Harry & David

Update Reviews, Holidays 2020-2021

Since I've reviewed Harry & David many times before, I'll leave you to read my previous reviews for general info about the brand.  This year, while I got to try a few good chocolate products, sadly, no signature Moose Munch was delivered alongside, and I missed my favorite Harry & David treat.

Truffles

Milk Chocolate Truffle.

"When it comes to memorable treats, our rich chocolate truffles represent the top tier of sweet decadence. The silky smooth center of each truffle is cloaked in a layer of chocolate that melts in the mouth with a flavor that is timeless and delicious."

Milk Chocolate
Such a rich truffle!!! A delicious truffle, but so very rich. And so very creamy. And a lovely milk chocolate flavor. Really, this was a nice product. It was almost like a soft fudge, or perhaps a slightly more solid center of a chocolate lava cake.

The shell was not what I anticipated - I expected a snappy chocolate shell, this was soft, and not that distinct from the inside. But all so good.

Milk Chocolate Mint
The mint one was even better. Same rich base, creamy, luxurious, fudge like, this time with a lovely mint backdrop. The mint was powerful but not overwhelming, and it was truly just delicious.

Pretzels

"Our premium gourmet pretzels come in an array of flavors including perennial favorites and special, seasonal flavors. Choose from yogurt-covered pretzels, peanut butter pretzels, our own delectable gourmet chocolate pretzels, and more. "

Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzel Twists.

Since these were part of a gift box, I didn't get to pick the variety, so sadly they were the kind I'd probably pick last: milk chocolate.  Not that there is anything *wrong* with milk chocolate, but, with options like peanut butter milk chocolate and even dark chocolate, they seem like last place.

They were fine.  Crispy pretzels, well coated in decent enough milk chocolate.  Nothing particularly notable about them in any way, positive or negative.

I enjoyed them as a little treat, but I'd still like to try the other varieties more.

Update Review: Holiday Season 2018-2019

Another year, more gift boxes from Harry & David (previous reviews here).

This year, along with more and more Moose Munch (yes!), I got to try a few chocolate items, and finally, the signature, famous pears.

The Moose Munch remains my favorite.

Chocolates / Truffles

"Expertly crafted in our own candy kitchen using a proprietary blend of chocolate, our truffles are a chocolate lover’s dream."

Milk Chocolate / Coffee / Cherry Truffles (front row)
Raspberry (back row). 

"There's nothing quite like biting into the creamy center of a premium quality gourmet chocolate truffle. We've been using our signature truffle recipe for over 30 years, and it hasn't changed for a reason. Made in our candy kitchen in Southern Oregon using a proprietary blend of chocolate, these exquisite treats come in an array of flavors, like milk chocolate, white coffee, and dark chocolate cherry. Timeless and delicious, these silky truffles are a chocolate lover's dream."

This box is their Signature Assortment, with one each of milk chocolate, white chocolate coffee, dark chocolate cherry, all dark chocolate, dark chocolate raspberry, and milk chocolate almond.

I tried the "Cherry" first, hoping it was going to have a juicy cherry inside, but alas, it was just a dark chocolate shell, drizzled with red white chocolate, with a mildly cherry flavored dark chocolate ganache inside.

The ganache was smooth, the entire thing was fine, but the cherry flavor wasn't that pronounced, and the dark chocolate shell didn't seem particularly high quality.

Milk Chocolate Almond.

The milk chocolate almond was a lovely piece.

The exterior shell was thick, soft, creamy milk chocolate, with a few bits of almond stuck on.  This was good, but it was the filling that was great.  Such smooth rich ganache, with a slight subtle flavor to it (was it almond accented?) that I found really pleasing.

I really quite enjoyed, and savored, this piece.

Peppermint Bark: Top View.

"Dark chocolate, white chocolate, and candy canes collide in this legendary peppermint treat."

