85°C Bakery Cafe, United States

85°C is a Taiwanese based chain of asian bakery cafes, with 1,000+ locations worldwide, including a slew of locations around the Los Angeles area (the first US location opened in Irvine).  Sadly, there are none in San Francisco.  It is a fairly impressive company, founded only in 2003, first US location in 2008, and now seemingly everywhere around there.

This is no American style bakery and cafe though, they feature predominantly Japanese and Taiwanese items, and everything is shockingly inexpensive.  The focus is on quality, freshness, and affordability.  Nearly every time I visit LA, I seem to wind up walking by one, and in Sydney, I pass by at least one daily. 

Original Review, Pasadena Location, May 2018

I've previously looked in, drooled, but needed to move on to my other plans.  On my recent visit to Pasadena however, I sought out 85°C explicitly, so I could finally try the goodies that so often beckoned to me.

ZOMG, #allTheBakedGoods

It was just one visit, by myself, so I had to narrow down my choices, which was ridiculously difficult.  I wanted it all.

I loved what I did select though, and will return again in a heartbeat.

If only they'd open one in San Francisco ...

Setting

This particular visit was to the location in Old Town Pasadena, but they have locations throughout the Los Angeles region, Texas, and, worldwide obviously.

Corner Location.

I don't know if intentional or not, but I swear every location I have seen is located on a corner.  Maximum windows, double store front, why not?

The locations are also all huge.  And, if you go in the afternoon or evening, always quite busy.

Front Seating.

A small seating section is adjacent to the cake display cases, with very basic metal chairs/tables, but most seating is in back.

Back Seating.

A spacious area with a long communal table and fancier tables fills the other side adjacent to the drink area.

That said, most people seem to be getting big boxes of goodies to go, and it was relatively empty when I visited (granted, it was 9am on a Saturday!)  Every other time I've ever walked by one, it has been packed.

Drinks

Along with the bakery, the other section of the establishment is drinks, ranging from milk teas and slushes to hot and iced espressos and teas.  In Taiwan, apearantly this is what they are known for, where Taiwanese style bakeries are far more common, and the coffee sets them apart.  In the US ... things are reversed.

Coffee is actually where the name 85°C comes from:

"We believe that coffee holds its flavor best at a steady temperature of 85 degrees Celsius. To us, the name 85°C symbolizes our devotion to provide coffee of the highest quality. We hope to give our customers the best drink possible."

They take the coffee in particular seriously, offering no drip coffee, only espresso based beverages.

Drink Prep Area

Drinks are made in side portion of the space, ordered when you pay for baked goods, but made to order, so your number gets called out when ready and you fetch from the counter.

This area has a classic joint bubble tea and espresso bar setup, which I’ll admit looked pretty crazy to see side-by-side.

Again, if I wanted more, there were many great things here (included taro based lattes and frozen smoothies), but, I skipped it.  This time.   I was also drawn in by the ones topped with sea salt cream ... again, next time.

Self-Serve

One full side of the very large space is filled with self-service items, mostly breads, pastries, sponge cakes, and tarts that you must grab with tongs and place on a tray, plus some packaged items like cookies.

These items are all mixed throughout the displays, with the exception of a few chilled items, so I'll do my best to break down the categories and still provide photos.

85°C make it a point that items are all baked on-site.  Not frozen and reheated, baked fresh.  And not just daily.  They claim to produce 50 varieties of pastries baked fresh ... hourly.

I do believe it, actually.  While I was there, I saw a constant stream of fresh items being brought out.  All of my selections were indeed warm, even though not kept under heat lamps.  And they clearly rotate through many items, you might not always be able to find something you had last time.

Cashier.

You take your tray of goodies up to a cashier in the front (e.g. the long line), where you can also order cakes and drinks.

My Goodies: Squid Ink Bacon, Marble Taro, Taro Puff.

I settled, finally, on one savory item (to have alongside lunch later), and two sweet taro items.  I was so drawn in by the taro!

My items were each placed into individual plastic bags, since I was getting them togo.

Packaged Chilled Items

Chilled Packaged Items.

The first display case of self-serve items I believe is chilled, packaged items.  Here you could find a fairly random assortment of things, "shells" filled with taro or custard, "coconut snow cubes", cheesecake bites, cream puffs, red bean panna cotta cups, and a packaged "honey cake".

Basically, it seemed to be all the things that could be packaged up individually for easy self-service, but required refrigeration?

Half Moon Cakes.

On top of this area was large half moon cakes, almond or pork sun (labelled backwards, lol).  These are vanilla sponge cake with cream, and toppings I think just on the outside edges.

Sponge Cakes

Next, moving into the main self-serve section is tons and tons of trays of goodies, starting mostly with sponge cakes.

Tarts, Sponge Cakes, Danishes.

This section had 3 types of rolled sponge cake (coconut custard, chocolate cream, matcha red bean), and egg custard tarts on the top row, and assorted pastries on the bottom (coconut twist, taro danish, spinach kale danish, ham & cheese.

No real rhyme or reason to this lineup the best I could tell, sponge cakes, tarts, and both sweet and savory danishes all together?

On top was package nougat candy, pineapple cakes, and a really fascinating "sun pastry" that I impulse grabbed, but did put back.  It was like a soft pastry-cookie, and strangely flat like a pancake?  I read later that this is a traditional Taiwanese item, filled with a chewy sweet filling.  I wish I"d kept it!

I came *so* close to grabbing the taro danish too.  Flaky pastry.  Taro.  Yes!  But I moved on.

Tarts, Danishes.

This section continued with different tarts (Mixed Berry, Hokkaido Cheese, Coconut Raisin), and one more danish style (Apple Almond).

The offerings on top, packaged up, were cookies (chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia, fudge nut brownie), and mini lemon cakes.  I'm curious who visits and gets cookies here, given the other selections!

Breads

85* makes 4 main styles of breads: Taiwanese style, Japanese style, European style, Toast style (e.g. loaves), plus some danishes and other pastries.

The bread menu is further broken up into 7 categories: Puff Pastry. Savory Bread. Sweet Bread. Toast. Danish. Multigrain. Yudane. I wanted nearly everything.

Since I was just getting treats for one day (and actually, only planning for breakfast and maybe something to have alongside lunch … ) I had to limit my selections, particularly as things are HUGE. I picked a savory, a sweet, and a puff pastry.

Toast

The "Toast" category is certainly the most boring, just loaves of bread (white, multigrain, milk).

European Style

European Style & Yudane.

The second least exciting section of the bread menu for me, European breads, although if I really just wanted some hearty bread, the berry multigrain looked appealing.

This area featured large loaves of plain, walnut raisin, and berry multigrain on the top row, walnut sesame on the second.

The second row was still bread forward, but more interesting options, like cream cheese stuffed chocolate or cranberry bread, known as Yudane.

"Yudane" was a concept I wasn't familiar with, but seemed to just be cream cheese stuffed buns?  I'd gladly try one (probably the chocolate cream cheese?), but, with one day of snacks only, this category also was low priority for me.

On the bottom, a few more savory breads, garlic cheese and salted butter.

Danish

Danishes and other pastries.

The final category I didn't get anything from was danishes, although this was a hard call, and they seemed scattered across most of the display cases.

I love my pastries, and this one had a slew of heavy hitters: the "Boroh", with or without cream filling, seen on the top row here, alongside Portuguese style egg tarts .

The second row had puff pastry items, considered a separate menu category than the danishes a distinction I didn't quite understand.  Here there was a "Jumbo" guava cheese strudel, potato cheese turnover, and chocolate croissant.  I laughed that the strudel was the only item named "jumbo" and was less ridiculously oversized than many other things.

The bottom was more puff pastry based items, another "Jumbo" strudel (coconut), their play on a kouign amann, and cinnamon twists.

Puff Pastry

The puff pastry category was too hard to look past.  Some were more standard (like the cinnamon twists and turnovers), and those pearl sugar topped strudels (guava cheese, coconut), but then there were puffs filled with great sounding options (milk butter? taro!).

Taro Puff Pastry. $2.15.

 "This puff pastry is light, flaky, and layered with delicious taro filling inside."

I went for the taro puff pastry as the last item I picked up. I was planning to get just one taro item, and I had sooo many choices (the aforementioned danish, several different sweet breads, cakes, and more), but … it was an impulse move, I’ll admit it.

And it was the best move, it turns out.

It was fantastic!

Incredible, really. Still hot. Basically kinda like a sweet buttery croisstant, very, very generously stuffed with taro. The bread was not quite as flaky as a European style croissant, but, a bit flaky still. I loved it. Warm, soft, sweet.

Taro Puff Pastry: Inside.

And inside? Yes, that taro filling I was after.

So generously stuffed, a lovely taro mash. Sweetened, but not too much. Amazing real taro flavor. Loved it.

The creamy taro filling and the puff pastry were magic together. I’d have one of these for breakfast, or a afernoon treat, anyday. At 480 calories, it wasn't light, but also was not worse than a scone or any other breakfast pastry from a bakery or chain, and it only had 6 grams of sugar (unlike what you see at Starbucks, Panera, etc), although 22 grams of fat.

Truly incredible, and I’d get another in a heartbeat.

Sweet Bread

And then we get to the sweet breads.  From this category ... I'll be honest.   I wanted it all.

The standard items of glazed cinnamon rolls, fascinating twists, and fruity breads were easy enough to look past.  But other options include a HUGE brioche loaf that everyone adores. "Berrytales" and "Mangotales" that are also signature items, stuffed with fruit and cream cheese.

Chocolate fans have sooo man options, from simple chocolate buns, to a huge chocolate chip "bowl", to a chocolate cookie bread with a cookie crumble topping, to cream cheese stuffed chocolate buns. Coffee lovers? Yup, they have coffee breads, coffee breads filled with milk butter, and mocha bread.

Want creamy pudding filling?  Many options there too. "Milk Pudding" filled, "Premium Milk", "raisin milk butter", and more. You could go for red bean filled, a fascinating looking sugared cream cheese brioche, or, my other strong choice ... the taro swirl.

Picking one was nearly impossible, but, I did it.

Sweet Breads.

The top row here was all large sweet breads, some of their most popular items: the brioche, mocha bread, and marble taro.  My understanding is that the brioche and marble taro are literally brought out every 2-5 minutes, as they disappear that fast, and they often keep some near the register just in case the racks are empty. Or something like that.  Both high on my list, as simple as the brioche looked, and sounded.

The next row, more sweet options, starting with two coffee breads - one filled with milk butter and topped with chocolate chips, the other filled with red bean and mochi, and a chocolate cookie bread covered in oreo crumbs.

And finally, the bottom row, another chocolate option (a small chocolate yudane bun), the premium milk, and a coconut twist.

The "Premium Milk" was very high on my list, a soft sweet milk bread, filled with white chocolate.  But I couldn't move past the marble taro.

Marble Taro.  $2.40.

“Our top seller Marble Taro is a sweet bread made with mixed grains and filled with signature taro filling.”

Yes, I went for another taro option, the huge, huge, huge Marble Taro.  It was a beast!  But it promised taro in the bread, and taro inside, AND is the top seller?  Also, it was a beautiful purple color.

I had to get it, even though it was insanely large. Much heavier (physically too!), than the puff, 640 calories, far more sugar (33 grams), but hey, less fat (only 16 grams since not puff pastry I guess). I had read many testimonies that it keeps fine for a day, and you can heat it up later successfully.  So I had plans for this.

But of course I had to try it fresh! It too was hot.

The bread was entirely different from the taro puff pastry. A sweet bread, slightly taro flavored, more hearty, since it uses mixed grains (rye flakes, rolled oats, rolled wheat, flax seeds, millet seeds, sesame seeds, and whole wheat flour), in addition to the regular flour and cake flour base, yet still very soft and fluffy.

It was fine, but wasn't that taro-forward, at least in the bread ...

Marble Taro: Inside.

From the cross section you can see better why it wasn't very taro-y in the bread itself, there really was just a marbling on the outside, the bread was the plain multigrain.  But inside the taro delivered, plenty of the taro mash.  Creamy, smooth, but with bits of real taro, great flavor.  Given the huge size of the bread, sooo much taro filling.  I love that filling.

A very different item from the taro puff though, and it was good.  It really is just a question of what you are in the mood for, a flakier puff pastry, or a more bread-like item.  I really liked the filling again, but I'd like to try the taro danish and swirl before I'd go back to this.

Sweet and Savory Breads.

The top row here was savory, with a s spicy sausage bread, and the space for more cheese dogs, but that section was empty (no fear, the other one had plenty),.

Row two started savory with garlic cheese bread and ham and cheese, but moved sweet with the berrytale.

The bottom was all sweet, with the raisin milk butter, taro swirl, and mangotale.

I had read so many things about the taro swirl, it looked like puff pastry (but isn't made from it), topped with powdered sugar, and filled with the taro.  But since I picked the taro puff already, I didn’t want both.  Doubling up on taro was fine, but I wanted to try to do more diverse bread type. I think it would have been similar, just more flaky

The taro swirl really is next on my "To Try" list.

Savory Bread

The savory line up at 85* is fascinating, in the way that Asian bakeries are.  Bacon, hot dogs, sausages, corn, squid ink, pork floss, galore. Lots of mayo and cheese.

Savories.

The back side of the chilled section had some savories, including the super random ham, tuna, & corn sandwich, even more egg tarts, an espresso bun, and a bacon & cheese roll.

I wanted bacon, so this was on my list of savories to try, but not high enough.

Puff Pastry & Savories.

More savories were mixed into the next section.

The top row here was a milk pudding filled roll and the taro puff pastry I adored.

Below that, a pork sung bun, a milk butter puff pastry (what is milk butter anyway?), and ... the cheese dog!

On the bottom, more savories: cheese bread (cream cheese stuffed and cheese topped, a crazy sounding combo to me), Hawaiian chicken (with tomato sauce? A la pizza?), and a butterhorn.

I was drawn in many directions.  I wanted the cheesy dog.  I wanted the pork floss.  But there were many more savories that also called out.

Assorted Sweet and Savory Breads.

The top row was non-savory: chocolate croissants, MORE egg tarts, and mango bread.

