Proper Corn, UK

Newsflash: I love snacks, and, particularly, popcorn!  Oh, I guess that isn't news, given how many times I have reviewed different popcorn.

But I have a problem.  The pastry team at my office makes really good flavored popcorns for events, so packaged, mass produced, popcorn rarely actually pleases me.  Until now.

Proper Corn is a UK based company, that is discovered while visiting my office in London.

They make 6 varieties of popcorn, ranging from basic "Lightly Sea Salted" and "Sweet & Salty", to far more exciting flavors like "Sour Cream & Black Pepper", "Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato", and sweet options like "Sweet Caramel & Vanilla".  I tried all but the basic salted variety.

I was impressed with the popcorn.  It was all fresh tasting, even though packaged.  But more important, they managed to make flavorful, enjoyable popcorn that isn't crazy unhealthy.  I'll be honest, I usually opt for very decadent homemade caramel corn or chocolate drizzled, and find that most packaged popcorn is just way too plain for me, even when they try to make flavors I like.  Here, the kernels were well coated, there was abundant flavor, but it was not heavy.  I could devour servings of the size I wanted without feeling awful after.  I'll definitely seek out Proper Corn again ... next time I'm in Europe.

Sweet

Proper Corn makes 3 varieties of sweet popcorn, and I tried them all.  They were good, but, I ended up liking the savories even more.

Sweet & Salty.

"Hand-popped corn with the perfect balance of sea salt and sweet brown sugar."

I started with one of my favorite types of popcorn, kettle corn, or "Sweet & Salty" as they called it.

It was pretty excellent popcorn.

Light, fresh tasting, airy kernels, very well coated in both sugar and salt.  I'm pretty particular about my kettle corn, and this delivered, particularly in the salt department.

I wish I had it at home so I could try it frozen and crispy, which is how I really like my kettle corn.

Sweet & Salty (2020).

A few years later, I got another bag, and this time, I did freeze it.

This was a fine kettle corn.  But not one that I feel compelled purchase, or even really binge eat.  It is fine, but not amazing.

Smooth Peanut & Almond.

"Hand-popped corn, mixed with a smooth blend of peanut and almond."

I moved on to a flavor I've never seen before.  I've tried a lot of crazy popcorns, but never ones with peanut and almond ...

This was again good popcorn, well popped, and very well coated in toppings.

The peanut and almond was a bit strange though.  I thought that there was going to be chunks of candied nuts or something, like cracker jacks, but, actually, the kernels were coated in a peanut almond powder.  Super interesting, and I like those flavors, but it was a bit strange to have on my popcorn.  It also tasted more like almond butter than peanut, and, I'm less of a fan of almond.

It was fascinating and enjoyable enough, but, not quite the flavor for me.

Update: I had another bag a few days later.  With my expectations reset to being nut butter coated popcorn, I enjoyed it much more.  I actually do love peanut butter, and have a favorite Chex mix recipe I love with peanut butter coating, and this reminded me a bit of that, except a bit lighter, as the popcorn is a lighter base than Chex.  I'd gladly eat more and more of this, and wished we had it stocked in my office.  Also, I really wanted to put it in my freezer, as I love freezing popcorn, and I think the nut butters would freeze very nicely.

Nit: This bag was a bit deceptive, as it looked pretty big, but was only filled about 1/3 full.

Sweet Coconut & Vanilla.

"Hand-popped corn sprinkled  with a fresh blend of coconut and Madagascan vanilla."

Finally, the third sweet variety, Sweet Coconut & Vanilla.  This was another fresh, light popcorn.  It had a slight sweetness to it, and a subtle essence of coconut.  I didn't really taste vanilla, but, the coconut was different and the sweetness was definitely there.

Not dessert popcorn, but good for a slightly sweet snack.

Savory

I moved on to savories, again, 3 varieties, although I didn't try the plain salted one.  These were excellent.

Firey Worcester Sauce and Sundried Tomato Popcorn.

"Hand-popped corn, seasoned with our own Worcester sauce and a hint of fiery chilli."

Well, this was pretty much amazing.

Who would have thought that Worcester sauce and chilli would be good on popcorn?  I guess it sorta had a hint of Chex mix flavors to it from the Worcester sauce, so, that makes sense.

It certainly had a bit of kick from cayenne and pimento peppers, and some savoriness from onion, garlic, and sun-dried tomato, and some tang from vinegar and lemon juice, and then, the Worcester of course.  So much flavor in the popcorn.  The kernels were perfectly coated.

I really enjoyed this, and devoured the bag faster than probably any other savory popcorn ever.

Sour Cream & Black Pepper.

"Hand-popped corn, seasoned with a creamy blend of spring onions and cracked black pepper."

Another winning flavor.

This one was a bit odd at the first bite, as I tasted a buttery flavor that didn't combine with the other flavors, but, I never detected it again, and, the popcorn doesn't actually have butter in it, so I have no idea where that came from.  Anyway.

After that first bite, I loved this popcorn.  It was savory, and reminded me of the sour cream and cheddar chips I used to eat as a child (even though it had no cheese in it, I sorta tasted a cheesy nature too ...), or, I guess sour cream and onion chips too.  In addition to the sour cream and onion, the popcorn was coated with buttermilk and yogurt, giving even more tang.  And then, the pepper.  The pepper set this flavor apart from standard sour cream and onion, and it really amped up the flavor, without overshadowing the onion.

A wonderful flavor, and I enjoyed it even (gasp!) without freezing it.  I'd gladly get this again.

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Souvla

Update Visit, January 2016

Several years ago, I wrote about a brand new Mediterranean place in town, Souvla.  I didn't visit the restaurant itself then, but had their wrap at a catered event, and really enjoyed it.  And then somehow I forgot about Souvla, until recently, when I was looking for a casual, fairly healthy, option for a Saturday afternoon lunch.

Since my original review, Souvla has prospered.  Their original Hayes Valley location lead to another, bigger location in Nopa, and, more recently, a third outpost in the Mission.  For this visit, a group of 4 of us went to the Nopa location, as we were more hopeful that we'd find seating there than in Hayes Valley.

Our Feast.

Overall, we had an ok meal.  I do like that Souvla is basically a healthier version of things I usually enjoy, aka, I normally slather my fries in aioli, there I slather them in Greek yogurt.  I love ice cream sundaes, there I have frozen Greek yogurt.

But, overall, it was fairly lackluster for me.  I really enjoyed my fries and dipping sauce, but, besides that, nothing was particularly worth going back for.

The Setting

Souvla is a fast-casual restaurant.  You order at a register, receive your beverages and a number, and the food is delivered to your table.  Food came very fast, within 5 minutes.

Water Station.

Past the register is a self-serve tap with water glasses and carafes.  Not sure if it was filtered, probably? 

The Spit!

The front room has a few tables, a counter, and, the spit in action.  You have to walk through here to get to the ordering area.

Interior.

Past the order area is the rest of the indoor seating, a very narrow space with small tables along the side, and more counters.

They seem to do a very large takeout business, but it seems like it would get packed and cramped very quickly inside.

Outdoor Seating!

I was thrilled to discover the backyard garden seating, located at the rear of the restaurant.  You walk all the way through the restaurant, to exit into this oasis.  Sunny, completely isolated, no street noise.  And, most importantly, since it is San Francisco, and even a beautiful sunny day is still a bit too cold to be comfortable outside: heat lamps.

This area had a big communal table, plus a few smaller tables and counter seats.

The Food

The menu at Souvla is small.  For entrees, you can have a sandwich or a salad, in four varieties: pork, chicken, lamb, or veggie (sweet potato).  For sides, there are also only 4 choices: salad, soup, 2 types of potatoes.  Dessert?  One item (Greek froyo!), 4 flavors.

So, a small, focused menu, but, the range is actually fairly wide, including great veggie options and lighter salads.  Perhaps only pescatarians would be unhappy with the lack of seafood option?

American Homestead Pork Shoulder Sandwich. $11.

"American homestead pork shoulder with minted Greek yogurt, cherry tomato, pickled red onion, cucumber, and feta cheese wrapped in fresh and warm pita bread."

For the entree, I had to choose between a wrap or salad.  Now, both are not things I generally eat, but, I remembered how good the pita wrap was when I had it at an event, so I was pretty excited by the wrap.  But everyone also raves about the salads, so those were tempting too, perhaps with pita on the side?  In the end, I opted for a wrap.

Then, choice of protein.  Lamb was easily out side I hate lamb, but the chicken was quasi tempting because it comes with pea shoots, fennel, "Granch" sauce, and mizithra cheese, all of which sounded great, but ... I really don't like chicken, so I ruled it out.  The veggie option, roasted white sweet potato, also sounded interesting, as it too had pea shoots and mizithra cheese (and toasted walnuts and garlic sauce), but, since I was splitting with Ojan, who wanted meat, I ruled that out.

Which left the pork shoulder.  I don't generally like pork (besides bacon and pork belly), but, I had some really, really good pork shoulder just a few days prior, so, I was actually excited about the idea of pork shoulder.  Sadly, this one comes with feta cheese (instead of mizthra, and I'm not a huge fan of feta), and it comes with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and pickled red onion as the veggies (none of which sounded exciting), and the minted greek yogurt sauce (my least favorite), but, overall, it seemed like the best option.  Side note: I wonder if I could mix and match ingredients to do something custom?  Order the chicken one with pork instead?  I didn't see any customizations really available, but perhaps they do it?