The peppermint in the peppermint bark comes solely in the form of crushed candy canes, covering the entire top of the confection.  I did not detect any peppermint flavor in either of the chocolate layers, only the topping.

The mint was intense though, but the flavor not any more interesting than your standard candy cane.

Peppermint Bark: Side View.

"Creamy white chocolate layered over rich dark chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint candy is a delightful old-fashioned sweet indulgence. This will quickly become a favorite among candy gifts."

From the side you can see the other components, the dark and white chocolate.  Both were fine, smooth, creamy.  I wanted to taste more dark chocolate however, I found the amount at the base fairly minimal, and not as ... chocolatey as I wished.

So overall, a fairly boring peppermint bark for me really, the mint just candy canes, the chocolate didn't quite deliver either.  But non-offensive.

Fruit

Royal Riviera™ Pears.

"The pears that started it all. Our founders, Harry and David, called these pears "so big and juicy, you eat them with a spoon®." That was 80 years ago, when the brothers started selling Southern Oregon-grown Royal Riviera® Pears as gourmet gifts. Royal Riviera® Pears are delicate and require warm days and cool nights to grow, making Southern Oregon ideal for cultivating this famous fruit. The sweet flavor, buttery texture, and extreme juiciness of these pears are what make them so delicious. Every one is handpicked and packed to arrive at your door in perfect condition.

It's a time-honored tradition for families to decide who gets to enjoy the gold-wrapped pear when they receive a box of our famous fruit."

I finally got a chance to try the very famous pears, even though, um, pears were not exciting to me in any way.

Every box of Harry & David pears comes with a single pear wrapped in gold foil.  It is their signature thing.  It creates an element of uniqueness of that one pear.  Who gets it?  Of course I did.

Magical Gold Pear?

"Expertly grown and handpicked, these premium pears have a soft, buttery flesh that's so sweet, you might want to save them for dessert."

I unwrapped my gold fruit.  It ... looked like a pear.  It looked just like any other pear.

It tasted ... like a pear.  Like any old pear.  It was a bit beat up, which certainly didn't help make it seem special.  It was a bit mushy.

Sorry, this pear was not magical to me in any way.  I'll stick with the Moose Munch.

Moose Munch

Moose Munch® Premium Popcorn - Milk Chocolate (January 2019).

A year later, it was time for another gift basket from Harry & David, and this time, I knew I wanted to snatch up the Moose Munch.  Again we had the same milk chocolate variety as the year before.

I'll just warn you now.  This stuff is dangerous.  While the caramel bits are just *too* sweet to eat by more than one handful at a time, I found it way too easy (as in, oops, it happened) to eat every single piece of chocolate coated popcorn and every single candied nut in a single sitting.  Note that this bag was listed as 7 servings, each fairly indulgent.  Ooops.

But I really love the milk chocolate coated pieces.  The milk chocolate is creamy and smooth, a really good quality chocolate.  And the nuts, while not many in the bag, just kept me hunting for more.  I appreciated that there were almonds and cashews in here, not just standard peanuts.  Some of the nuts were caramelized, some chocolate coated, some on their own, others attached in clusters.  I sought them all out, just like when eating a bag of Chex mix, when you decide you want all of one particular item.  That was me and these nuts, and, the chocolate coated pieces.

The caramel pieces were good to sneak a few of in alongside my coveted items, but, once the other things were gone, I was left with a bag of seriously rich, seriously sweet, seriously indulgent popcorn that was just a bit too much to handle. 

Original Review, Holidays 2017-2018

Harry & David is a "gourmet gift" producer, whose products are generally sold via mail order or online, although they also have a handful of retail stores.  They mostly sell gift baskets, fruits, and chocolates.  Not exactly things I'm generally in the market for, yet sometime show up on my doorstep.

Their signature item is "Moose Munch" popcorn.  