Next, a huge chocolate chip 'bowl', alongside the start of the squid ink line-up, with corn, chicken, and cheese. Then, a giant whole wheat roll topped with mushroom and cheese.

On bottom, more squid ink, a version with cheese and bacon, one just called a "calmari stick", and, a sugar and cream cheese topped round brioche.

Squid ink was the fascinating, so I picked one of these to be my savory choice, passing up the hotdogs.

Squid Ink Bacon.  $1.80.

Once I decided to go for squid ink, I still had a slew of options. A cheesy “calamari stick”, one topped with corn and chicken, and, one with bacon. Well, that choice was easy. If there is bacon, pick bacon.

This I planned for later on, as part of my lunch. Cheesy, meaty, savory, seemed appropriate alongside some salad right?

But it was hot, so I needed to try it fresh too!

The bread was much different from the others, chewy, not as fluffy as I associate with Asian bakeries, yet still quite soft.  It had a complex flavor, but didn't actually taste particularly squid-y.  The ink certainly colored it, but, the fishy flavor was quite mild.

The bacon and cheese though were quite detectable. On top was two lines of melted cheese (Swiss), plus breadcrumbs, which both gave it some nice visual appeal.

Squid Ink Bacon: Inside.

Inside was like a filled croissant, like a standard ham and cheese croissant, with melted Swiss cheese and chunks of bacon.  When I heated it up later, the cheese melted nicely.

The Swiss was a great match for the bacon, very flavorful.  The bacon pieces were a flabby style though, not quite my thing.

I describe this as interesting, and much better than a ham and cheese croissant, but, not particularly awesome.  Next time? CHEESY DOG!

Displayed Cakes

Most of the cakes are separate from the other baked goods, not self-serve.  They clearly don't trust us to serve these beauties ourselves.  Or maybe because they require refrigeration?

Instead, you order at the cashier, and on every transaction, without fail, they ask, "And would you like any cakes or drinks?"

"Cakes" is not quite accurate to describe this area, as it contains far more than just cakes, but that is what they call it.  Broken into full size cakes, medium sized bars cakes, slices, rolls, cups, and more.  All are very complex, not just sheet cakes, mostly all layer cakes, and all beautifully decorated.

And yes, taro options here too.  So many options.

Cakes.

The top row was 8" full size cakes: Taro Snow, Royal Chocolate Strawberry, Mango Creme Brulee, Black Forest, Fruit Cheesecake,  and something chocolately and square Deluxe Chocolate Mousse.

Next individual slices: Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake, Taro Snow, Classic Tiramisu, Deluxe Chocolate Mousse, Deluxe Strawberry, Cream Cheesecake.

Below that, bar shaped cakes, called "Full Month Cakes", which looked to serve 4-5 people: Fruit Topped Cream Cheesecake, Black Forest, Chocolate Cookie Crumble, a randomly packaged honey cake, and more slices (Mount Formage, Red Velvet).

These names don't really do the items justice.  The item called "Mango Creme Brulee" is actually "Vanilla sponge cake layered with vanilla brulee and mango mousse. Decorated with fresh mango, strawberries, chocolate, and mango cream."

So many great things.

Taro Snow.  I resisted the urge to *also* get cakes, but that was at the top of the list.

More Cakes.

That was only half the cakes.

The next section again had whole cakes on top: Deluxe Chocolate Mousse, Deluxe Strawberry, Mango Creme Brulee, Sea Salt Coffee Brulee, Red Velvet, Strawberry Chocolate Mousse.

Next, cups and slices.  Mango Panna Cotta Cup, slicesof Strawberry Chocolate Mousse, Sea Salt Coffee Brulee, Red Velvet, Black Forest, Mango Creme Brulee.

The bottom row had individuals: Chocolate Delight, Mango Delight, Coffee Cream Brulee Cup, Fruit Jelly Cup, White Chocolate Strawberry Cup, and a Fresh Fruit Tart.

Update Review, Cupertino Location, July 2019 Visit

Oh 85* Bakery Cafe, I just can't quit you.

It doesn't matter that I never really like your goodies (particularly now that I have comparison points, like Bao Bao Bakery in Boston), and that you are way more expensive than makes sense.  I'm like a moth, you are my light.  I just keep trying.

This recent adventure into an 85* Bakery Cafe was post incredible ube soft serve, in a taro filled taiyaki cone, at Somi Somi, a few doors down.  I had taro on my mind, and I knew one place could make my taro dreams come true.

And, yes, I had many taro options.  Taro danishes, buns, and breads galore.  I settled on two, one of which I had before and knew was great, and one new one.

Marble Taro. $3.

"Our top seller Marble Taro is a sweet bread made with mixed grains and filled with signature taro filling."

The marble taro was quite good, as before.

A huge bread, yet easily devoured.  Slight sweet base, with a hint of a hearty mixed grains, with a lovely purple swirl on it.  Inside was sweetened taro paste, fairly standard, but, good.

Overall, a nice item, although simple.  If you just wanted a slightly sweet bread with some taro in it, this was it. 

Even better warm, with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  I can imagine maybe even slicing and buttering for breakfast?  But I loved it warmed as a dessert.

Taro Puff Pastry. $2.50.

"This puff pastry is light, flaky, and layered with delicious taro filling inside."

For my more decadent item, I went for the taro puff pastry.

It was less successful.  The base of this was a puff pastry, as named, but it wasn't particularly good puff pastry.  Not very buttery, and not flaky in a croissant-like way.  Just, well, kinda generic puff pastry.  I think I somehow expected it to still be more like a traditional Asian bun, even though it said it was just puff pastry (it did *look* more interesting than a puff pastry, after all!).

Inside was taro filling, the same as the marble taro, and I did again like the taro filling, but, this was not the item for me.

Read More...

Rip Van Wafels

Update Review April 2019

Ok, I finally found a stroopwafel I really loved!

It hails from Rip Van Wafel, a San Francisco based company that I have reviewed before.  However, in my previous attempts, I either 1) failed to consume them properly or 2) just didn't really care for them.  I finally succeeded, after not trying them for 5 years.

"A chewy, syrup filling, sandwiched between two thin crisp cookie wafers. Carefully pressed on a traditional Dutch iron to less than 1/4 inch for a perfect mouth feel."

Rip Van Wafel has expanded their product line considerably in their successful past few years, now offering low sugar versions, high protein ones, and minis too, but all still based around stroopwafels.  They also added a slew of flavors.  Which, for me, was key: finding an awesome flavor.

The other key for me is *not* serving it in a traditional style of heating over a cup of steaming coffee, and not dunking it in my coffee.   Of course that is just one way to enjoy them, and their individually wrapped grab-n-go nature makes them easy to just grab as a snack, post-workout treat, dessert, etc.

Chocolate Brownie.

Ok, don't mind the broken wafel.  I really didn't plan to review this (it came in a snack box and a friend who doesn't eat chocolate gave it to me).

Like the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt I had last time, and their popular Cookies & Cream version, this one had a chocolate wafel.  It also had chocolate caramel inside.  And somehow ... tasted *exactly like a brownie*.  The flavor was great.  

