The newest dessert counter on Fraser Street does not have its own address.
HARU, a Japanese dessert pop-up from Yokohama-born baker Chiharu Ohashi, has taken over the counter at SLO Coffee at 4160 Fraser Street.
The name comes from her own: HARU is pulled from Chiharu, which she says means a thousand springs in Japanese.
Ohashi has spent years in Vancouver’s specialty coffee scene, and the takeover is a family affair in the most literal sense, since everyone on the HARU team is SLO staff.
“Maybe some clumsiness, but always from the heart!” is how she describes the project’s spirit.
The lineup so far is short and specific.
Dorayaki, the honey-pancake sandwich, started as limited pre-order drops in the spring and has become the crowd favourite alongside a hojicha terrine, by Ohashi’s telling.
The one to circle on the calendar is new: Hokkaido Pudding, landing August 9 at 10am and running until it sells out.
Ohashi describes it as a silky Japanese-style pudding built on rich Hokkaido milk and Hokkaido sugar, finished with her homemade caramel.
She is not chasing a dessert empire with any of this.
Her stated reason for opening is genuine connections over creating food she likes, and she pitches a visit as feeling like coming over to a friend’s place for a sweet treat.
The setting fits the pitch.
SLO is a small neighbourhood coffee shop, and the HARU takeover runs out of its space rather than a separate storefront, with a sandwich board out front announcing treats inside.
There is no posted end date for the takeover, and no permanent home has been announced.
If you are aiming for the pudding, be at 4160 Fraser for 10am on August 9, because it runs only until it sells out.
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Address: 4160 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC