Mixt

Mixt is small chain in the Bay Area (which you may also know as "Mixt Greens", their old name).  The concept is healthy salads, grain bowls, and plates, all very customizable, or, you can opt from their pre-designed dishes.  When you order at the store, your ingredients are tossed into a bowl, and mixed in front of you, hence the name (I think?).

Mixt is the sister restaurant to Split (previously, Split Bread), a similar concept sandwich shop.  Both have multiple locations around town.

Visit #1: Delivery, Yerba Buena Location, March 2020

Delivery.  I don't usually opt for delivery, but, the recent Shelter In Place meant more takeout for me, and, when it got cold and gloomy, it was time to finally get delivery.  I just wanted something fresh and healthy, so I ordered from Mixt, a salad place I've walked by a zillion times.  I knew salad would work fine for delivery, and I was needing vegetables, badly.

Unfortunately, this experience left me extremely grumpy.

The positive? The order was quickly prepared, and quickly delivered.  When I filled out the feedback form on the Mixt website, they offered me a free salad or sando to make up for it.  Customer service quality from both Caviar (delivery) and Mixt (merchant) was great.

The negative?  My order was missing a bunch of things, including one main ingredient in my salad, my side, and requested utensils.  All were listed on the receipt, just not included.  I understand running out of salad ingredient and just leaving it off, but the rest missing?  Boo.

It was also expensive for what it was.  With taxes (~$1), service fees (~$2), delivery fees ($0.99), and courier tip, my $10 salad quickly turned into a $20 salad, and, the portion wasn't exactly generous, and the quality wasn't great.  With my missing items too, it all just resulted in a fairly displeased customer.

I won't give much more preamble about the delivery experience though, as this was a one-off through a third-party, early in the pandemic days when everything was kinda falling apart.

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 ...

• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• 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 ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

I ordered via Caviar for this, and I certainly don't fault the delivery service, as the ordering experience was simple, I was provided notifications as my order was prepared, and the delivery came quickly.  But ...

Bagged Up.

My order *should* have contained several items, so the big bag didn't seem totally extraneous, until I opened it, and found ... just one item.

I know the bag is needed for the courier, but, still, it felt so wasteful.

Design Your Own Salad. $10.45.

"Romaine Hearts / Baby Spinach base with Cabbage, Shaved Fennel, Roasted Cauliflower, Radishes

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Citrus Balsamic Dressing."

My salad arrived with the dressing packaged separately (as they do for all takeway orders), and the non-base ingredients perched on top, again, standard for takeaway, rather than, well, "mixt", as you get in-store.  This is what I wanted, so I could combine into my own creation anyway, adding in a bunch of ingredients I had on hand at home as well.

For the base, I had my choice of 6 types of greens, or 6 blends of grains and greens.  I could select at most two.  I opted for greens, and went for baby spinach and hearts of romaine.  I wished they had radicchio or other bitter greens, but, the selection was decent.  Both were ... fine.  Fresh enough (although the romaine had some brown spots), the romaine was torn into good size chunks, and the portion was about what I expected - this isn't a huge salad, but it isn't a side salad.  Standard, decent quality base.

Next, I could select 5 "Specialty Ingredients", ranging from raw or cooked vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, herbs, toasted nuts + seeds, or cheeses + egg.  The selection was vast, and picking just 5 was hard (of course, I could pay $1 per additional ingredient if I wanted).  I went for 3 raw vegetables (cabbage, shaved fennel, radish) and two cooked vegetables (roasted brussels sprouts and roasted cauliflower), skipping all other categories.  I had my own nuts and seeds (honey sriracha mixed nuts and seeds and wasabi peas), cheese (manchego, leftover from my incredible salad from La Fromagerie the day before), and fruit (diced pears, also from aforementioned salad) to add in anyway, although there were plenty in all those categories that appealed.

At first glance, I was ... underwhelmed by my specialty ingredients, in particular, the quantity.  At second glance, I was annoyed.  Where were my radishes?!  One of my 5 precious selections, and alas, it was entirely missing.  I can only assume they ran out, and didn't want to substitute something else in case I had an allergy?

The cabbage was just green cabbage, shredded, and the portion of fennel was meager.  I was hoping for perhaps some colorful purple cabbage to jazz up this very bland looking salad, and certainly had wanted some chunks so it gave actual crunch.  Both were lost pretty easily into the salad, due to their shredded nature, and small portion.  A bit sad.

My roast veggies were just as bland looking.  The brussels were ... fine, but not roasted nearly as much as I like.  Just, cold soft mushy brussels sprouts.  I choose not to eat them then, and roasted them more at home later.  The cauliflower was ... really not to my liking.   The portion was meager, which turns out fine, since it tasted ... odd.  I don't know what it was, but it tasted somewhat fermented.  Kinda just funky, perhaps rather old?  I'm not sure.  It was not good, didn't smell right, and I tossed it nearly immediately.