I consumed it just at room temperature, breaking off chunks, and dunking it into thick sweetened whipped cream (I love whipped cream on brownies to compliment the rich dark chocolate - or warm with ice cream, but putting whipped cream on this wouldn't really work, since you need to break it apart).  The crispy texture, and chewy caramel, and creamy thick cream I used just worked together great.  Fun to eat, and really just quite tasty.  Cocoa powder, brown sugar, and molasses, and perhaps a backdrop of the chickpea flour, just created a really rich brownie flavor somehow.

I really enjoyed it this way, and would gladly get another.

This is also available in a low sugar recipe with only 3 grams of sugar (uses monkfruit extract for sweetness).

Update Review, November 2015

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  In my original review, I said I was done trying these things.  But ... they expanded the product line to not just include the 'traditional' stroopwafel I had before, but they now have one with a coconut filling, a more wholesome one with oats and honey, and, something a bit more up my alley: chocolate.  So, I tried again.  Oops.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt.

"Bold dark chocolate with a hint of salt."

I wanted to tell you all about this.  But ... it went exactly the same was as attempt #1 before.  I placed it over my cup as instructed, turned my head for about 2 minutes, and ... then it was gone.  Doh.  Collapsed into my coffee.

I can't tell you anything about this product.  What I can tell you is that coffee, with little disintegrated bits of wafel floating in it, is really not very good.

Original Review, April 2015

Yesterday I reviewed real waffles, so today, for "snack foods Friday", I turn to packaged "wafels" instead, by Rip van Wafels.

Rip van Wafels is a local San Francisco business, sold at many coffee shops around town, but the treats are Amsterdam style, designed to just be consumed with your drink.

Unfortunately, due to user error on my part, which you'll read about below, I didn't actually get to enjoy one of these.  Whoops!

Individual Packaged Wafel.

The packaging has clear instructions.  You are to take your wafel-cookie, place it on top of your coffee/tea/hot chocolate/hot cider/etc, and wait.  Patiently.  And wait some more.  They sorta insist that you wait.  They promise it will be worth it, while the caramel inside melts due to the steam from your warm drink.

Perfectly sized to fit on top of cup. 

So I waited.

Well, please, I am me, so of course first I had a tiny bite.  The cookie part reminded me of a sugar cone from a Drumstick, a bit soggy-like.  Hmm.

So I waited, as instructed.  While I waited, I went to read the web site to learn more about the product.  I also saw that I could dip it if I preferred.  So, I eagerly turned to my cup to try dipping it.

And ... my stroopwafel wasn't there.  Wat? Did I move it?  I looked around frantically.  No, I swear, I left it on top of my cup.  Then it dawned on me.  It fell in!

I must have waited too long, so it got too limp, and collapsed into the cup.  I fished it out, hopeful that it was salvageable, but it was a lost cause.  Just a soggy mess.

I can't tell you anything more about this product, since I clearly failed at eating it.  Whoops :(

Attempt #2.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I tried another.  This time I perched it on the edge, just like in the pitcher, rather than fully covering the top of the cup.

And I waited.  And waited.  It never really got soft.  I mean, it got a bit softer, but certainly not as I expected given the description that the caramel was supposed to get soft and melty inside.  I waited longer.  Now my coffee was just getting cold.  Grumpy cat.

Since I didn't really like it when it was just at this temperature, I ended up mostly dunking it into the coffee instead, sorta like it was biscotti.  This was ... ok, but really not great.

If I were to acquire another one, I'd want to just use it with ice cream, rather than coffee.  I think it would make a great ice cream sandwich, or, even just break it up and mix it into ice cream.  But as a side with my coffee? Not really doing it for me ...

Attempt #3.

I gave it another valiant effort.  Went back to a coffee cup where it fit perfectly.  And waited.

It never really got soft.  The caramel never got gooey.  My coffee got cold.

Even dunked in my coffee I didn't care for it.

I'm done trying these!

Read More...

Waffling / Grilling Leftovers: Spicy Dumplings

Yup, another installment of Waffling Leftovers, my never ending quest to put random leftovers into a waffle iron, and see what happens (you can read all about my previous adventures here!).  

To be fair, in this case, I used panini plates rather than waffle plates, only out of laziness: they were in the Griddler, and I was too lazy to swap them out.  This would work equally well with waffle plates, no question.

Leftover Dumpling Transformation!

This one was inspired by some leftover spicy dumplings, that were fabulous, but seemed like I'd do an injustice to try to reheat in any "normal" way.

So clearly, the grill/waffle iron came out.

Leftover Spicy Pork Dumplings: Will it waffle (er, panini)?   ZOMG YES.  Huge success.

The Original: Z & Y Spicy Pork Dumplings.

The original dish was the spicy pork dumplings from Z & Y (full review coming soon!).  They were piping hot, juicy, loaded with pork filling, and oh-so-spicy.  They were fabulous.

The Leftovers: Spicy Pork Dumplings.

But I didn't finish the order, and had two left.

Of course, I could just throw them in the microwave to reheat, or a pan, but ... I honestly didn't think it would do the dumplings justice.  They really were fabulous.  I tried a bite cold, and, yeah, not fabulous.

Leftover Pork Dumpling: Onto the Grill!

Luckily, my Griddler was just a step away, and I quickly switched it on.  I noticed as it was pre-heating that it had the panini plates, not the waffle plates in it, but I decided I didn't care.  Panini-pressed would work fine.

I set the temperature at 400*, and once up to temp, threw one in.

Leftover Pork Dumpling: A Few Minutes In ...

I opened the lid after a few minutes to the dumpling rip in half as I opened it.  Doh.  Not what I was expecting, but I didn't think it would be a problem.

I closed the lid, and got to prepping the rest of my dish.

Leftover Pork Dumplings: Getting Crispy!

A few more minutes was all it took to crisp up beautifully.

Sure, I didn't have a connected dumpling anymore, but did it really matter?  I doubted it.

My Creation! 

Griddled leftover spicy pork dumplings over steamed romaine / cabbage / spanish onion / cauliflower stem with spicy chili sauce / soy / ume vinegar.

I was beyond thrilled with what I put together.

While the dumplings were grilling, I threw chunks of Spanish onion and cauliflower stem into a pan to steam a bit, added cabbage and romaine, and all the rest of the chili oil sauce that came with the dumplings.  The spicy chili oil was crazy spicy though (Z & Y does NOT mess around, legit szechuan food!), so I added soy sauce and ume vinegar to balance it out.

The end result was fabulous.  I did love the dumplings originally, but they were fairly magical this way.  So very, very crispy.  The entire surface area of the dumpling was in contact with the grill, on both sides, so, crispy perfection.  Better than regular pan fried dumplings.  The juicy greens, the chunks of radish, and the crispy dumplings were all beautifully complimentary textures.  And the spicy sauce ... swoon.

It brought me great joy, and the grilled dumplings were definitely a staring component.  I'm sure waffling would work well too, with more contrast of some crispy bits and some not, but this was excellent as is.  Absolutely would do again.

Read More...

Aqua S, Sydney

Final Review, 2018/2019 Visits

Sadness, sadness, sadness.

My favorite soft serve in Sydney, Aqua S, has closed their Sydney location, the one that was just a few blocks from the hotel I stay at regularly.  It has been replaced by trendy drink shop, that does have some soft serve, but, not the same.