Anyway.  I didn't really like it.

The pita was the part that made me the most sad.  It wasn't warm.  It tasted kinda stale and dry.  Where was the magic pita I remembered? "Fresh and warm pita bread", it was not.  Really disappointing.

The pork shoulder was not juicy as I remembered either.  It was also kinda dry and just didn't have any flavor.  No crispy bits, no moist bits, just, boring chunks of pork.

The feta/tomatoes/cucumber/red onions were fine I guess, but, again, not what I like.

So, overall, very blah.  Not flavorful, not fresh, not really tasty.

Protip: if you are splitting, you can ask to have it cut in half, which they did (although they didn't bring two trays).

Greek Fries. $4.

"Crispy fries tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and mizithra cheese."

For sides, there is Greek salad (meh), avgolemono soup (double meh), "juicy potatoes" (Ojan had these before and said they weren't good, or "Greek Fries".  So, Greek Fries it was.

The fries were very good.  They came in all different sizes, and I got quite a bit of joy whenever I'd find a crazy long one.  The fries were crispy and very flavorful, well seasoned with tons of herbs, plus the olive oil and lemon that I didn't distinctly taste, but, I'm sure helped amp up the flavor.

My group ordered two baskets of the fries, and I only took a photo of the basket in front of me, but, you may notice something kinda lacking in this photo: the cheese.  This batch really barely had any cheese, but the other batch was loaded with shredded mizirthra cheese.  I really liked the cheese, and the inconsistency between the orders was striking.

The fries (and dipping sauce) were the highlight of my meal, and I even went back and finished the cold fries rather than having more froyo.  They were that flavorful and addicting.  I'd gladly get these again.

Mint, Garlic, and (not pictured) "Granch" Greek Yogurt. $1/each.

Souvla has no ketchup available, but for $1, you can add a dipping sauce for your fries, a little pot of any of the Greek yogurt based sauces that they use inside the sandwiches and on salads.  Choices are mint, garlic, harissa, and "Granch", and we ordered all but the harissa.

All were a much healthier option for dipping fries than my standard choice of aioli.  I appreciated this, but was skeptical, as I don't tend to really like yogurt, and, well, I love aioli!

I was pleasantly surprised.  The mint variety (left) fell flat for me, but I LOVED the garlic one.  Tons of flavor, and it complimented the herbs in the fries amazingly well.  This was also Ojan's favorite.  After we got dessert, I actually decided to polish of the remaining, now cold, fries and all the garlic yogurt, as I actually preferred this to the froyo.  Yes, really.

The "Granch" is the dip that was most recommended in reviews, and the one I ordered.  It did not arrive with our food.  I asked the person who brought our order, and he told me we could go order it if we wanted.  I said I did order it.  He again told me I had to pay and told me to go back to the register.  I am certain I ordered it, and certain she repeated it back to me, so, I got more aggressive in asking for it.  I didn't like arguing, but really, WTF?

The "Granch" turned out to be my second favorite, a greek yogurt version of ranch, with lots of herbs and spices.  It was fine, but, in my eyes, pales in comparison to the very flavorful garlic flavor.

All flavors were not too tangy, and were a nice consistency for dipping, albeit a bit thick.  I'd gladly get the garlic one again, and it was very worth my $1!

 Dessert

The dessert menu contains only one item, but, it was really what I was there for: frozen greek yogurt.  Only one size, only served in a cup, but with 4 toppings options: greek olive oil & sea salt, baklava crumbles & honey syrup, greek sour cherry syrup, and cretan wildflower honey.

They have a good system where you can order dessert when you order everything else, and they give you a separate receipt for it.  Then you just approach the register when you are ready, hand over the ticket, and get your froyo.  I really appreciated this, as it meant we didn't need to get back in line and pay again, and we also didn't need to feel rushed to get to the melting froyo.

Frozen Greek Yogurt with Greek Sour Cherry Syrup. $4.

One of my dining companions went for the Greek Sour Cherry Syrup, which I was tempted by, but decided against because "baklava crumbles" just sounded better.  Texture!  Plus, mine would have honey syrup too.

Frozen Greek Yogurt with Baklava Crumbles & Honey Syrup. $5.

My "baklava crumbles & honey syrup" let me down.

The baklava crumbles were not crispy and didn't seem to include any filo dough.  It was more a sticky paste of nuts and spices.  Also, it was precariously perched on top, and nearly fell of as I walked back to the table.  Ojan also did not like this, and only tried a single bite of the topping.

The honey syrup seemed to not exist.  Did they forget? Was it part of the paste, not a separate drizzle?  Not sure, but since we didn't like the paste, we didn't have any topping to compliment the froyo.