And finally, dressing, all made in house, 16 choices.  16!  All vegetarian except the anchovy containing caesar, and broken down into vinaigrettes, "dressings", and oil & vinegar.  My fridge was fully stocked with tons of creamy dressings, so I decided to pick something entirely abnormal for me, and went for the citrus balsamic dressing, just to try something new: citrus balsamic dressing.  Not a vinaigrette, no oil.  

I liked the dressing, it was tangy and slightly sweet and slightly acidic.  I chose to still finish off a miso mayo based dressing I had leftover instead with my bowl, and just throw a splash of this in for fun, but, I used it several times after, and really enjoyed it.

Overall, this was nothing special, and most certainly not worth the nearly $20 paid (and honestly, wasn't worth just the base ~$13 it would be in person either). ***.

Visit #2: April 2020, Dessert Pickup (Yerba Buena Location)

While Mixt is a healthy lunch option, and salads are the focus ... of course they have to have *some* kind of treat to round out the meal, right?

Packaged Cookie.

They normally offer three kinds of cookies: ginger molasses, cranberry oatmeal, and chocolate chip sea salt, but had only chocolate chip available when I visited, and I was told they'd only have this one flavor for a while.

Cookies were individually packaged by the register, the only treats on offer.  I'm not a cookie girl normally, but I know people like these, and I had heard a rumor that they were Anthony's Cookies (zomg, so good!), but ... they weren't.

Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookie. $2.95.

I opened my cookie and pretty much assumed it, like most cookies, would just go to a friend (again, not really a cookie girl!), or, like the one I had from Ladle & Leaf a few days prior, into the trash (such a bad cookie, wasn't even worth a review!).

The cookie certainly didn't look like much.

It was large, and soft, and had visible sea salt on top, but, I didn't see any chocolate chips (in this one, or any I saw at the register).

But the base was good - it was very buttery, very sweet, a pretty classic, but decadent, cookie base.  I loved the large size, and it was decently soft - a bit crispy around the edges, but the center was perfect for my tastes.  Really, a well made cookie.

The sea salt on top made it pop.

Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookie: Bottom

But what about the "chocolate chip" aspect of the cookie?

Well, "chip" was really not quite the right name for the cookie, as it had chunks, not chips.  It didn't exactly have many though, just one large one, and one part of one.  The chocolate was good, and I definitely prefer chunks over chips, but they certainly could do with more chocolate in here.

Overall though, lack of chocolate aside, it was good cookie.  I probably wouldn't get another, just because cookies aren't my dessert of choice, ever, but, it was a far above average cookie. ***+.

Visit #3: Pickup, Kearny Street Location, June 2020

For this visit, I decided to go in person, so I could 1) ensure that I got all my toppings and 2) see what toppings actually looked like, so I could decide on the spot if something looked good or not.  

This turned out to be a great move, as, well, at least 3 toppings I wanted weren't available (yet were there to select online, so they just wouldn't have come!), and one I did want that was no longer listed online *was* available.  

The experience was entirely different.  I was really, really pleased with my salad, the quality and freshness of ingredients, and the staff were remarkably friendly.

Given this experience, I'll definitely be returning!

Design Your Own Salad.  NOT Mixt. 9 toppings, 1 dressing, bread.  $15.45.

"Kale, garden peas, jicama, striped beets, snap peas (x2), pickled spring vegetables, grilled asparagus, mango, candied cashews, lemon dill dressing."

When you order in person, they usually mix it for you, but I requested unmixed, and I was a complete annoying customer who wanted some things separate (the wets, the fruits, the nuts), as I wasn't eating it immediately, and didn't want sogginess.  They didn't act annoyed in any way, and easily accommodated this request.

For my base, I went with kale, because I had plenty of baby spinach and romaine at home of my own (my usual choices), and I wanted to see what kind of kale they used.  I could see it was baby kale, I was really hoping for crunchy crispy curly kale, but alas, it was baby kale.  I still got it.  Fresh enough, but bo-ring.  Since I was bringing my salad home anyway, I just added some of my own crisp romaine, endive, and mixed greens, and saved half the baby kale to mix in to a salad the next day.  I'm glad I tried the kale to see what it was, but wouldn't get it again.

Next up, the raw vegetables.  I repeated nothing from my previous order, and was pleased to see the new seasonal lineup had many I wanted.

The garden peas are actually steamed (not raw as listed) but they were good, fresh, tender, nice peas.  Always on the menu.  The seasonal snap peas were great - nice sized chunks, super crisp and fresh, great flavor.  I could tell just from seeing them how great they were going to be, or at least, how great I hoped they would, and doubled up on them.  My effort paid off!  My favorite ingredient, no question.

The jicama (shredded) was fine, crisp, juicy, and she gave me tons of it.  Always on the menu, nothing special, but fine.  The seasonal striped beets really didn't look good to be honest, and I almost skipped, but I wanted more crunch, so, I still got them.  They were kinda brown, and dried out, and didn't seem the freshest, but I did really appreciate the chunk size and crunch.  Roasted beets are also available, but I dislike cooked beets, and radishes would have worked too, but those were thinly sliced.  I'm still glad I got these too.

Lastly, the "pickled spring vegetables", which I had no idea what they would be, but hey, I love pickles.  I could see how wet they were, and asked for them separate (top left container).  I still don't entirely know what was in here, greens, other things, but it was all good, nice vinegar level, and I enjoyed them later on the side.  Not sure I'd want in my salad, but great little side snack.  I also wanted pickled red onion, but alas, they were out of it.  I almost randomly got the super fresh and delicious looking pico de gallo, with really juicy ripe looking tomatoes, but, didn't.

Next up, cooked vegetables.  The caramelized onions looked good, but I have tons of onions at home, and didn't want to burn out on my onion patience, heh.  I was thrilled to see seasonal grilled asparagus though.  It was decent.  Very thin stalks, tender, slightly smoky flavor.  I'd certainly prefer larger stalks, less soft, and more flavor overall, but the asparagus was fine.  Not a star, but I was glad to have it too.

For once I was going to add a grain, not usually my thing, but I liked the sounds of the purple barley (Seasonal).  Alas, they were out of it.  So I skipped all the grains (meh to lentils and quinoa and uh, croutons, which they consider "grains").

I don't normally even bother with mango places in the US, even Thai restaurants for mango sticky rice that I love, but, the mango did look rather ripe.  Thin slices.  I asked for it on the side, not intending to really mix it into my salad, but rather, use as a dessert, or maybe breakfast, component later, if it was good.  It was ... fine.  Basically, US quality mango.  Tart.  Not juicy.  Meh.  Wouldn't get again.

For dressing, I was *really* on the fence.  I was craving ceasar, and had run out of ceasar at home, and knew theirs used real anchovy.  But I'm also *super* picky with ceasar dressing, and usually dislike it most places.  I did really like the citrus balsamic from last time, thought the whole grain mustard vinaigrette would go great with the kale and my ingredient picks (seasonal offering), and was randomly interested in the lemon dill dressing (not listed as a vinaigrette), also seasonal.

I asked about the lemon dill, saying I was deciding between it and ceasar, and was immediately offered a sample of each.  I had no idea they did that!  Of course that made it easier, a little sample provided with a few springs of the same base I had chosen.  The ceasar was ok, not as strong anchovy as I like, and more vinegary, so I'm glad I didn't go with it.  The lemon dill was a thick, rich dressing, definitely not a light style, but and definitely not what I normally go for, but I was pretty sure it would work with the spring ingredients I had chosen.  It did.  Flavorful, herby.  I wouldn't get it again, since just not my kind of dressing really, but I'm glad I tried it, particularly with all the fresh peas.

Overall, I was pleased with my salad (particularly with my own salad base added).  The ingredients were fresh, quality was high, and I'd get nearly everything again (not the dressing, not the mango).  That said, $15.45 really still does feel high for a salad to me, particularly as I make salads at home many times a week.  I likely won't visit often because I "should" just make my own, but, if I want a salad out, or want to mix up my ingredients, this was very solid. ***+.

Candied Cashews.

For my Toasted Nuts & Seeds, I went for the candied cashews (on the side).  They were good, nicely candied, I think sesame seeds in there?  Not what I wanted in this salad at all, hence getting them on the side.  I just wanted to try them!

I randomly *really* crave cashews (candied or savory), and the rest of the time tend to really not like them, so these are good to have on hand for the craving days, perhaps to throw on top of ice cream sundaes, or incorporate into my breakfast bowls.  I look forward to them.

Bread.

Bread is always optionally included.

I'm not really a bread girl at all, but, I was craving carbs actually, and had some really good chimichurri dipping sauce at home, so I decided to give it a try.

It seemed fresh enough, but alas, it was ... yup, dreaded sourdough.  My partner scored a slice of bread, heh.  I just can't do sourdough. *+.

Visit #4: March 2021, One Market location

Chocolate Chip Sea Salt Cookie. $2.95.

Another day, another cookie?

Yeah, not really my motto, but I was going through a cookie phase, and after having a really "meh" cookie from Chez Beesen, really wanted one I could rely on.  The Mixt cookie was good enough in my memory that I decided to get another.

And it was again pretty good.  Again didn't really look like much.  A large cookie, nice sea salt on top, but otherwise, well, looked like any cookie - albeit one that was nicely cooked, no burnt edges, not too dark, soft.  It had a fabulous chew to it.  It was extremely sweet, and basically demanded that I dunk it in a glass of milk, something I literally haven't done in years, but felt entirely appropriate.  

The chips in this one seemed different from before though - there were certainly more of them, better distributed, but they were also smaller, regular chips, and, well, milk chocolate, rather than the larger dark chocolate hunks found previously.  The chocolate was a sweet style chocolate as well, adding to the sweet nature of the cookie.

Overall, really, a good quality cookie - nicely cooked, good size, great "eating" experience.  The pop of salt sealed the deal.