"Moose Munch® Popcorn is not your average caramel popcorn. We pay attention to every single detail of our secret recipe. Right down to the way the popcorn looks and sticks together. We make over five million pounds a year. "

Now, 5 million pounds of anything is a lot, but particularly of a lightweight item!  Moose Munch® comes in a zillion flavors, like simple milk or dark chocolate, exotic banana coconut and apricot mango, and even some sugar free versions.  A flavor for everyone.

Harry & David leads the gift basket industry, so every year, I get to try various products when others bring in their gift basket discards to the office (one man's trash is ... my treasure!).  I often fail to write them up usually, as the products are usually already open, or I just grab a snack as I run between meetings.

But I finally got to try the coveted "Mouse Munch", thus, a proper review is in order.

Moose Munch

"Inspired by the Pacific Northwest, Moose Munch® Premium Popcorn is the anytime snack that’s almost too good to share. Carefully made in small batches in our own candy kitchen using real butter, creamy caramel, and crunchy nuts, it took over 160 tries to perfect our special recipe. Add our proprietary blend of chocolate to the mix and you have a snack made in heaven. Enjoy handful after handful during an evening in, or take along for an on-the-go boost of energy when you’re out on your next adventure. 

While you’ll want to keep it all for yourself, Moose Munch® Premium Popcorn is a great snack to share with a buddy, and it makes a delicious gift for fans of chocolate-covered popcorn and caramel popcorn alike. And with a wide array of flavors to choose from, there’s plenty to go around. Chocolate-lovers will rejoice over the many milk, dark, and white chocolate-covered varieties, while other snackers will love inventive flavors like peanut butter, orange crème, cherry vanilla, and more. There are even a fat-free and sugar-free versions."

Moose Munch is not just a popcorn.  Harry & David have build an entire product range around it.  Yes, you can get the popcorn in a variety of flavors, you can get it as part of many different gift packs, etc, but they have also turned it into cheesecake, and even flavored coffee, along with assorted Moose Munch branded gear, featuring the signature moose head (his name is Jasper, apparently). 

Interesting ...

Moose Munch® Premium Popcorn - Milk Chocolate. (December 2017)

"Our milk chocolate Moose Munch® Gourmet Popcorn is the perfect mix of sweet milk chocolate, buttery caramel, and crunchy nuts."

"Popcorn, almonds, and cashews covered in caramel and milk chocolate."

Given my love for popcorn, and caramel corn in particular, it is no surprise that I was excited to try Harry & David's signature "Moose Munch".  The standard Moose Munch is just caramel corn with candied nuts, but I tried the milk chocolate version, with milk chocolate covered pieces in the mix as well.

It was certainly decadent caramel corn.  No piece was left uncoated, no piece even moderately coated, each and every piece was intensely sweet.  I can't imagine eating just a bag of this caramel corn actually, it was just too much.  Good, but, wow, it needed some less coated pieces in order to temper it.

The milk chocolate pieces were great though.  Good quality chocolate, and again, really well coated.  The chocolate did help counter the sweet caramel pieces.

I found myself seeking out more and more of the chocolate pieces, but there were substantially fewer of them than the caramel ones.

The candied nuts were good for a bit of crunch now and then, but, again, there weren't many of them.

Overall, I enjoyed it along side a cup of bitter coffee, but, I think it would be better with some more plain pieces in the mix.

Moose Munch® Milk Chocolate Bar (August 2014).

"Moose Munch bars are crafted from a rich, smooth fudgy center, plus their signature snake - fluffy white popcorn, buttery caramel and crisp nuts all dipped in decadent milk chocolate."

"Signature snake"?  I do not know this term, but it is on all of their marketing, so I don't think it is a typo.

Cross section.

This one deserves a peak inside.

Every bite was loaded up with goodies: popcorn, nuts, caramel.  The caramel was sweet and very creamy, it almost tasted like really smooth peanut butter at times.  The nuts added a great crunch, and the popcorn ... was, well, popcorn inside my chocolate, a bit strange, but, it worked better than I expected.  It was much better than popcorn inside of other items, like inside the Circus Cookie from Goody Goodie, although it was still a bit strange to have a soft bite inside the bar.  The milk chocolate was smooth and creamy.