The froyo itself was very good however.  It was tart, and healthy tasting, yet perfectly creamy.  Usually healthier style froyo winds up icy, and that was not the case here.

Both Ojan and I agreed that this reminded us of Yogorino, a European style frozen yogurt shop that existed in San Francisco for a short time.

Anyway, I didn't really like this as much as I wanted.  Yes, the yogurt was high quality, tart, and creamy, but my toppings let me down.

Original Visit, July 2014

Souvla is a fairly new Greek place in Hayes Valley.  It follows a fast casual model, more like a neighborhood souvlaki joint like you would find in Greece.

The menu is focused around a roasting spit (a "souvla"), offering spit roasted items (pork, chicken, lamb, and sweet potato for the vegetarians), served as wraps or salad bowls.  There are only a few sides, including "greek fries", potatoes cooked in rotisserie drippings, and a classic Greek side salad.

They also offer dessert: legit frozen greek yogurt, with really interesting topping options: sour cherry syrup, olive oil and sea salt, baklava crumbles and syrup, or wildflower honey.

I've had my eye on Souvla since the doors first opened a few months ago, not because I like greek food, but because the chef worked under Thomas Keller at The French Laundry and Bouchon, and under Michael Mina at RN74.  Even if greek isn't ever a goto cuisine for me, I can appreciate well prepared food of any type.

And well prepared it is.  I haven't actually been to Souvla yet, but I was at an event over the weekend where they were one of several caterers, so I got to try a few bites.  It wasn't what I'd normally order, but it was delicious, and now I REALLY want to visit the restaurant.

Pork "mini" Souvla.

At the event, Souvla served a single item: mini pork souvlaki.  Now, I'm not usually a sandwich person, nor do I really like pork shoulder, but ... I had wanted to try Souvla, and that is what they had to offer.

The pork souvlaki is described as "American Homestead pork shoulder, minted Greek yogurt, cherry tomato, pickled red onion, feta cheese".

I took my first bite of this, not really expecting to like it.  I saw trying it more as a research project than something I was really intending to bring me happiness.  But ... it turned out to be totally delicious.

First, the pita bread.  It was slightly crisp on the outside, yet beautifully fluffy inside.  It had a subtle sweetness to it.  Unlike any pita bread I've ever had before.  It is made specifically for Souvla, but I wish it were available for purchase somewhere, as I really enjoyed it.

Next, the pork.  As I said, I don't normally like pork.  Crispy bacon?  Obviously.  Some salami?  Sure.  But pork shoulder?  I can't say I've ever actually liked it.  But this was good, incredibly moist, tender, and flavorful.

Speaking of flavorful ... the pickled red onions packed a punch.  So much flavor there.  As for other ingredients, I never found any cherry tomatoes in mine.  The yogurt was tangy Greek yogurt, but I didn't taste any mint in it.  The yogurt was nice for some creaminess, but I would have preferred it without.  It is strange, I like yogurt, particularly with breakfast as part of a fruit/granola parfait, but I don't tend to like yogurt with my savory foods.

Anyway, overall, this was quite tasty, and far tastier than I ever imagined it would be.  It made me really excited to check out the real restaurant and perhaps order something more to my liking, although honestly, I would be temped to get this again, just without the yogurt.

At the restaurant, this is available in a much larger size wrap for $10, or, as a salad bowl.

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Travelin' Tuesdays: Paris

For weeks now, you've been reading all about my adventures in Paris, from two separate trips (August 2015 and September 2016).  I'll be moving on to a new city next (London? Lisbon?  More Sydney? Stay tuned!), but first, your recap (the best 5 are labelled #topFive):

Bakeries / Treats

• Behold, the Praluline. The best thing I ate in Paris, and one of the best baked goods I've ever had. #topFive
• Really, really good soft serve ice cream (and toppings!) from a chocolate shop in Paris, Jeff de Bruges #topFive
• A case of mistaken identity, Boulangerie Julien, Paris.
• Pâtisserie des Rêves, a stunning patisserie in Paris
• Blé Sucré is known for their croissants, which I failed to get
• Aki Boulanger, mediocre melon pan.
• An ok, but not particularly great, croissant from Liberté
•  I never tried the macarons (because, meh, boring), but Ladurée wasn't worth any accolades in my book
• Pierre Hermé, another famous bakery, where maybe I just got the wrong thing?
• Stohrer, the oldest pastry shop in Paris. That doesn't mean I liked it.
• Even chains like Paul have decent baguettes.

