Foodhi Classics: Daikon Cake (Lo Bak Go, 蘿蔔糕)

One of Foodhisattva’s more recent signature dishes, our take on Daikon Cake features daikon with shiitake mushrooms, a bed of kabocha purée, Taiwanese sweet chili sauce, garlic-sautéed watercress, and crispy garlic.

This dish holds a special place in my heart. Our first café menu featured a simple Daikon Cake appetizer—pan-seared squares served with a garlic soy dipping sauce. I wanted to elevate the original, and kabocha with watercress felt like the perfect pairing. I knew we had a winner, but it took time to catch on.

Some guests were thrown off by the name, unfamiliar with the traditional version (Lo Bak Go 蘿蔔糕) or daikon itself. Famously, it was our worst-selling special when we introduced it. But we loved it, so we put it on the menu anyway. Thankfully, that gamble paid off—these days, a weekend rarely passes without someone telling us it’s their all-time favorite Foodhi dish.

Fun fact: I originally wanted to call this dish Kangiten’s Cake, a nod to the daikon-loving Japanese bodhisattva Kangiten. But I was (rightly) reminded that explaining Daikon Cake—especially that it’s not a dessert—was already tricky. As much as I loved the symbolism, adding another layer of confusion would’ve made the server's job even harder.