***+.

Visit #5: May 2022, One Market location

Toffee Cookie.

One day, I noticed a different cookie at the register.  I always thought Mixt only had chocolate chip cookies these days, and in fact, if you order online, that is the only choice.  I asked what this one was, and was told toffee.  I gleefully grabbed one of those too.

It was similar to the chocolate chip - slightly crisp but soft, thin style.  Decent crumble.  Sweet.  Little bits of toffee.  Not much more to say about it, a fine, but average, cookie.

***.

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LUNA Bars

Update Review, 2022

It has been a while (9 years!) since I last had a Luna bar (see prior reviews), as they haven't ever been my favorites (but also, aren't *awful*).  So when I saw they had a product line I hadn't tried before, "Luna with Prebiotics", I had a Luna bar for the first time in ages.  

Luna with Prebiotics

"LUNA with prebiotics combines sweet, tart and fruity flavors with prebiotic fiber, which helps promote digestive health, for a snack that you can feel good about eating."

The prebiotic line I hadn't ever tried before.  Prebiotic bars are available in only two flavors: wild cherry or tangerine.  I guess they add in some form of prebiotic fiber?  But otherwise, they seemed like pretty normal Luna bars.

Wild Cherry.

"You'll go wild for the way this LUNA® Wild Cherry bar balances mouthwatering tart and sweet flavors. Plus, this craveworthy anytime snack has 2.5g of prebiotic fiber that feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Because when you feel good, you do great."

I could not distinguish this from a regular Luna bar, but that isn't a bad thing.  It had a good chew, but was very sweet, reminding me a bit of a rice crispy treat.  The base was the standard protein grain blend.  The first flavor I detected almost seemed lemon-ish, however, there was a light cherry flavor on the finish. Certainly subtle.

The bottom side was coated in a white substance, almost like white chocolate or yogurt, but I'm not quite sure what it was.  It was sweet, creamy, and I liked it.

Overall, this was pleasant enough, particularly for a bar with reasonable amount of protein and yay, prebiotics.  I think it could be good chopped up on ice cream or yogurt too ...

***.

Original Review, 2013

Often, when you are out and about, you need a snack.  It can be a good excuse to stop and check out a new place, but sometimes, you just want to finish up your errands, or get to your destination, and just don't feel like stopping somewhere.  For such situations, I always have some kind of bar, or stash of nuts, in my purse.  Over the past few years, I've tried all sorts of these things, ranging from classic granola bars, to chocolate covered dessert-like bars, to meal replacement bars, to nutrition bars, and everything in between.  It seems I'm not alone in my need for a quick snack, as the market for these things is huge.

Of sports/nutrition bars, CLIF is probably the most famous.  The founders of CLIF also made a spin-off, designed just for women: LUNA.  I think it means they have some special vitamins added, for women's unique needs?  Or, they at least have prettier packaging.

The brand is made up of three product lines: the classic LUNA bars, high protein bars, and new fiber based bars.  The names make them all sounds delicious.  But ... they aren't.

Classic LUNA Bars

This is the base product line, the originals.

"LUNA® Whole Nutrition Bars are crafted to help keep you nourished throughout your busy day and give you the energy to break through. Each bar is a delicious, gluten-free snack that’s perfect between meals."

Available in a slew of tempting flavors, many of which I have tried.  All use their "Protein Grain Blend" as a base, with soy protein isolate, oats, rice flour, soy beans, soy flour, and flaxseed, with brown rice syrup as a sweetener, and a slew of other flavors, oils, and syrups.  Ingredient lists are ... long.

Chocolate Dipped Coconut.

"A deliciously decadent combination of toasted coconut and chocolate."

This wasn't horrible.  The bottom was a fairly thick layer of chocolate, the base was oats and LunaPro balls with coconut, and the top was drizzled with more chocolate.  It still had some funk from the LunaPro mix, but it didn't overwhelm like happens in most bars.  The coconut flavor was there, but I'd like more of it.  The chocolate was mediocre.

I almost liked this, since I do like coconut and chocolate, but, at the end of the day, it was still a nutrition bar.  I didn't really want to finish it.  **+.

White Chocolate Macadamia.

"Naturally sweet macadamias meet white chocolate creaminess." 

The base of this was the standard LUNA soy crisps, sorta like rice crispies, but with a strange aftertaste.  I like the flavor of soy, but I really didn't like this flavor.  I didn't really detect the macadamia, I think they were chopped up and mixed with the crispies.  The entire thing was drenched in white chocolate that was flavorless.  Meh! *+.

Update review: And then I had another, and liked it more.  It, much like the chocolate dipped coconut, was *almost* good. The macadamia flavor was there, little bits of nuts were great.  The white chocolate coating was creamy and sweet.

But.  And the big but, and thing that ruins all these bars for me, is the underlying base of strange protein isolates, the taste, and texture, just ruin them for me, no matter how good of other flavors are peaking in. **+.