Restaurants

• Michelin
• Beautiful plating, lots of molecular work, and an incredible foie gras eclair at Goust #topFive
• L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, another great example of consistency by Joël Robuchon
• Beautiful plating, and the best aioli of my life, Les Fables de la Fontaine. #topFive
• French
• A fascinating dessert degustation filled with really creative dishes, at Dessance.  Definitely one of the most unique dining experiences I've had.
• Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie, Paris ... lots of foie gras, but not remarkable in any way.
• Le Souffle, Paris. The most mediocre souffle I've ever encountered.
• Pascade, Paris. A unique, decent experience, with both savory and sweet sorta-crepes-sorta-souffles?
• Les Cocottes: An excellent choice for casual dining in Paris, and swoon, the sauces!
• Not French
• Pizza in Paris? Not particularly notable at East Mamma.
• Okinomiyaki in Paris? Yeah, also not great, from Aki Restaurant.
• Ok, I really did like the croque McDo at McDonald's

Snacks

• Oreo ice cream sticks, they taste exactly like Oreos!
• Mars brand ice creams, generic.
• Kalise Tarufo Plus ice cream bars in Paris ... they were generic as could be.
• More ice cream novelties ... brand unknown.
• Pudding from Marie Morin in France. The creme brulee was the best, shockingly good for a packaged item.

Hotels

• One of the best breakfast buffets I've ever had, at Le First, at the Westin, Paris. Amazing custardy bread pudding, brioche buns, cheesecake ... the list goes on and on. #topFive
• The breakfast buffet at the W Hotels. Best coffee I had in Paris, great jams, but everything else, meh!
• Breakfast Buffet at Restaurant Les Etoiles, Sheraton, Charles de Gaulle Airport. Not very good.
• Temporary executive lounge at the Sheraton CDG, also not very good.

Airports

• Lackluster food at the AA Admiral's Club (but nice space), CDG
• Mediocre Cathay Pacific Lounge, CDG

Flights / Trains

• Dining on a train! Eurostar.
• Lackluster Club Europe meal ... BA 307, CDG-LHR
• Lackluster afternoon tea, Club Europe, BA 336, LHR-ORY

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Jica Chips

I love jicama.  I love chips and other munchy snacks.  I was thrilled, thrilled, to discover jica chips, aka, jicama chips.  Take a veggie I love and turn it into chips?  Fairly healthy ones at that?  Yes!

If you aren't familiar with jicama, which, I wasn't until a few years ago, it is also sometimes called a "Mexican potato", or, if you are in Australia, a "yam bean".  It is a kinda ugly tuber, that is far juicier than you'd expect.  Looks like a potato, but bites like a pear?  Except it isn't sweet.  A savory apple-potato?  I know I'm not doing a good job describing jicama, but, I really don't know what else to compare it to.  Maybe like a water chestnut?  It is juicy, not sweet, and really crunchy.  I love it, fresh, just to munch on.  I don't even require dips with it, although, of course I prefer dips.

So, Jica Chips.  A healthier alternative to potato chips, since jicama has about 50% the carbs of a potato.  And then they bake them, rather than fry.  100 calories gets you 10 potato chips, or, 25 jicachips.  25 > 10.  They are also high fiber, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, etc, etc.

Jica Chips are available in 6 flavors - some savory (smoked bbq, sea salt, white cheddar), some spicy (spicy soy ginger, chili lime), and one sweet (cinnamon sugar).  I was only able to try the basic sea salt flavor, but I'd gladly try others.

Sea Salt Jica Chips.

My first impression was not a good one.  I opened the bag, and instantly was met with a strange odor.  Like, really bad.  Just opening the bag made the air around me undesirable.  Ojan reached out for the bag, took one whiff, and turned away.  We both agreed the smell really did ruin these.

But I pushed on, given how excited I was by the idea of the jicama chips.  They didn’t taste like they smelt at all.  They were delightfully crunchy, and I loved the large size slices, most pieces much bigger than standard potato chips.  They were perhaps a bit too salty, but, I like high salt level.

That said … I didn't really taste jicama.  The result was something that didn't seem very special, just another root veggie chip.  They grew on me, particularly once I got over the smell, but I still wanted them to be something more.

Still, a good healthier alternative for my snacking habits, and I'd love to try some of the other flavors.

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Dining on Eurostar

Well, this is a new one for me.  Travel via train!

On my recent trip to Paris and London, I took the train between the two cities.  I made a few errors in not realizing just how much time I needed in advance at the station in Paris (oops, it isn't like taking the subway ... you need to go through French and UK border control and through security in Paris ...), but wow, compared to air travel, it was amazing.

I had a Standard Premier seat, a step up from Standard, but down from Business Premier.  The experience included a full meal, and, given my 5:13pm departure, this was a nice touch, but of course I brought my own food on board in case it did not satisfy.

