/Daily Hive
If that wasn’t enough choices for you, you can also add toppings like matcha powder and sprinkles. This might be our new favourite way of eating ice cream.
Marco Ovies/Daily Hive
Little Pisces also has some beverages on its menu, like cold brew and matcha. We were big fans of the Strawberry Matcha.
Little Pisces opens its doors on June 1 at 1 pm. Will you be checking out this new taiyaki spot? Let us know in the comments.
Little Pisces Taiyaki & Soft Serve
Address: 4501 North Road #202b, Burnaby
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