[ No Photos ]

• Caramel Nut Brownie: “Rich chocolate brownie drizzled with creamy caramel”. Tasting notes: Very chocolatey, subtle caramel, but sorta strange consistency from the soy crisps. ***.
• Lemon Zest: "Luscious zing of lemon and zest with a smooth, creamy coating".  Tasting notes: Very sweet, strong lemon flavor. Not bad, would be good with some tea perhaps? [ Sweet and fake, but not that bad. ] **+.
• Peanut Butter Cookie: "Peanut Buttery delight with hints of creaminess and a light peanut crunch."  Tasting notes: Nasty aftertaste.  Just dates and peanuts?  Meh. *+.
• S'mores: "Marshmallow nuggets swirled with graham crackers, topped with dark chocolate."  Tasting notes: it was slightly expired, so that may have effected it.   This was mostly just like a stale/not very good rice crispy with some chocolate on top. MEH! *+.

LUNA fiber

LUNA's latest line is fiber bars.

LUNA fiber, Chocolate Raspberry.

"Raspberries wrapped in a soft baked chocolate crumble, strewn with decadent chocolate chips."


The description made it sound great.  Spoiler: it wasn't.

It was also coated on the bottom in some fiber flakes and on top with sea salt.

I would not have known it was raspberry flavor.  I'm not sure where the raspberry was, but I did detect some grittiness that could have been raspberry seeds. [ Note: I looked it up online after, and found the secret.  The "raspberry filling" had a fun ingredient listed: strawberry seeds! Not strawberry puree or flavor, just the seeds.  I have no idea why they added those, as I thought the seeds were really off putting, but they did make you think there might be real fruit in there.  The filling also had apple, which I did think I tasted, and red cabbage extract for color.  Lols.  Natural ingredients yes, but not exactly what you'd expect! ]  There were chocolate chips that were very mediocre, I wouldn't call them "decadent", but as I only found a couple, I guess they were "strewn" throughout as promised.  The cake was subtle chocolate flavored, and reminded me of a dried out brownie.  The salt on top was a nice touch, as I love the contrast of salt and chocolate.

I would not get again. *+.

LUNA fiber, Peanut Butter Strawberry.

Another one of the new fiber bars.  Even though I didn't like the first fiber bar I tried, I gave this one a chance.  Who doesn't love peanut butter and jelly?  Or, as they say, "Peanut Butter smoothes the way for Strawberry in this delicious ode to a classic."

It was sprinkled on top with some appealing sugar crystals, and on the bottom with fiber flakes.  Both added a bit of texture.  The cake part was pretty similar to the first one, kinda dry, fairly flavorless.  I think the peanut butter may have been in there?  The filling was mildly strawberry flavored, but there wasn't much of it.  It again had strawberry seeds in it, giving it a slight grittiness.  If you just gave me this, I'm not sure I could have identified that it was supposed to be peanut butter strawberry.

Better than the chocolate raspberry, but certainly not worth getting again. **.

Update: Except, I had another.  I was at a fitness class, and they handed them out at the end.  I remembered trying the bars before, but I didn't remember what I thought of them, so I went into trying it without any judgement.  I liked it more.  The cake part was soft, a bit hearty tasting, better than a Nutrigrain.  I liked the bran (?) flakes on the bottom and the slightly sweet sugar crystals on top.  Unlike my previous try, this one was more generously filled with the strawberry ... goo.  It wasn't really strawberry jam, and it included all sorts of other ingredients like date paste.  The filling was a bit too sweet for me.  And again, I never found the peanut butter.  The ingredients listed peanut butter "chips" way near the end of the list, so I guess they are in there somewhere, but I never found them.  Anyway, I didn't hate it, and I enjoyed it even more once I threw it in the toaster oven for a few minutes.  The exterior got a bit toasty, the whole thing nice and warm ... but still, overall to sweet, and no peanut butter.  Not worth seeking out. **.

LUNA Protein Bars

The latest line, jumping on the high protein trend.

"The power of protein keeps you feeling satisfied, so go ahead—indulge in the decadent, nougaty goodness of LUNA® Protein. Delicious and sustaining with 170-190 gluten-free calories."

These ditch the classic Luna base, but still use soy protein isolate, whey protein, and other "wholesome" ingredients, to deliver up higher protein numbers.

Lemon Vanilla.

"Zesty lemon with a creamy finish, our first non-chocolate protein bar."

I laughed when I opened this.  Big wrapper, little bar.

I had no expectation to like this, but, it was given to me at a fitness class, so I figured I'd try it out.  The aroma coming off it as I opened the wrapper was unmistakable: lemon.

The texture of the bar was really strange, sorta like a nougat.  The coating was sweet and very lemony, with a hint of fake vanilla.  I shouldn't have liked this, but it really grew on me.

Made from soy protein isolate for the 12 grams of protein, I really thought it would taste nasty, but the sweet coating and overwhelming lemon ensured that the soy flavor was masked.

I won't seek another out, but I was pleasantly surprised.  ***.