Luckily, for those of you not in Sydney, Aqua S remains a strong brand, with locations worldwide now (I visited in Singapore actually!), and I highly, highly recommend.  The creamiest soft serve you'll find, and really unique flavors.

If this is your first read of my accolades, you may wish to start with my original review from 2015 and update 2016 review.

Taro Milk Tea (top), Sea Salt (bottom), Popping Candy. $6.

On this visit, my flavor choices were Rose Watermelon (ahh! Death!), Taro Milk Tea, and the signature blue Sea Salt.  I did consider not getting ice cream for safety reasons, after I confirmed that the watermelon rose flavor had real watermelon in it, and I really should have been worried about cross contamination, but ... taro is one of my favorite flavors, and Aqua S is one of my favorite soft serve ice cream shops, so, uh, I risked it.  Don't tell my mom.

So, taro it was.  But I wanted to hedge my bets, and get sea salt too.

Unlike last year, when the options of having two flavors in a cone/cup stacked one on top of the other was absolutely not allowed, this was now an acceptable thing.  I opted to go this route, just in case I didn't like the taro for some crazy reason, I could knock it off the cone, and at least enjoy the sea salt.

The taro however was great, so, it would have been fine to get a cone of just taro, or swirled with sea salt.  It was creamy, decent taro flavor, and it melted beautifully in the sun.

The sea salt I can't imagine a full cone of, as it is quite sweet, but, the flavor is certainly unique, and it too was quite creamy.

Credit cards had a $6 minimum, and since the ice cream was $4.50, this meant I needed to get a topping.  The toppings at Aqua S are always a bit odd ... I love caramel corn, but it doesn't work great on a ice cream.  Same with torched marshmallow, a great item, but, on my ice cream? Mochi did sound good, but is only available in cups, and I wanted to lick from a cone.  So, popping candy it was, even though I knew that was a ridiculous non-value.

As I expected, the tiny tiny quantity of popping candy was clearly not worth $1.50, but I did like the pop it added.  I really just want sprinkles, or anything else crunchy on the outside!

Overall, it was good, very creamy, good flavors, but didn't excite me as much as it had previously.

Elderflower Blueberry & Sea Salt / Popping Candy / Caramel Corn. $7.55.

I tried the elderflower blueberry on its own first and found it far too sweet and floral, and ... not tasting like blueberry at all.  But I disliked the other special even more (a too spiced chai tea flavor).  I almost left, and went elsewhere for ... something else.  I knew there was no other ice cream nearby that I wanted (sorry Oh, Matcha!, but your soft serve is lackluster ...).

But I really wanted soft serve, and I do adore the amazing consistency of Aqua S soft serve.  So I stayed.  I almost just went for plain sea salt, but at least minute, decided on a twist with the elderflower blueberry.

The consistency was again perfection.  Really just so smooth, so creamy, just, perfect soft serve ice cream.  It melted nicely.  I love their ice cream, really.

The sea salt was sweet and salty, a nice flavor, as always.  The elderflower blueberry was definitely tempered by the swirl, but I still don't think it tastes like blueberry at all, and I think I would have liked the sea salt by itself more.

My toppings were a success though.  The caramel corn, while a bit hard to actually eat off a cone, was really good caramel corn.  Fresh, super sweet, very crave-able.  Honestly, I'd buy a cup of just that if I could!  I think if it was hot and sunny the caramel corn would be a disaster though ... you can't lick your cone with it in the way, and you'd have to frantically just bite it all off.  But for not too hot days, it works, and I did love it.  Worth the $1.50.

The popping candy might not have really been worth $1.50 ... there wasn't much of it at all, but I did like it when I got a pop.

The cone was a dark color for photogenic purposes I think, it tasted plain, and wasn't a very good cone.

Overall, I was happy enough with this treat, although certainly not my first choice of flavors.

Mixed Berry (top) / Slime Brulee (bottom) with Popping Candy & Caramel Corn. (October 2019). $7.55.

For Halloween, Aqua S went "spooky" with one of the flavors.  My options were mixed berry (ok, that isn't the spooky one) and "Slime Brulee" ... which is really just crème brûlée flavored, but it is green.  Given my love of crème brûlée, I was super excited to try it, but I'm very glad I asked to sample it first.  

Slime Brulee was sweet.  Very, very, very sweet.  It did taste like crème brûlée, very custard-like, but, it was so very sweet.  I knew instantly that a full cone of it would be too much, but I did like it.

My option of course was to swirl it with sea salt, the always available flavor, but I didn't think that would actually improve things.  So I went for the Mixed Berry on top, and the Slime Brulee on the bottom, knowing the top flavor would likely be the more generous serve.

I really did like Mixed Berry.  It wasn't any distinct berry flavor, certainly not strawberry, not blueberry, more like raspberry.  It was clearly fruity, but not too fruity, and not too sweet.  I dislike fruity ice cream normally, strawberry ice cream is the bottom of the barrel for me, and most other fruity flavors of froyo or ice cream I am never excited for, but ... I grew up in the land of Black Raspberry soft serve, and this instantly reminded me of that.  In New Hampshire, where I lived, black raspberry was always the third flavor at a ice cream shop: vanilla, chocolate, and black raspberry.  Most places had 2 machines, and the 4th flavor rotated, but black raspberry was just as common as vanilla or chocolate.  I thought this was normal, until I moved out of the area, and realized black raspberry isn't actually everywhere.

Anyway, the mixed berry flavor really delighted me, and it was basically like a far better version of my childhood.  

Both the slime brulee and mixed berry were perfectly creamy, rich, premium ice cream.  Aqua S really truly just makes excellent ice cream.

As always, I was a bit let down by the topping choices: still just caramel corn, popping candy, torched marshmallow, fairy floss, or mochi (if you get a cup only).  I love caramel corn, but on a cone it is just odd.  I still got it, and just went in with a plan - I asked for a spoon, had my own cup with me, and knocked the popcorn off immediately, into the cup.  I ate it *after* the cone, and loved it.

The popping candy was awesome as usual, really, just so much fun, and I prefer it over classic sprinkles.  I went prepared with extra sprinkles and a crumble topping to add on as I went, since I knew they never really apply that much.

I'd get this again, likely just the mixed berry (maybe with sea salt), with just popping candy, and my own extra toppings.

[ No photo ]

Other flavors sampled.

• Honey Citrus Grapefruit: I was fairly certain that I would not like this flavor, but I tried it anyway, since it was the only flavor, besides a chocolate based on, when I visited. And ... yeah, this is not for me.  It was tart, it was more like sorbet than ice cream, and just not my thing at all.
• Elderflower Blueberry: Another rotation where my options weren't exactly ones I was excited for, but still, I tried.  The elderflower made this a bit too sweet for me, and, well, floral.  Just not my thing.  It also didn't really taste like blueberry.
• Chai Tea: Too aggressively spiced, definitely not my thing.

Update Review, December 2016 Visits

Last year, I went to Aqua S for the first time, and learned why Aqua S had so much hype.  Yes, their brilliant blue soft serve, and ridiculous toppings ARE instagram sensations, but, also, the soft serve ice cream is really, really good.