Overall, pretty tasty, a bunch of ingredients you don't necessarily expect together, but, I liked it.  The tasting club didn't get to try this one!

Other Treats

While Moose Munch is Harry & David's signature item, they carry a vast array of products, ranging from fresh fruit, to cheesecakes, and everything in-between.

Peppermint Tree Shaped Yogurt Pretzels  (January 2019).

"The festive meter instantly rises when this pretzel-packed bounty shows up. Premium, yogurt-covered pretzels in the shapes of Christmas trees abound. Crushed peppermint pieces have been sprinkled on the trees for added effect—and amazing flavor."

I tried these at a time when I was really on a yogurt (or white chocolate) pretzel kick.  I was randomly really loving nearly every coated pretzel I put in my mouth.  Crunchy, salty, creamy, sweet ... just loving them.  I'll admit they were often a morning indulgence alongside a cup of coffee.

So I was eager to try these minty trees when a co-worker gave up their Harry & David bounty.  First thing I grabbed.

However they were ... boring?

The coating was flavorless, slightly sweet, but mostly just waxy.  The pretzels themselves not particularly compelling either - slightly stale tasting, even though this was a fresh bag of snacks, opened right then, not old in any way.  The crushed peppermint was basically the only interesting part.

Sad, I thought I was not discriminating in my coated pretzel love at the time, but, it turns out, these were just too mediocre to be excited about.

Bi-Rite Creamery

When I first moved to San Francisco, Bi-Rite was well on my radar.  It was *the* place to get ice cream, perhaps because it was at peak trendiness right then, perhaps because it was located next to Dolores Park, where my hipser-ish friends liked to spend time, perhaps because it always had ridiculous lines, even on cold days, and, well, San Franciscans like standing in line for things.

I'm an ice cream girl through and through, but I don't remember ever really believing it lived up to the hype.  Sure, it was good ice cream, but worth a 40 min wait on the sidewalk in the cold?  Eh.  I've reviewed Bi-Rite many times before, as it often shows up in my office in the form of ice cream cakes (like in my 2017 reviews) or pints (2016 reviews), and you can check out my original 2012 review too if you'd like more background.

September, 2019

It has been a while since someone sent a "Hey, we have extra ice cream cake" email at my office, but, finally it happened.

I was thrilled when I found out that the ice cream cake maker in question was Bi-Rite, and they had not one, but two ice cream cakes!  I sprinted (er, power walked in a totally office-appropriate way?) down the hall to reach the prized cakes.

Birthday Cake Ice Cream Cake
with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream and Rainbow Sprinkles.

"Sour cream chocolate cake, birthday cake ice cream, cream cheese whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles."

The first cake was a classic "birthday cake", just, um, amped up a bit.  It had a lot going on.

The very top, not all the way to the edges, was the cream cheese whipped cream.  I loved it - light, fluffy, lovely flavor, slight amount of cream cheese.  I'm not really sure why they choose cream cheese whipped cream to be honest, that isn't very traditional birthday cake, and it wasn't being paired with anything usually topped with cream cheese frosting (e.g. carrot cake, red velvet cake), but, I really liked it.  And of course I liked the sprinkles.

The little pieces of cake studded on the outside looked a bit like a wreck, but perhaps that is because it was melty?  It really was perfect serving temperature though, the ice cream portion was still quite frozen, even if it looked a bit ridiculous.

Birthday Cake Slice.

Here you can see the side profile.

The ratio of cake to ice cream was a bit off for me.  Too much cake!  But then again, I'm just not much of a cake person.  It was a basic chocolate cake, apparently sour cream chocolate cake, but I didn't taste any sour cream.  It wasn't moist.  I mostly discarded mine.

The ice cream flavor was "birthday cake", which actually just seemed vanilla with sprinkles.  I think I expected some kind of additional sweetness, or "yellow cake" flavor, or something.