Chocolate Coconut Almond.

"Toasted coconut and chopped almonds wrapped in chocolate."

It looks like a candy bar.  It sounds like a candy bar.  Although, like all the protein bars, it boasts 12 grams of protein and 4 core nutrients.

Like all products made from soy protein isolate, I was ready to hate it.

Chocolate Coconut Almond: Inside.

As I bit in, I still expected to hate it.  The consistency inside was odd, just like the Lemon Vanilla one.  Sort of like a soft nougat.  Yet ... I didn't hate it.  There was a slight coconut flavor to it, perhaps an even slighter almond flavor.  Decent chocolate layer on the outside.

Yes, it did somewhat seem like a candy bar.  A candy bar that I could eat totally guilt free?

Again, I wouldn't seek another out, and it wasn't amazing, but far better than most products in this space, and I'd probably eat more if they appeared. ***.

Chocolate Peanut Butter.

“Peanut butter meets soft nougat and adds a delicate crunch.”

This was not very peanut buttery. The bar had a strange consistency,  clearly fake processed protein.  Unlike the lemon vanilla and chocolate coconut almond, the peanut butter and chocolate couldn't make up for that. Meh.  *+.

Update review: I tried another, drawn in by the promise of chocolate and peanut butter.  I again hated it.  The texture, the soy protein isolate, are just so unappealing.  *+.

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Brave Robot Ice Cream

Ice cream.  One of my favorite elements of dessert (I say "element" because I'm not the type to generally just sit down and have a scoop of ice cream, but rather, I use it to pair with warm chocolate molten cake, with every type of crisp, crumble, and pie, heck, even with a warm cinnamon roll or donut).  So even though rarely a standalone dessert, ice cream is a big part of my diet, I literally have some at least once per day (frequently, twice, with lunch and dinner desserts).  

I have my regular favorites, but of course I like to try more brands, more flavors, basically all the time.  I was quite interested when I heard of Brave Robot, a unique offering, of vegan ice cream.

"Animal-Free, Planet-Positive Indulgence."

Yup, vegan ice cream.  But unlikely nearly every other non-dairy ice cream out there, this isn't made with alternative dairy like almond milk or coconut milk.  Nope, it is made with ... animal free dairy, that is, milk that is made from a whey protein (from fungus) that is molecularly identical to dairy protein.  

I was certainly intrigued.  Most non-dairy ice cream tends to be a second-class product, really, frequently icier, rarely quite as creamy, and often with a strange underlying taste.  But if this was identical, at the molecular level, to cow milk dairy ... the consistency and texture should be the same too, right?

Now of course, even if the non-animal dairy works out well, the ice cream still needs to be good.  After all, there is plenty of "meh" ice cream out there made with regular dairy.  

Brave Robot currently offers 8 flavors, including basic vanilla, "A Lot of Chocolate" with a chocolate base, chocolate fudge swirl, and chocolate chunks, Vanilla 'N Cookies for the cookies 'n cream fans, and more unique tempting sounding PB 'N Fudge and Blueberry Pie.  I eagerly sought out Brave Robot at retailers nearby, but had a hard time finding one that stocked it, even though Brave Robot's product locator suggested otherwise.

Finally, I found it, and, wow, I'm glad I did.  This is great ice cream, and yay, better for the environment too?  Win.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk.

"We're gonna go out on a hazelnut tree limb and guess you've never seen a hazelnut tree before.  Because if you had then you'd know it only grows out of dark chocolate chunks. Kidding of course, but if you ever try our delicious, creamy hazelnut with dark chocolate chunks flavor you'll understand how this was a match made in heaven. Or a hazelnut tree."

Oh, wow.

One bite in and I was sold on this ice cream.  It was soooo smooth.  So creamy.  So ... luxurious tasting.  The mouthfeel was just amazing.  Did it taste "non-dairy"?  No, not in any way I've ever experienced before, honestly, it was *better* than most dairy ice cream in the texture.

The flavor also was excellent - basically, a nutella-like base, with plenty of dark chocolate chunks.  Nutella chocolate chunk basically.  I loved the bits of seemingly good quality dark chocolate, and the combo with the hazelnut base was of course a winner.

This was totally delicious, but also quite rich.  I can't imagine eating a giant bowl of it alone, although it went great when topped with copious whipped cream, or, as I found I really loved it, paired with warm chocolate cake.

Given the base of coconut oil and hazelnut, it should come as no surprise that the nutrition stats are not light, with each serving clocking in 390 calores, 25g of fat, which is much higher than most ice cream, even premium ice cream.

Delicious, and I'll gladly get it again.

****.

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Restaurant Irmi, Munich

The last time I was in Munich was in 2016, and back then, the hotel I was staying at, Le Meridien, had a restaurant called Le Potager.  I remembered quite liking the breakfast buffet, although, to be fair, it was long before I had discovered just how good a breakfast buffet could be (I'm looking at you Feast @ The Sheraton Grand Sydney, or, really, any in Asia ...).