I couldn't wait to return during my visit to Sydney this year.

Popup Setup.

Amazingly, my first weekend in Sydney, I ran into Aqua S, unintentionally, not at their own store.  They were at the Gap store, at the Westfield mall, doing a special popup event.

They had two soft serve machines set up on the counter.  I have no idea if these are the same grade as what they use at the shop, but it was a pretty impressive mobile setup.

Made to order!

At the popup, they had only one flavor, the signature sea salt soft serve, and two toppings (colorful popping candy and torched marshmallows, which, they torched to order).

I got it all.

Small Sea Salt ($4) + Popping Candy + Torched Marshmallow ($2.80) = $6.80

The sea salt had a good flavor, slightly salty, sweet.  But it wasn't nearly as creamy as I remembered, a bit icy even.  I wonder if this was just because of the popup machines?

The popping candy was again fun, more fun than sprinkles, and served about the same purpose.

The toasted marshmallow I had not had before, even though people Instagram it all the time.  It was ... well, a toasted large round marshmallow.  It was good, but, I couldn't help but wonder why I was supposed to want it with my ice cream.  It was served on a white chocolate cookie stick (Pocky?).

Overall, I enjoyed my ice cream, but it wasn't the sort of thing I'd go rushing back for.

Matcha Latte (bottom) + Rose (top) ($4) with Popping Candy ($1.50).

Aqua S rotates their flavors every two weeks now.  On this visit, the flavors were matcha latte and rose, in addition to the menu constant sea salt.  So options were: matcha latte, rose, or sea salt, all on their own, or matcha + sea salt swirl, rose + sea salt swirl.  I was immediately torn by indecision.

I knew I liked the rose before when Ojan got it, so that alone, or swirled with sea salt, was certainly a contender.  But I love matcha.  But I was also worried the matcha would be too strong on its own, and wanted to swirl it with sea salt.  So I wasn't actually indecisive.  I knew what I wanted: matcha swirl with sea salt on the bottom, rose on top.  Which is what I ordered, only to be rejected.  "Sorry, only two flavors" she said.

I understand the two flavors policy ... in that I couldn't get say, matcha, rose, and sea salt as three separate layers.  But the swirl comes out of a single machine, just like a single flavor.  I could get matcha without the sea salt on the bottom and rose on top, no problem.  How was it actually different to get the swirl than a single flavor?  I asked again, saying, "but the swirl is just one lever anyway" or something like that.  Still a hard no.

I asked if the matcha was very strong, and she said yes.  She said it was very bitter and was best swirled with sea salt.  But I couldn't get that, and rose.  Sigh.  She also wouldn't let me sample either flavor.  They do not allow any samples.

In the end, I opted for the matcha and rose, not swirled since they can't swirl.

The rose was lovely.  Such a subtle, beautiful flavor.  It was a bit intense on its own, and might have been a bit better swirled with sea salt, but it was still fabulous.  And, as with my first visit, it was just incredibly creamy and melted perfectly.  I loved it.

The popping candy was again a fun topping.  Like sprinkles, but, actually fun.  I really, really enjoyed my ice cream.

And then I reached the matcha layer.  To say it was bitter is an understatement.  It was *crazy* bitter.  Now, I love matcha, and this was a great matcha flavor.  But ... it was just not at all sweet, and not what I wanted, particularly not after the sweet rose flavor.  Really, this needed to be swirled.  As I had wanted.

I kept trying to like it, but couldn't.  I ended up throwing away the bottom of my cone, as I just couldn't bring myself eat it.

Just like that matcha, I was bitter.  I knew it would be better swirled, and I still really don't understand why it wasn't allowed.  Grumble.  Policies.  But I'll still go back.

Original Review, 2015 Visits

Aqua S is an ice cream shop in Sydney, named for their signature flavor: Sea Salt, which is ... aqua blue.  Yes, the sea salt ice cream is blue.  This might set the scene a bit for what is to follow.

Aqua S opened during my last visit to Sydney, and was a serious rage at the time.  Lines out the door and down the hall.  So much hype.  So much Instagramming.  Why?  Well, they created a product that was extremely novel and photogenic, and thus, social media went crazy.  Baby blue soft serve, in black cones, surrounded by a cloud of cotton candy, garnished with caramel corn.  Yes, seriously.  I walked by a few times (including when I got matcha ice cream across the hall at Chanoma), and I was tempted to swing through myself, but, figured it was all hype.  Something that over the top can't be good, right?

On my recent visit in February, the hype had worn down, but, reviews were still very positive.  People comment constantly on how creamy the ice cream is.  I grew up in the land of soft serve ice cream, so, I'm always on the lookout for good soft serve (NOT froyo, ice cream!).  So, ridiculous toppings and colors aside, it went on my list of possible places to try.

A few days into my trip I looked up Aqua S's weekly special flavors, and it was a done deal: taro and rose.  I adore taro.   I had to visit, no question.  I dragged Ojan with me.

Somehow, even on a 95 degree Sunday, at 2:30pm, there was hardly any line.  The ice cream was great, and I'll certainly be returning.

Aqua S Interior.

The small shop is decorated in ... aqua.  Aqua, aqua, everywhere.  There are a few tiny tables, but even on a non-busy day, they were all full (except the one pictured here, which was filled moments later).  Most patrons take their ice cream and wander through Regent Place, where it is located, and show off their ice cream for basically everyone else walking by to gawk at.

And gawk they do.  For good reason.

Popcorn Machine, Fairy Floss Machine (cotton candy).

The menu at Aqua S is not extensive.  Only 3 flavors of ice cream, one of which is always the signature Sea Salt, and two other flavors change every two weeks.  You can swirl either of the weekly flavors with sea salt, but not each other.  Cup or cone.  One size.  And then, 4 toppings to pick from ($1.50 extra).

Topping choices are ... interesting.  No sprinkles, no chocolate dip.  Instead, they have fairy floss (cotton candy), sweet popcorn, popping candy, and ... grilled marshmallow.  Yeah.  If you opt for the fairy floss, it forms a halo around the cone.  It looks ridiculous, and I don't think makes any sense.  How would you possibly eat that?

Anyway, right behind the counter is a fairy floss machine, making it to order, and a popcorn machine filled with the sweet popcorn.

Grilled Marshmallow and Popping Candy Station.

At the counter in front is the popping candy and grilled marshmallow station.  The marshmallows are on sticks, and then just stuck into your ice cream, which also doesn't really make sense to me.

Taro, with Sweet Popcorn, and (Free!) Valentine's Day Pearl Balls.  $5.50.

I obviously went for the taro.  I added the sweet popcorn because I love caramel corn, and, the bonus free topping of silver balls, which are not normally available.  This was a special for Valentine's Day.

I kinda laughed when I got my cone though.  It looked good, but ... uh, how do you eat popcorn off a cone?  I picked off a kernel, and then realized the bigger problem.  My cone was melting fast, and I had no ability to lick around it to save it.  Within moments I was going to have ice cream dripping down my arm.  Uh-oh.

So, I set about eating the caramel corn first, picking it off as fast as possible.  But ... it wasn't actually good.  It tasted stale.  I didn't actually want it.  So, I just picked it off and ditched it.  Then I could lick around my cone, save it from melting, and enjoy it.  Phew.  A stressful moment was had though, I assure you.