Meal service began literally as soon as we got underway, with a cart that rolled through the aisle.  I pre-ordered the vegetarian option.  The regular option was beef (I think cold roast beef), served with potatoes (I think cold potato salad) and veggies (also cold?)

Meal Tray.

My tray had a little chocolate and a dessert, along with the entree.  The entree was a veggie quiche with a side of carrot and raisin mayo slaw.  A basket was offered with assorted breads and rolls.  The tray also had President brand butter, salt and pepper, cutlery, and toothpicks.

I selected a long olive bread.  It was soft in a strange way.  Ojan tried some kind of roll, and declared it stale and not good.  Basically, airline quality bread.

I tried the quiche, even though I hate quiche.  It had some flavorful veggies inside, but, well, it was eggy quiche.  The pastry crust was fine, but not particularly good.  After a few days of amazing pastry in France, I didn't have much positive to say about this lower quality pastry.  In fact, in my bag, I had a confit tomato, mozzarella, and puff pastry tart that I much preferred.

The carrot and raisin slaw reminded me of British Airways offerings, in that it was just soaked in mayo.  I ate it, and it was "fine", but, I didn't particularly want it.

Dessert was a little caramel tart with a few cocoa nibs sprinkled on top.  It was literally just caramel, thick caramel, but, caramel.  Sweet, gooey, but not quite a full dessert in my mind.  I liked the crunch from the cocoa nibs.  The tart shell was a generic pre-made shell, not very good.

Wine.

My choice of red or white wine was also available, both French.  I selected one, Ojan the other.  The white was Muscadet, fairly harsh, not great.  Same with the red.  We were also provided water bottles.  After the meal service, staff came through with tea and coffee, plus sweetener and milk.  I opted for a decaf, which arrived lukewarm and was clearly instant.  At least they tried.

The service was friendly and efficient, and they even came to wipe up our table when they cleared the trays.  Far superior to most air travel.

So, overall, not great, but not awful, and it was nice that they had the meal option.

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Cake Delivery from Momofuku Milk Bar

Momofuku Milk Bar.  I've written about it before, in detail, including all the history of my discovering it long before the masses, meeting the chef at her book signings in San Francisco, etc.  If you are unfamiliar with the glory that is Momofuku Milk Bar, please start with that post, and then return here.

While I adore the corn cookies, cereal milk soft serve, and zomg, crack pie from Momofuku Milk Bar, it had been several years since I had the opportunity to have any of their treats again.  It was time to fix this.

Momofuku Milk Bar has expanded significantly at this point, with several locations in New York, one in DC, one in Toronto, and now, one in Las Vegas too (getting closer!).  But I hadn't been to any of those cities in years, until this past fall, when I finally returned to New York.  You can bet that I went to Momofuku Milk Bar every night I was there, and re-fell in love with the soft serve and cookies.  Stay tuned for those reviews!

A couple months after my New York visit, we had an event to celebrate at my office, and I of course nominated myself to get the treats.  After consulting with the guest of honor, I knew that I needed to find a good cake.  It was Friday afternoon, and the celebration was planned for Wed, but Monday was a national holiday.  I had a weekend, a holiday, and one work day only to pull this together.  I called several bakeries around San Francisco, but most told me that they couldn't do an order with only one business day notice.  Barely anywhere delivered.

A sane person probably would have just ordered a Safeway cake and moved on.  Or perhaps found a local place that wasn't too far away, and gone themselves to pick it up (which, I'm glad I didn't do, as it was pouring rain the day of the party!).  But I'm not really a sane person when it comes to desserts.  I decided to order a cake from Momofuku Milk Bar, from New York, via overnight mail.  Because I knew they offered that service, and, I still had yet to try one of their cakes.

Overnight Mail Cake!

Ordering cake (or other products) from Momofuku Milk Bar is extremely easy online.  You can order from their website, or through Gold Belly.  Delivery across the country is $45, which did give me pause, but, I don't think it would have been much cheaper to hire a TaskRabbit or other courier inside San Francisco to fetch and deliver a local option.  This was totally a reasonable move ... really.

The cake was successfully delivered on time, and suffered no harm in transit.  I'm glad I finally got to try a Momofuku cake, but, it didn't really impress.  If only they could deliver me some soft serve ...

Packaging

All orders are shipped via overnight mail.  I scheduled my delivery for Tuesday, to ensure it would be there for the Wednesday party.  Monday evening I got a shipping notice, and, Tuesday morning, it arrived.  I may or may not have rushed home from the office midday to check it out.

Well Labelled.

My box was well marked with bright labels indicating its perishability, which is good, as my front desk immediately put it in the fridge for me.  There was also a cute Milk sticker, which meant something to me, and probably few others.

Pink!

I was surprised to open the box and find a sea of pink.  Pink tissue paper surrounded the box inside the box, and several cards were laid on top.