Fast forward to 2022, my first international travel since Covid, and I was back at Le Meridien.  Somewhere in the years since I had stayed there, the restaurant rebranded as Irmi, pivoted to being a “Modern Munich Kitchen” (in the evening), but still seemed to offer the same breakfast lineup, more or less.

I again did enjoy my breakfasts, and yes, ate far more meat at breakfast than I'm used to, but, some of the magic was lost this time around. Still, I'd happily eat it again, and even after 1.5 weeks, it didn't really get old.

Setting

Seating is available in a number of styles, small little tables, giant communal tables, high tables, bar seats, and even outdoor dining.  At breakfast, it is self-seating, in the evening it transitions to a more formal restaurant with reservations and a hostess.

High Tables.

I always opted for one of the high tables with stools, but I rarely had anyone else near me.  These weren't popular for morning diners it seemed.

Regular tables.

Most opted for the regular mid-size tables along the sunny windows.

Courtyard.

When the weather is nice, there is also a considerable amount of seating available in the courtyard.  I didn't get to take advantage of this during my visit, as the morning springtime weather was a still a bit chilly.  In the evenings though, this area was lively.

Drinks

Welcome Shots.

Every day features a fresh juice shot, located right at the check in register.  I'm not really one for juices, so I didn't try any (also, I have a severe melon allergy, and I never trust juicers to be cleaned between fruits!)

Sparkling Wine.

I wasn't up for it, but if you wanted to start your day (weekends only) with some sparkling wine or a mimosa, the making were there, self-serve.

Coffee Maker.

Staff sorta circulate the room asking if people want coffee, but most just come to the machines and do it themselves, which I did.

The espresso was actually pretty good.  I made an Americano every morning, double shot, and it was many notches above most hotel coffee.  No decaf available in the machines - I'm not sure if they had instant somewhere if you asked?

Tea Station.

The tea station featured Samova brand tea, decent lineup.  It was amusing watching people struggle with the hot water tap safety lock.

Continental

The buffet is quite extensive, with generous continental items to start.

Cereals, Dried Fruits, Nuts.

My favorite station most days ended up being the cereal station.  Very boring I know, but, something about jetlag in this direction just leaves me not hungry in the morning, and yet I know I need to eat breakfast to get my metabolism going and day set off right.  Cereal does the trick, and, I do enjoy trying cereal in other countries.

Soy, oat, and regular milk were on offer to go with cereal.  The milk was always kinda warm though (clearly, the buffet didn't keep it chilled all that well) so I asked for a cup of ice each morning to chill it down, while I assembled the rest of my breakfast.

I give one bonus point for the nice presentation too, so much more useful than those dispensers that never work!

Mixed Cereal.

The corn flakes and mini wheats I ignored, but I did enjoy making mixed bowls of muesli, granola, and whatever the fun chocolate based one of the day was (sometimes it had chocolate chunks, flecks, crispies other times it was large curved chocolate pieces like you see here, which I think is Choco Moons?). Sometimes the one with cocoa puffs got soggy fast though.  Some days I also mixed in nuts.

I really enjoyed my cereal creations.  ****.

I wished for fresh berries to add however, and after a few days, starting bringing my own.

Breads.

There is a large lineup of rolls and bread you can slice yourself.  I found most of it pretty dry, not stale exactly, but just dry.  They say it is baked fresh daily.

There were some raisin and walnut rolls I really wanted to like, but, again, kinda hard and dry and had a sourdough taste to them.  *.

Pretzels, Spreads.

There are also pretzels, both regular and rolls, packets of Nutella and peanut butter, and a honeycomb to complete your roll.  No alternative nut butters.

The pretzels I actually like, strangely, and I like them more than most others I had in Germany both times I've visited.  They are soft, I like the crust, I like the flavor of the outside.  Just, decent, really.  ***.

Sweet Bread.

My second to last morning (Sunday), there was a new item in the bread station, a sweet looking bread.  I obviously snatched it up immediately.

It was better than the other breads, not quite as dry/hard, lightly fluffy, lightly sweet.  It had a few raisins in it, and almonds on the exterior.  It was very lightly glazed, but not really enough to make it as sweet as I hoped.

I nibbled a little alongside my coffee as I waited for my waffle and I suspect that toasted with copious butter & a drizzle of honey it would be good, but otherwise, it was not the sweet breakfast loaf I was hoping for.

***.

Honey, Jams.

In addition to a fresh honeycomb to harvest honey from yourself, there are several fancier honeys, and a slew of jams.  The honeys are quite good, perfect to add to yogurt/granola or muesli.

I love these jams.  I am never sure exactly what flavor I am getting, but all are fruity and delightful.  I liked mixing them into my cereal, or on muesli or yogurt, or with sausage/meatloaf.

**** for this whole, quality station.

Pastries: Day 1.

I remember the baked goods not being great before.  I did nearly grab a donut hole, but I had plenty of treats in my room, so I mostly skipped this section the first day, taking only the iced top one of the right.

