On April 21, 2015, an accidental fire at 142 East Pender Street in Vancouver's Chinatown brought a 36-year-old business to a halt.
The blaze destroyed Daisy Garden Kitchen, a family-run restaurant that opened in 1979 and took great pride in "serving the communities in and around Chinatown."
"It was one of the pillars of the community," Vancouver Chinatown Foundation co-founder Carol Lee told Glacier Media in 2021.
"We have enjoyed a great reputation of providing quality food and services in an affordable way," adds the restaurant.
Compounding certain frustration was that at the time of the fire, the restaurant had only been operating for a few months after an extensive interior renovation.
Undeterred, Daisy Garden set out to rebuild, and, even in the face of a global pandemic, have managed to get the doors open again to serve customers yet again.
"[W]e still insist on re-opening business against the odds in order to reconnect with the communities and our loyal customers," explains Daisy Garden Kitchen.
And insist they have. Daisy Garden has been reborn, and, according to local fans in the food community, the restaurant has really upped its game.
The new Daisy Garden, which is in its "soft opening" phase, offers familiar dishes like its beloved Chinese BBQ dishes, along with noodles served in soup and congee. A three-course lunch special is available for $18.50.
Chinese Restaurant Awards judge Lee Man shared an update on the restaurant to social media, noting the business is in early days but things look quite promising: "The new menu features wonton house classics [and] HK cafe comfort dishes. They’ve installed a proper Chinese drum BBQ in the kitchen. The owner told me she hopes the restaurant helps add vitality to this important and historic neighbourhood."