Ok, so, sweet caramel corn?  Not recommended as an ice cream topping.  The pearl balls were fine.

As for the ice cream, I didn't actually taste a ton of taro.  But it was the creamiest, smoothest, soft serve I've probably ever had.  It was really just absolute perfect consistency.  Not icy, not over churned.  Just, perfect.  And it melted beautifully, albeit rapidly, in the 95 degree heat.

The cone was black, but tasted the same as any other sugar cone.  I was hoping it was chocolate.

So, overall, well, it was damn good soft serve.  I'd get it again, but obviously leave off the popcorn.  $5.50 for a cone though ... a bit steep (but it was only $4 without the topping).

Rose and Sea Salt Swirl, with Popping Candy, and (Free!) Valentine's Day Pearl Balls. $5.50.

Ojan opted for the signature sea salt and rose, swirled, with popping candy.  His was beautiful, the aqua blue sea salt and the pretty pink rose were both stunning, it was covered in colorful candy, and had some bling from the pearls.

The sea salt really didn't taste like much to me, it was sweet, but honestly, I didn't taste any salt.  The rose however was really quite good, which shocked me, as rose is not really a flavor I normally go for.  But it was sweet, subtle, and really, really quite good.

While many of the toppings at Aqua S are totally impractical, it turns out, popping candy really is quite fun, and just as easy to deal with on a cone as sprinkles.  However, $1.50 for a little sprinkle of popping candy seemed ... excessive.

His was also a perfect consistency, really quite good ice cream, and I'd gladly get the rose again, although I wish I could swirl it with taro.

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Extreme Pizza

Yes, I'm reviewing a chain pizza joint.  And not talking about their pizza.  Let's just get past that to start.

I had no intention really of reviewing Extreme Pizza, but, well, I was impressed.

Extreme Pizza is a pizza franchise, that did start in San Francisco (only back in 1994).  Their model focuses on efficiency and throughput, known for a bake time of only 4 minutes for a full pie, but while offering a "unique premium menu" with "high end" and "exotic" ingredients.  However, this is nothing like the pizza places in Sydney that offer alligator, kangaroo, etc, and nothing like the pizza place where I went to grad school that had things like ravioli on top.  They *do* have far more unique toppings than your average pizza shop, no question.  And of course, plenty for vegans and gluten-free diners too.

Apparently they are successful though, awarded “Best Pizza Coast to Coast“ (by ... someone?), and have spread nationwide, mostly on the coasts.  The locations in my area get decent reviews, and shockingly many mentions of excellent service.  And excellent salads.  Which is what drew me in.

It was many weeks in to COVID-19 staying at home, and I just wanted to pick up a salad while I was out running errands.  Remembering randomly reading reviews of Extreme Pizza's salads, I decided to give them a try.  I had *zero* expectations.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes ...

• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]

I ordered on delivery.com, it was easy, my order was prepared quickly, and, yes, as the Yelpers all say, the staff really, truly was quite friendly.  I was very pleased with my entire experience, and hope to return sometime to try more items (perhaps pizza, definitely some of their desserts ...)

Setting

Extreme Pizza has several locations in San Francisco, including nicer areas like Pacific Heights and the Marina, but I visited the Soma location, right near 6th Street.  It did have a nice park right across the street, but, walk in nearly any direction and ... yeah, it is 6th Street.

Folsom Street Entrance.

Does this Extreme Pizza storefront have curb appeal?  Nah.  This ... is the 'hood.  Inside was much nicer.

Covid-19 "Seating".

Since this visit was during Covid-19 days, the restaurant was closed for dine-in, all chairs up on tehe tables, but I was impressed with the space, it had a nice feel to it, lots of wood, elements of a ski lodge, with Adirondack chairs (not pictured here) on one side too.  It looked fairly spacious, far bigger than I expected.

They also had a reasonably clean bathroom (key required).

Ordering Counter.

The ordering area was well laid out, large menu boards on the wall, cookies on display, and I appreciated the clear showing of pizza sizes available as well.  On the side, not in the frame here, was a self-serve cooler for beverages and grab n go salads.

Food

Extreme Pizza is, obviously, a pizza shop, with pizzas offered in 5 sizes (Individual 8", medium 12", large 14", X-Large 16", and Huge 18"), with 3 different crust options (regular, wheat, or vegan gluten-free).  They have a large line up of "Gourmet Signature Pizzas" that really do have fun names, some again showing off the ski lodge feel (e.g. "The Bunny Slop", "Yard Sale", "The Boar'der") and all far, far more creative than you standard slice shop.   You can build your own from a plethora of toppings as well, and, I mean it when I say they have a lot of toppings: Starting with sauces, you have 14 choices, running the gammut from basic tomato, pesto, sweet bbq, tangy ranch, buffalo wingand Alfredo, that you might find at other places, but also there are choices like Tandoori, spicy hoisin, even ... hummus.  Cheeses are equally full of options, 12 total, multiple vegan options, plus every standard cheese you can imagine, and fun ones like mascarpone and ghost pepper.  Move on to spices (5), meats (12, including 3 types of chicken - bbq, thai, or just grilled), fruits & nuts (7), and of course, fresh veggies (20 - do you want your onions caramelized? Or just raw red? Or how about green?  What about your tomatoes? Heirloom, vine-ripe, or sun-dried?).  Incredible line up.

As I waited for my order, was overwhelmed by how good the pizza smelt.  I am really not a pizza person, but it smelt so very, very good.  I'd honestly consider it sometime ... 

They also have calzones, a slew of subs (hot or cold), and things like wings (plus pizza chips and hummus?), and their version of breadsticks "Extremely Twisted Sticks", which are twisted with Swiss and fontina cheese, coated in garlic and herbs, and served with fun dipping sauces.

And desserts of course, including a sweet version of the twisted sticks too, "Pow Pows", twisted with hazelnut sauce, powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce, a dessert pizza with mascarpone and more, cheesecake (from the Cheesecake Factory no less), and cookies.  I mean, really.

And salads.  Which, sure, every pizza place has some kind of token salad, but they have a full salad menu, 12 different designed salads, all with different bases (not just mixed greens!  They have kale, romaine, arugula, spinach, and more), and, as you'd expect, all sorts of fun toppings.  Available in several sides, side salads, entrees, and larger share style.  Interestingly, no option to build your own, but you can add on basically anything else from the menu.

Spinach Salad (Side) with Mods. $5.25.

"Spinach, fresh mushrooms, caramelized onions, mini heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts and candied walnuts." 

Since I couldn't build my own, I selected the one most like what I wanted, and added notes the instructions when ordering online:

"No artichokes please! Could you add anchovies or the crispy Chinese noodles instead?"

I hoped it would be honored.

Since I arrived before it was ready, I was asked which I'd like, or, the cashier said, he'd just add both if I wanted both, no charge.  I obviously said yes.

When my order was handed over, I was blown away by what I saw.  The reviews telling me this place had good salads, well, they looked legit.  It was clearly a fresh salad.