It was fine, but for me, the star really was that whipped cream.  I really liked that topping.

***.

Mint Chip.

"Chocolate midnight cake, mint chip ice cream and chocolate glaze."

Next up, Mint Chip, clearly a crowd pleaser as there was much less left.  It also turned out to be my favorite!

The ratio of cake to ice cream was much better (as in, less cake cake, a very thin layer, the cake was mostly ice cream).  The cake was a very dense chocolate midnight cake, much like a brownie.  It was ... fine, but this isn't the style of cake I like.

The topping was a huge piece of additional dark chocolate (it said "glaze" but really, this was solid, crisp, delicious chocolate).  I loved that topper.

And the rest of it?  Bi-rite Mint Chip Ice Cream, in all its glory.

Mint Chip Ice Cream: "Made with Seely’s organic mint oil and chocolate flakes that deliciously melt in your mouth."

The mint chip ice cream was fabulous.  Creamy, premium ice cream, nice mint backdrop, not many chips, but the ones hat were there were dark chocolate and quality.

I really enjoyed this one, particularly the ice cream and chocolate topper, particularly as it got all melty.

****.

Update Reviews, 2017

Another year, another few Bi-Rite ice cream reviews, but this time, of the ice cream cake!  They keep showing up in my office.  For my thoughts on the general ice cream, see my previous reviews.

Another day, another, "quick, we are having a celebration, come get ice cream cake!" message sent out one afternoon.  Of course I went running, to find ice cream cake from Bi-Rite.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake.

“Chocolate cake with cookies and cream ice cream and whipped cream.”

The base was chocolate cake, a fairly thin layer, compared to the others.  It was very firm, not really what I think of as cake, almost more like a very dense brownie.

Next was the main attraction: the ice cream.  This layer made up probably 70% of the cake, and was really just a thick solid mass of cookies and cream ice cream.  It was ... fine.  Not particularly creamy though, and cookies and cream isn't ever a flavor I go for.

The top layer was whipped cream based frosting, and it was decorated with crumbled Oreos.  The fluffy whipped cream was sweet and quite tasty, and it melted nicely, although, faster than the ice cream layer.  The Oreos were just kinda mushy/soggy.

Overall, I felt this ice cream cake lacked ... research?  I dunno.  I'm not going to claim that Carvel cake is amazing or anything, but, they have a formula that works, with layers in the right proportions.  This was really just a whole lot of ice cream, with some hard cake strangely at the bottom, frosting that melted faster than ice cream and slid off, and mushy topping.  The components were all fine, but it certainly didn't add up to anything special.

Chocolate Midnight Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I'll be honest.  I'm not a big cake fan.  Not that I don't like cake, but, because I generally would pick most other things over a simple cake.  But, when someone says there is cake to try, how do I resist?

This was quite good, for a cake.

Two layers of very dense, super moist, rich, dark chocolate cake. Borderline brownie-like.  In-between those layers was a very thick milk chocolate, more like a fudge than a frosting due to its thickness.  The frosting was cream cheese, sweet, creamy, and delicious, but it seemed like a slightly strange pairing with chocolate.  Dark chocolate shards lines the outside, high quality dark chocolate, with a nice snap.

Overall, very good, again, for a cake.

Update Reviews, Summer 2016

It had been a few years since I had Bi-Rite ice cream, and then, recently, I was surrounded by it.  I was curious if my opinion had changed, since, well, I never found the ice cream to be anything special.  See my original review.  

First, a friend brought over several pints of Bi-Rite ice cream to a party at my house.  None were flavors I would have picked, but, I was glad to try more flavors.  Then, a week later, we hosted a Bi-Rite event at my office, with a bunch more flavors.  My opinion remains largely unchanged.  It isn't bad ice cream, but, it just isn't any better than other ice cream.  I'm not sure why people are so crazy over it.

