The Northern Star Bakery Menu

Baked Buns

Sweet-dough buns baked throughout the day in Hong Kong-style bakeries, sold individually from glass cases.

• Hot Dog BunSavoryA cocktail sausage coiled in soft, slightly sweet bread, sometimes with ketchup and scallions, a nostalgic lunchbox snack.
• Taro BunVegetarianA shaped bun filled with lavender-tinted taro paste, mildly sweet with an earthy, vanilla-like flavor.
• Ham and Egg BunSavorySoft bread rolled with a slice of ham and topped with egg salad and scallion, savory and comforting.
• Coconut Cream BunVegetarianHong Kong cream bun split and piped with sweet whipped butter cream, then rolled in shredded coconut.
• Bo Lo BaoVegetarian · Popular pickThe pineapple bun, named for its crackly, golden sugar-cookie crust rather than any fruit; the milk bread beneath stays fluffy.
• Gai Mei BaoVegetarianCocktail bun filled with a sweet, buttery coconut paste and topped with two decorative stripes and sesame seeds.
• Baked Char Siu BaoSavoryA glossy, honey-glazed bun wrapped around chopped Cantonese barbecue pork in a sweet-savory oyster sauce gravy.

Steamed & Dim Sum To-Go

Steamed buns and dim sum items, packed hot in boxes for takeout.

• Lo Mai GaiSavoryGlutinous rice steamed in a lotus leaf with chicken, Chinese sausage, and mushroom, absorbing the leaf's tea-like aroma.
• Siu MaiSavoryOpen-topped steamed dumplings of minced pork and shrimp in thin yellow wrappers, juicy and bouncy, often garnished with roe.
• Har GowSavoryTranslucent wheat-starch dumplings pleated around plump whole shrimp, slippery-chewy with a clean, sweet seafood flavor.
• Lo Bak GoSavoryTurnip cake of shredded daikon, rice flour, Chinese sausage, and dried shrimp, steamed then pan-fried for a crisp crust.
• Steamed Char Siu BaoSavoryFluffy white bun that splits open at the top to reveal sticky, sweet roast pork filling, soft and pillowy.
• Nai Wong BaoVegetarianSteamed custard bun filled with a smooth, sunshine-yellow milk-and-egg custard, sweet with a hint of coconut.

Pastries & Tarts

Flaky lard- or butter-based pastries and custard tarts rooted in Cantonese teahouse tradition.

• Coconut TartVegetarianA buttery shortcrust tart filled with moist, toasted shredded coconut bound in egg custard, golden-browned on top and chewy inside.
• Char Siu SouSavoryLayered pastry rectangles filled with diced barbecue pork, brushed with egg and sesame, savory and sweet.
• Curry Beef PuffSavoryA crisp pastry turnover filled with ground beef, onion, and potato in a mild yellow curry, a Hong Kong snack-shop favorite.
• Dan TatVegetarian · Popular pickHong Kong egg tart with a flaky or shortcrust shell holding a smooth, glossy yellow custard, best eaten warm.
• Wife CakeVegetarianLo po beng: a round, flaky pastry filled with chewy winter-melon paste and sesame, sweet and subtly perfumed.

Cakes & Sponges

Airy, lightly sweet cakes favored over heavy American frostings.

• Paper-Wrapped Sponge CakeVegetarian · Dairy-freeTall individual chiffon cakes baked in paper liners, eggy, springy, and lightly sweet, eaten with tea.
• Fresh Fruit Cream CakeVegetarian · Popular pickChiffon layers filled and frosted with whipped cream and topped with kiwi, strawberries, and mango; the classic Chinese bakery birthday cake.
• Mango Mousse CakeSponge base with a smooth, chilled mango mousse and a shimmering mango glaze, tropical and refreshing.
• Swiss RollVegetarianA rolled sponge with a thin spiral of whipped cream or butter cream in flavors like chocolate, coffee, or matcha.
• Ma Lai GoVegetarian · Dairy-freeMalay-style steamed brown sugar sponge cake, damp and springy with a caramel-like flavor and open, bouncy crumb.

Cookies & Snacks

Crisp cookies and fried sweets sold in bags or tins, often given as gifts.

• Jin DeuiVegetarian · Dairy-freeSesame balls of glutinous rice dough filled with red bean or lotus paste, fried until hollow and crisp, chewy inside.
• SachimaVegetarian · Dairy-freeFried strands of egg dough bound with syrup into soft, fluffy bars, sweet and slightly crunchy.
• Butterfly PastryVegetarianHong Kong-style palmier made from caramelized puff pastry folded into butterfly wings, crisp and toffee-like.
• Dan GyunVegetarianEgg roll cookies: thin, crisp rolled wafers made from egg batter, light and sweet, sold in tins around the holidays.
• Almond CookieContains nutsA crumbly, round cookie made with almond flour and lard or butter, pressed with a whole almond in the center.
• Hap Tou SouContains nutsWalnut cookie with a cracked, sandy surface, toasted walnut pieces, and a rich, short crumb that crumbles at first bite.

Festival Specialties

Treats tied to the lunar calendar, most available only in the weeks before each holiday.

• Nian GaoVegan · Dairy-freeA sticky, sweet glutinous rice cake made with brown sugar for Lunar New Year, often sliced and pan-fried with egg.
• ZongziSavory · SeasonalPyramid-shaped sticky rice parcels wrapped in bamboo leaves with pork belly, salted egg, and mung bean for the Dragon Boat Festival.
• Lotus Seed MooncakeVegetarian · SeasonalDense, glossy-crusted mooncake filled with smooth lotus seed paste and one or two salted duck egg yolks for Mid-Autumn Festival.
• Five-Kernel MooncakeContains nuts · SeasonalA traditional mooncake packed with walnuts, almonds, sesame, melon seeds, and candied fruit, crunchy, chewy, and sweet-salty in every bite.
• Snow Skin MooncakeVegetarian · SeasonalAn unbaked mooncake with a soft, chilled glutinous-rice skin, filled with custard, durian, or mung bean.

Drinks

• Matcha latteVegetarianStone-ground Japanese green tea whisked and poured into hot or iced milk; grassy, slightly bitter, and vivid green with a creamy finish.
• Hong Kong-style milk teaVegetarianRobust black tea blend strained through a cloth 'silk stocking' and mixed with evaporated milk for a smooth, strong, tannic cup.
• Thai iced teaVegetarianSpiced, bright-orange black tea sweetened with condensed milk and finished with a float of evaporated milk over crushed ice.
• Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá)VegetarianDark-roast coffee dripped through a phin filter onto sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice; potent, chocolatey, and syrupy-sweet.
• Taro milk teaVegetarianLavender-hued drink blending taro root powder or paste with milk and tea; nutty, vanilla-like sweetness and a thick body, often served with pearls.
• Sea salt coffeeVegetarianIced coffee topped with a lightly salted whipped cream layer, sipped through the foam; popularized by Taiwanese-style bakery cafés for its sweet-salty contrast.