Rice Cake Master, formerly known as Nam Dae Moon, has been a prominent as rice cake dessert vendor in Metro Vancouver for quite some time. I've been there myself but I acknowledge that the old name did not help all onlookers understand what was being sold inside. Beyond the fluffy rice cakes and mochi desserts though is a limited time pop-up of Luroufan Tasty, which brings savoury Taiwanese dishes to complement your rice cake experience. Last week, I had a try of nearly everything on the menu and have my favourites to share with you today.
![](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-spread-2.jpg)
Disclosure: I attended a tasting at Rice Cake Master, hosted for food bloggers, to product this blog post.
Food:
Team OG came here for a Thursday evening dinner and I had a great taste of the following:
- Signature Braised Pork on Rice ($6.95)
- Classic Braised Pork on Rice ($13.95)
- Japanese-Style Curry Shrimp Tempura on Rice ($17.50)
- Braised Beef Saucy Noodles ($15.50)
- Braised Pork Belly ($9.50)
- Land & Sea Special Lunchbox ($18.95)
- Mango or Strawberry Snow Skin Cake ($8)
- Mango or Strawberry Mochi ($6)
The signature braised pork on rice is the perfect entryway to Taiwanese food if you're looking for the best calorie per dollar ratio. You get a little savoury (braised pork), a little tang (pickled vegetables), and a bit of tea-infused protein (half-egg) in a neat little package.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Signature Braised Pork on Rice](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-signature-braised-pork-on-rice.jpg)
For something a little more in-depth with Taiwanese cooking though, the classic braised pork on rice is right up my alley. This is the signature bowl but amped up with a full egg, a spring roll, a little more braised pork, a little more vegetable, and also Taiwanese sausage thrown into the mix.
![](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-classic-braised-pork-on-rice-1.jpg)
My favourite item this evening was the Japanese-style curry shrimp tempura on rice. This shrimp tempura was positively crispy, with a strong bread-like finish. The curry sauce was especially homey with a little bit of heat and a ton of root vegetables to hold the thick sauce. I don't think there is a difference between the curries – it's all a choice of protein. That's a good thing then. I don't think think there is a wrong choice of curry here.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Japanese-Style Curry Shrimp Tempura on Rice](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-japanese-style-curry-shrimp-tempura-on-rice-1.jpg)
![](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-japanese-style-curry-shrimp-tempura-on-rice-3.jpg)
The braised beef saucy noodles has a terrible name but this was also really good! If you can imagine a traditional Taiwanese beef noodle soup where the soup is cooked down into a concentrated sauce, that's what this dish offers. I personally love the more intense flavour and the thick sauce was lovely to swirl into with the chewy noodles.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Braised Beef Saucy Noodles](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-braised-beef-saucy-noodles-3.jpg)
I was a little skeptical of the braised pork belly at first but this is such a substantial serving. Look at the thickness of the pork belly in the photo below! If you want to enhance any dish with a side, the braised pork belly has you covered. So moist and tender.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Braised Pork Belly](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-braised-pork-belly-1.jpg)
The land and sea special lunchbox has the coolest name and it's the best way to get a little bit of everything into your bowl. Unfortunately, unlike the braised dishes or saucy noodles, there isn't a lot of sauce to go onto this land and sea special lunchbox which makes it a little bland. I think ordering this with a braised pork sauce or the spicy sauce is a must in order to enjoy this dish in its current state.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Land and Sea Special Lunchbox](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-land-and-sea-special-lunchbox.jpg)
Moving onto the desserts, they all come in the cutest little boxes making them easy for gifting to a friend.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Rice-Based Desserts](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-snow-skin-cakes.jpg)
The strawberry and mango snow skin cakes are both on the crunchy side and remind me of a traditional mooncake with the lotus swapped out for cream and fruit.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Strawberry Snow Skin Cake](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-strawberry-snow-skin-cake-1.jpg)
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Mango Snow Skin Cake](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-mango-snow-skin-cake-1.jpg)
Last but not least, the strawberry and mango mochi are distinct balls of stretchy joy. The fruit inside tastes fresh and the high-quality mochi means that it doesn't get as stuck to your teeth as the starchier variants. Of the two desserts I had, I liked the mochi for and think it would be great for anyone who hasn't really gotten into rice-based desserts yet. I also liked the custom-printed logo on the mochi. I could see that being used to personalize a gift.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Mango or Strawberry Mochi](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-mango-or-strawberry-mochi-1.jpg)
To finish, we also got these off-menu "tang hu lu" (糖葫蘆) which were crunchy sugar-crusted fruits. Maybe one day these will move into the regular menu.
![Luroufan Tasty in Burnaby – Tang Hu Lu](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-tang-hu-lu-1.jpg)
Vibes:
Rice Cake Master has set up shop in The George building on Royal Oak Ave, close to Royal Oak Skytrain Station, making it a hotspot for anybody who takes transit regularly. I saw a few people come in for takeout rice cake desserts and head out back towards the SkyTrain.
![Inside Rice Cake Master in Burnaby](https://noshandnibble.blog/content/images/2024/02/rice-cake-master-inside.jpg)
Inside Rice Cake Master, you'll find a quaint yet efficient space with smooth, marble-like countertops and floral wallpaper that enhances the presentation of any food. There is seating for about 16 guests along the tables and window-facing counters.
Final Thoughts:
One-liner: Rice Cake Master's menu gets amped up with Taiwanese savoury food items from Luroufan Tasty so that you have a little more choice to go with your rice cake desserts
Highlight: Japanese-Style Curry Tempura Shrimp on Rice
Price per person: $20-$45 (assuming you're stopping for both desserts and savoury items)
Would I go back? Yes.