I did notice that Bi-Rite ice cream freezes much softer than many ice creams.  That is, if you put pints of Bi-Rite, Three Twins, and Ben & Jerry's all in the same freezer, they come out at totally different softness levels.  I've always been struck by how hard Ben & Jerry's freezes, you really need to let it soften a good 10 minutes before even attempting to scoop.  Bi-Rite is on the other end of the spectrum, actually scoopable from the moment you pull it out.  Three Twins is somewhere in the middle.  I wonder what causes this?

Tcho Chocolate.

I don't generally like chocolate ice cream.  I like chocolate, I like ice cream, I like hot fudge on ice cream, but, for some reason, I just don't tend to like chocolate ice cream, or even chocolate based ice cream.

But this was very good chocolate ice cream.  Smooth ice cream, really rich flavor, and it reminded me of a rich chocolate mousse.  I'm still wouldn't opt for chocolate ice cream generally, but, if I wouldn't turn this down.

Cookies & Cream.

"We make our Cookies and Cream with Newman O’s, hand chopped, and mixed in to our ice cream."

This was pretty standard cookies & cream ice cream.  Decent enough vanilla ice cream base, decent distribution of decent sized chunks of cookie.  Decent is really the best description I have for it.  Nothing wrong with it, but nothing really remarkable either.

August 2016

The week after a friend brought Bi-Rite ice cream to my house, we hosted Bi-Rite at work for an ice cream tasting.  We had four flavors (peach, roasted banana, salted caramel, balsamic strawberry), and, of course, I tried them all.

I failed to get a photo of the roasted banana.  It tasted ... like banana.  Ojan said, "it tastes just like a frozen banana".  For me it was just too plain, as I'm used to Chunky Monkey, or at least lots of toppings on a banana ice cream.  We all ranked it third.

Peach with Masumoto Peaches.

The first flavor I tried was peach, as I've had salted caramel and strawberry balsamic before, and banana sounded boring.

I didn't care for it.  It tasted ... too healthy.  Yes, this ice cream was too healthy for me.  It really did taste like frozen fresh peaches, so, if you like peaches, then perhaps it is for you?  My least favorite, and no one else wanted more than one bite of this either.

Salted Caramel.

"Our number one seller, famous for the deep rich flavor of sweet caramel balanced with just the right amount of salt."

Salted Caramel is probably Bi-Rite's most famous flavor.

It was just way too sweet for me.  Ojan and I both pulled back a bit after taking a bite, equally shocked by how sweet it was.  He wanted some rich chocolate sauce on top to cut it.  And some whipped cream.  It was really just a lot on its own.  It did melt nicely though.  Second choice.

Balsamic Strawberry.

"We only make this flavor when local strawberries are in full season and offer the best flavor. Balsamic vinegar enhances the strawberries’ fantastic flavor even more."

And finally, another Bi-Rite Signature flavor, balsamic strawberry.

This turned out to be everyone's favorite, as the flavor was the most complex.  Fruity, like the peach, but, the balsamic added some interest to it.

I think in general these flavors were just a bit too plain for me. I think they'd make great foundations for a sundae, but aren't the flavors I just want a scoop of.

Original Review, April 2012

Bi-Rite.  Ah, Bi-Rite.  Everyone loves this place.  The lines are epic, even on the coldest San Francisco "summer" days.  Somehow, the magic has been lost on me.

Just like Humphrey Slocombe, they use Strauss Organic Dairy. They use organic, local ingredients.  Yadda yadda yadda.  The ice cream still just doesn't seem that much better than generic grocery store ice cream to me.

Malted Vanilla with Peanut Brittle and Milk Chocolate Pieces.

"This flavor combines malted vanilla ice cream with house make peanut brittle (made with Virginia peanuts) and TCHO milk chocolate pieces."

This pint reminded me of a pint of Ben & Jerry's - I had a hard time not eating the whole thing in a single sitting.  But, not because it was awesome.  Because every bite seemed like it was about to be awesome.