Info Cards.

The postcards included info on how to store my cake and proper handling instructions.  I could keep it in the fridge for up to 7 days (taking it out an hour before serving), or the freezer for 30 days (taking it out 3-4 hours before).

Insulated Packaging.

Under all the pretty pink tissue was the real packaging.  Smaller items came in a freezer bag, and the big cake was in a large styrofoam box.

Freezer Box.

The cake came inside a styrofoam box, surrounded by bubble wrap, and three large ice packs.

Wrapped Up Cake.

The cake was then wrapped up tightly on all sides, with cardboard disks on top and bottom.

Acetate Wrap Sides.

Peeling off the saran-wrap style wrap, and the top cardboard, finally revealed my cake, still held together by acetate strips

The Cake

So, Momofuku Milk Bar cake.  I had 8 choices for cake, all of which were fairly unique.  I would have gladly consumed any of them.

The cakes all follow a standard formula, starting with layers of cake, each coated with a soak to keep the cake super moist.  They then have multiple types of filling, like jam, cheesecake, fruit compotes, or even crack pie.  Frosting on top, but never on the sides.  And some kind of "crumb" on top.  To make any of these cakes, you essentially need to make at least 5 different recipes: cake, cake soak, filling, frosting, and crumbs.  Just like the cookies, these are complex creations.

I ruled out the chocolate chip cake because it had passion fruit curd, which is a flavor I am generally not a fan of.  Same with the strawberry lemon cake, due to the lemon cheesecake filling, even though it had milk crumbs, a strawberry jam layer, and pickled strawberry frosting, which sounded very fascinating.  I ruled out the apple pie cake because I don't generally like apple compote, although it was hard to look past the brown butter cake (treated with apple cider soak), brown butter cheesecake, pie dough frosting, and pie crumbs.  Passion fruit, lemon, and apples, excluded.  I still had 5 options.

Next I ruled out the chocolate malt cake, since it seemed the most boring and I don't actually love chocolate cake (not that it was plain, the cake had a Ovaltine soak, and it did have malted milk crumbs, charred marshmallows, chocolate fudge, and chocolate malt frosting).  I ruled out the salted pretzel cake due to the chocolate stout ganache and soak, worried the beer flavor would ruin the otherwise tasty sounding flavors (pretzel crumbs! burnt honey frosting!)

Narrowing in and choosing one from the final 3 options was hard.  I've had my eye on the Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake ... forever.  Yes, it is just a birthday cake, layers of rainbow cake (treated with a vanilla milk soak) with vanilla frosting and rainbow cake crumbs, but I know how good those rainbow cake crumbs are.  Alas, the occasion wasn't a birthday, so, I decided against it.  Finally, I ruled out the dulce de leche cake, worried that perhaps it would be too sweet for my group, with sweetened milk, dulce de leche caramel, and dulce de leche frosting.  Not everyone has the sweet tooth I do.

So I went with the final option, the German Chocolate Jimbo Cake.

German Chocolate Jimbo Cake.  6 inch. 

"A spin on the classic german chocolate cake! Chocolate cake layered with ooey-gooey crack pie® filling, flaky coconut and crunchy pecans! (milk bar first made this cake for jim nelson eic of gq magazine, hence the “jimbo”)".

The most impressive thing about this cake, besides it surviving the journey perfectly, was the layers.  I know all Momofuku cakes feature layers, but, nothing prepared me for what it actually was.

I *think* the layers were as follows, starting from the bottom:

• chocolate cake
• crack-coconut filling
• chocolate fudge frosting
• chocolate cake
• crack-coconut filling
• crunchy pecan filling
• chocolate fudge frosting
• chocolate cake
• chocolate fudge frosting
• coconut cake crumbs

So, 3 layers of chocolate cake, 3 layers of chocolate fudge frosting, 2 layers of crack-coconut filling, and one layer of crunchy pecan filling, plus the coconut crumbs on top.  And don't forget that the cake is soaked with "chocolate malt cake soak".  (Note: the chocolate frosting might actually have been chocolate malt frosting, I'm not sure which was used).

It was a stunning cake, in a non-traditional way.  The lack of frosting covering the sides allows you to see the layers (yay!) but it also means that the imperfections are visible.  It isn't a "clean" look.  It is like one of those babies that is cute, but not in the generic way ... in a slightly ugly cute sort of way.  You know what I mean.

"Slice" of the cake.

Cutting the cake was difficult.  I knew the first slice would be hard, but I expected it to get easier after that.  It didn't.  Kudos to anyone who can serve this without mangling it.  Not that anyone complained about being served a pile of cake layer rubble, but, it certainly wasn't pretty.

But, the real question ... how did it taste?