The baby spinach was perfectly crisp.  No wilted piece in sight, no discoloration.  Just, fresh, crisp, quality spinach.  The mushrooms you can't really see here, but they were sliced button mushrooms, pizza toppings, clearly, and it turned out, not really what I wanted (I plucked them off and grilled them later at home and threw them on to another salad), but they were fine, and it was a generous portion.

The caramelized red onions I enjoyed, nice big slices, good flavor, and again, good portion.  The mini heirloom tomatoes were the only real downfall, only 4 halves, and just not particularly good.  They looked fresh though.

I skipped the artichoke hearts, and replaced them with anchovies (because I could!) and the crispy Chinese noodles (not a pizza topping, they but come on the "Flying High Thai Chicken Salad".  The anchovies were fabulous, full fillets, briny, salty, fishy, and, well, they made the salad.  And again, a nice portion size.  The crispy noodles were perfect for crunch.  I'm so thrilled I added them.

And finally, the very best part, the candied walnuts.  Perfectly glazed, sweet walnuts.  Again more crunch, and again a great portion.

The salad was balanced, it had fun things, and really, those walnuts, caramelized onions, anchovies, and crispy noodles were fantastic.

I ordered just the tiny side salad, and found the value high for $5.25, given the fact that it was >50% toppings.  I'm curious how the entree size ($10.25) compares.

Homemade Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette Dressing

.

Of course, I also had to select dressings, and I had many options: Homemade Vinaigrette, Homemade Ranch, Homemade Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette, Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Caesar, Low-fat Red Pepper Italian, Sesame Oriental or Bleu Cheese.

I was tempted by the sesame oriental, or just standard Ceasar, but I wanted to try something homemade, and at last minute, swapped out my ranch decision for their lemon thyme vinaigrette.  I'm not a vinaigrette girl, but, it sounded interesting?  (I also had my own honey mustard dressing I adore with me, and I knew it would go great with spinach, onions, tomatoes, and walnuts in particular anyway).

It was ... yup, vinaigrette.  I'm sure fine, but not my thing, so I was glad I had my own.  I'd love to try their homemade ranch next though.

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LoloYum Snacks

I'm a serious snack-o-holic.  I fully admit it.  I like to snack.  I love to much on things.

I'm also ... obsessed with furikake.  It is my condiment of choice, for nearly everything.  Some people use table salt and pepper on their veggies, some grind fresh black pepper over plates of creamy pasta or salads ... I *generously* sprinkle on the furikake.  All the time.  I carry little packets of it (I use little mini pill bags!) with me everywhere I go.  Like I said, obsessed.

Many years ago at this point, the catering department at my office introduced a new item: Japanese Chex mix.  Yes, that would be housemade Chex mix, made with furikake.  It is sweet and salty.  Beyond addicting.  And thus, a monster was created.

Over the years, I've ordered it, and saved all the leftovers, at every chance I get.  I'm sure my group is sick of it, but I just can't get enough.  (Side note: Just like popocorn, it is even better if you freeze it!  Super crispy!).  Obviously a great snack by the handful, but I also love to throw it on top of salads for crunch and flavor.

Since then, I've also gotten my mother, a Chex mix affectionado herself, to learn some Japanese Chex mix recipes, and she always makes me batches when I go to visit, made even more special by customizing with my favorite brand pretzels, my favorite other mix-ins.  A worse monster has been created.

And then ... a pastry chef I know launched his own business, and ... introduced furikake Chex mix to the line up.  And *white truffle* furikake Chex mix.  Are you kidding me?  The bar just got higher and higher, and I can attest, yes, his *is* the best.  Sorry mom.  (MackBox review coming soon!)

But sometimes, I don't have an excuse to order from my catering team, my mom is on the other side of the country, and, well, I'm not ordering from a fancy pastry chef. So I need to look retail. And imagine my surprise when I was able to actually find furikake Chex mix!

"This delicious sweet and salty Hawaiian inspired snack mix is traditionally made in small batches at home. Sticking with our goal of providing all-natural products, we’ve developed a clean-label recipe with no high-fructose corn syrup, no preservatives. It features furikake seaweed and is available in 3 flavors."

Yup, meet LoloYum, a snack food company that makes exactly one product: furikake snack mix. Oh yes. Sure, theirs is also non-gmo, small batch, baked not fried, no HFCS, yadda yadda, and I kinda might prefer versions with MSG ... but hey, making it slightly better for me is not a bad thing. And, they are based in San Francisco, so I feel good supporting a local business.

It comes in 3 varieties: Original, Matcha, and Japanese Seven Spice.
I was seriously excited to try it.

Original Furikake Seaweed Snack Mix.

"Our Original Furikake Seaweed Snack Mix provides a unique blend of sweet and savory flavor combined with crunchy goodness of different shapes and textures. Seasoned with premium seaweed and yummy seasoning, this snack will leave you wanting more."

I started with the original.

Everyone has their own preference on what to mix in, and since LoloYum doesn't partner with Chex brand, they do not use Chex cereal, but rather "crunchy pillow puffs" (on my packaging, "corn puffs" now on their website).  My mom started adding Bugles cereal to hers, which at first I was opposed to, but I decided are a great addition.  I was pleased to see that although they also don't partner with Bugels, they added "crazy cones" (on my package, "Bugle Shaped Snacks" on their website now).  The mix is rounded out by standard, thin style, buttery pretzel sticks, and bagel chips (not found in any of my other favorite mixes).

And of course, plenty of furikake and sesame seeds.

It looked great, well coated, clearly caramelized and crispy.

Original Furikake Chex Mix: Close Up.

So ... how did it measure up?

Well ... I'll cut to the chase.  I didn't like it.  Sure, I knew it wouldn't be as good as MackBox, nor as my mom's custom version, but I thought I'd at least want to eat it at some point.  I found myself trying it over and over, and just never wanting it.

Component-wise, it was fine.

The "pillow puffs" are larger than Chex, and have more edges.  They are puffier, which just made them more munchable, an improvement of sorts.  The "crazy cones" were really no different from Bugels, another good form to have in it.  Pretzel sticks were standard.  The bagel chips were an interesting addition, but also the worst component - they seemed burnt, way too crispy.  I wanted crispy, but these were rock solid.  I do like to have some kind of nuts in the mix, but they aren't necessary, so it was ok to me that this was nut-free (bonus points though to macadamias when included!)

The real issue though was the seasoning.  Yes, there was furikake (ok, shredded nori, sesame seeds, salt).  And the expected soy sauce, butter, and sugar needed to coat it and make it savory and sweet.  There was also ... "liquid butter concentrate", with soybean oil and soy lecithin as main ingredients, and not actually any butter, but, I looked past that.  The dominant flavor was sesame.  Hearty sesame.  Burnt sesame.  I almost wonder if my batch *was* burnt, given that the bagel chips and overall taste just seemed burnt.  But it didn't look that dark ...

Anyway, yeah.  I didn't care for it.  It was hearty, but strangely sweet.  It tasted healthy.  But not, since so sweet.  Such an odd combo.

I tried it as a snack, I tried it frozen, I dried it tossed in salads, and in the end, I ground some of it up to just use as a sprinkle on salads, but I never actually liked it.

I didn't try the other flavors after this.

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