The ice cream base was fairly boring, perhaps slightly malty, but just vanilla ice cream.  It wasn't particularly creamy.  The milk chocolate pieces were tiny flecks, and there weren't many of them.  Nothing so far was very tempting.  But ... the peanut brittle.  That was my weakness.  But again, not because it was awesome.  Because it was almost awesome.  There wasn't much of it.  It wasn't really brittle, but more like little bits of peanut surrounded by some caramel.  But I couldn't stop digging for more.  This is exactly what happens to me with a pint of Ben & Jerry's, particularly with Heath Bar Crunch.  The ice cream isn't great, but I can't help myself from seeking out "just one more chunk" of the candy.

So, did I easily finish the pint?  Well, yes.  But, I can't say it was a very rewarding pint.

[ Update review: A friend brought a pint of this over to my house, and I again almost loved it.  The malty vanilla ice cream was smooth and melted perfectly, and I really did love the idea of the brittle and chocolate chunks.  Somehow though, it didn't quite satisfy. ]

Hard Ice Cream

• Almond Fudge Swirl:  Meh.  Mostly just vanilla ice cream, didn’t get much of the other flavors.
• Brown Sugar with Ginger Caramel Swirl: Way too sweet.  Just sweet.
• Ricanelas (cinnamon with snickerdoodles): Ok flavor, but nothing special.
• Salted Caramel:  Nice and creamy, good caramel and salt flavors.  There is a reason this flavor is famous.

Soft Serve

• Pumpkin: Not very pumpkin-y, not very well spiced, meh.
• Salted Caramel: Sweet, not very salty [ Decent concistency, but just sweet, not salty, not caramely, not very good at all ]
• Vanilla : Very generic, nothing special.

Jimmy's Recipe, Sydney

Jimmy's Recipe is a Malaysian restaurant chain in Sydney, known primarily for the laksa.

I have a very, very distant memory of the first time I was in Sydney, I think the first day, and stumbling into a mall food court where a colleague had told me to get laksa.  I don't think I even knew what laksa was, and I don't remember much else, except that I did it, and I found it very flavorful.  This was years and years ago now, and when I was in Singapore in 2020 I remember laughing thinking back to how novel laksa had seemed then ...

Anyway, years passed.  Malaysian still isn't a cuisine I experience much, and, the few times I've gone for Malaysian food in Sydney, it has always been to Mamak, for the roti (seriously, swoon, that dessert roti!  There *is* a reason people line up on the street, every single night, to get in to Mamak ...).

Jimmy's Recipe however is far more accessible.  Mall food court.  Easy peasy.

Gado Gado.

"A south east asian salad with beansprouts, lattice, fry tofu, tempeh, potato, green bean, crackers."

Ok, this was downright delicious.  Wow.

The base was fresh crisp cos lettuce, whole leaves (I think when the menu said "lattice", this is what they meant ...).  On top was a very generous amount of bean sprouts, that looked comical at first, but actually were perfect.  Super juicy, crisp, and went great with the sauce.

I could care less about the crispy bits of fried tofu, or the hard boiled egg slices, but the crispy fried cracker things on top were fantastic, I'm a sucker for textures and crunch, and these provided in spades.  A *very* generous amount, again, it looked like probably more than most normal people would want, but I loved it.

And then, the sauce.  This is what made the dish.  It was a peanut sauce.  It had bits of ground peanut for more texture.  It was crazy flavorful.  And, much like the bean sprouts and the crisp things on top, the ratio seemed entirely inappropriate.  Way too much.  Seriously over dressed.

But it was sooooo good it didn't matter.  I was literally licking the bowl clean.  Every. Single. Drop. of that sauce.

This came together wonderfully.  Fresh crispy lettuce, juicy crispier bean sprouts, crispier even fried bits, and tons and tons and tons of flavorful peanut sauce smothering the whole thing.  Absolutely delicious.