Honestly, it was a mixed bag for me.

The chocolate cake itself was fairly dry.  The cake was overnight mailed on Monday, I received it Tuesday and immediately put it in the fridge, and we ate it Wed at 1pm.  Maybe it was more moist originally?  It was dense, chocolately cake, but, drier, and far more crumbly, than I expected.  The cake was my least favorite element, but, I'm never a huge fan of cake itself anyway.

The chocolate fudge (or malt?) frosting was creamy and rich.  It was tasty enough, particularly when combined with the other fillings, but really, just standard good frosting.

The other fillings are where things start looking up.

The pecan crunch layer in the middle was one of my favorite elements, as I love pecans, and the additional crunch from the nut bits was great.

But the best filling was the crack-coconut filling.  It was a gooey coconut filling, with plenty of shredded coconut, that combined into very good bites with the pecan crunch and chocolate fudge.  I'll admit to feeling a bit let down that it didn't really resemble crack pie in any way other than that it was sweet and gooey, but, it was still quite tasty, so once I reset my expectations, I didn't mind.

My absolute favorite component however was the crumbs on top, I think coconut cake crumbs.  I loved the texture, the buttery nature, and the strong coconut flavor.  I've had many of the other flavors crumbs before, and I continue to think they are really the best part of Momofuku Milk Bar.  I honestly wish I could just buy crumbs, to use as an ice cream topping, or, uh, snack mix.

So overall, how was it?  It was an interesting cake.  It was fun to share with my co-workers.  I did like the fillings and the crumbs.  But the cake?  Eh.  I can't say it is worth the $45 overnight delivery fee.  Next time, I'll order more cookies ...

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Waffling Leftovers: Corn Cheese

Yes, I use my waffle iron as my preferred method of reheating leftovers, whenever I can.  It often leads to great discoveries (I no longer want to eat pizza any other way!), and sometimes leads to, uh, less successful results.

You can read all about my waffling leftovers adventures here.

Today's question: "Corn Cheese" - Will it waffle?

The answer, unfortunately, is no.  But it doesn't mean the results weren't delicious!

The Original

First, I probably need to back up.  What is ... "corn cheese"?  It is a Korean dish, made from, I'm not joking, the following ingredients: corn, butter, mayo (Japanese Kewpie mayo if you have it), cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and miso.  Corn, butter, and miso are relatively tame, but, then add in mayo and two types of cheese?  Behold, corn cheese (Lucky Peach recipe here).

Corn Cheese Casserole.

The original form of corn cheese is a thing of wonder.  A very thick layer of cheese on top.  Mayo and liquid cheesiness spilling out the sides.  Do you see any vegetables in here? Nah.  This dish is not really about the corn.

Corn cheese is delicious fresh from the oven in this form.  Hot, creamy, bubbling, comfort food.  The miso adds a touch of interesting flavor, and the mayo and cream cheese combine to create a very creamy sauce.  I love the top crust of cheese too.  And the corn?  Yup, its there, adding some texture and sweetness, but, really, this is about the cheese/mayo combo.

Waffling

But of course, as with most leftovers I have, I decided to test out the idea of waffling my leftover corn cheese.  My hypothesis is that it would turn into something like a thai corn cake.

Leftover Corn Cheese.

If you have leftovers, which, you should, as this dish requires some restraint, it reheats pretty well in a toaster oven too, although some separation is expected.

I've found that I actually enjoy corn cheese nearly as much just straight from the fridge, cold, but it loses the creaminess and becomes more of a pasta salad, but, uh, with corn in place of the pasta.  Still tasty, but quite different.

Not Looking Good ...

I took the simple approach to waffling, and inserted a slab of corn cheese at 350 degrees.  I seemed to have forgotten all the lessons I learned when waffling mac and cheese though, namely, that I needed to crust it.

When I checked on it, I could tell things weren't going great.  It separated, which often happens, but, as I waited patiently, the situation didn't improve.  I could see it burning.  This was not going to be a case where just giving it more time magically fixes it.

Corn Cheese Rubble.

The corn cheese, sans crusting, most certainly did not form a waffle that held together.  Extracting it was quite the process, even with my nonstick waffle plates.  I ended up using a chopstick to scrape it all out, and then removing the plates to dump the rubble onto my plate.

It looked burnt.  It looked like a fail. I instantly turned on the toaster oven to just heat some more up normally.  I thought this was headed for the trash.  But I still tried a bite.

And, well, I liked it.

Was it a waffle?  Of course not.  But it was crispy corn with crispy bits of cheese.  It didn't actually taste burnt.  A waffle disaster, yes, but, still really tasty.

This was a transformation of the original dish for sure, the creaminess that I love so much from the regular hot version nonexistent here.  But, I really enjoyed it.

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