Iced thing:

I'm not sure what it was exactly, but it was a light base, with an odd taste to it that I didn't love, and, the icing on top.  Definitely not my thing. *+.

Pretzel croissant:
Another day I was drawn to the pretzel croissant. This was ok.  Slight pretzel quality to it, slight croissant quality, but basically less good than the pretzels and not laminated as well as a good croissant.  Eh.  **+.

Pastries: Day 2.

Another day there were some new additions to the pastry lineup, and I couldn't help myself from grabbing one of the tats in front, even though I don't usually like tarts, a tart is an odd item for 7:30am, and .... why the gooseberry on top?

Tart: 

The shell was very soft, and broke apart instantly.  Eh.  It was a tart shell.

The filling I couldn't quite figure out ... was it salted caramel?  Chocolate?  Smooth, creamy, sweet, but not distinctive.  Would be better with whipped cream, and the gooseberry was a bit of an odd thing to have perched on top.  Still, smooth and creamy, not bad.  ***.

Muffin:

I also grabbed a muffin.  I know, buffet muffins, buffet muffins I didn't like before, but the paler muffins had a glaze-like topping that looked interesting at least.  It was not interesting.  Just a plain muffin, kinda airy like the iced thing I had the day before, just, glazed.  Not very good.  **.

Donut.

If at first you don't succeed ...

Or really, if you are Julie and you love pastries no matter how lackluster they seem to be ...  Yup, I tried the donut.  I hoped it was stuffed with something (it wasn't).

It was fine.  Soft, fluffy, nicely coated in sugar.  Fairly average.  Although it wasn't stuffed, I could easily do that myself with the amazing jam lineup, or Nutella had I been in the mood.  Definitely nothing special, but no bad, and probably my top pick if I wanted something sweet and carby.

***.

When I later read my review from many years prior, it was exactly the same.

Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Scone-eque.

One morning, there were these triangle shaped items, with chocolate along the edges and covering the base completely.  I have no idea why I grabbed one, but I'm glad I did!

This was actually pretty good.  The texture was almost like a scone, and it was heavily hazelnut flavored.  The chocolate coating was generous (the entire base was en-robed).

It did go great with a cup of coffee, as a breakfast pastry if you were in the mood, or equally well as a mid-morning coffee break snack.  I'd get it again if in the mood.

***+.

Raspberry Plait.

I remember not really caring for the danish style items last time, but one morning I woke up very late (phone crashed overnight, it is where my alarm was!) and the pickings for pastries were quite slim.  So I grabbed one of these.

I did like how crispy the top was, and it was stuffed generously with sweet raspberry filling, but, it wasn't a particularly great item.  Average buffet quality.

**+.

Almond (?) Snail.

I kept trying my way through the pastries, 1-2 a day, because, well, sometimes they were hits.

This one was not really.  The driest of the pastries I tried, not flaky.  It did have a nice glaze over the top, and seemed to have a little bit of almond paste between the folds, but, otherwise, dry and flavorless.  My least favorite.

**.

Nutella Croissant.

The croissants looked reasonably flaky, and I was in the mood for chocolate, so I grabbed this one.  It turned out to be stuffed, very generously, with Nutella, not chocolate.  Smooth, rich, creamy Nutella.  The pastry itself was ok, a bit flaky, but not really all that well laminated.

Average buffet quality. ***.

Apricot Croissant.

On the weekend, there were considerably more pastries, and at least 5 kinds of croissants.  I took a gamble with the powdered sugar coated one, thinking it might have something interesting inside.

And ... it did!  Inside was sweet apricot jam.  I quite liked the jam.  The pastry was fine, again, not flaky fresh high end bakery quality, but slightly crisp, not spongy, not stale.  The powdered sugar on the outside was quite tasty.

One of the better items from the lineup, and honestly, better than the fresh donut I had the day before at the famed Schmalznudel Café Frischhut.

***.

Turnover.

One day, there was a new item!  A turnover-danish thing!  I grabbed it out of excitement to see something new.  

It was ... eh.  Standard buffet quality.  Not particularly flaky nor great pastry, barely filled at all, just a little berry preserves, but nicely glazed on top.  Overall though, meh.

**.

Full Size Muffin.

My final morning brought one novel item ... a full size muffin.  It looked plain, but, hey, I'd tried everything else at that point ....

It did have a nice glaze on top, but otherwise, yup, just a very, very, very plain muffin.  No flavor at all.  One of the worst baked goods they served. *.

Cold Cuts / Salmon.

The sliced cold cuts and cheeses lineup had quite a few choices, very European.  Only one kind of smoked salmon this year, previously there were several.

Nothing here was labelled, so not quite sure what all the meats were, but certainly ham, many styles of bologna-like loaf, prosciutto, salami ... I tried most of these, and found them all to be pretty decent quality.  The smoked salmon really had a deep smoky flavor, and the proschuitto was a regular favorite.  I don't really wake up craving sliced meats, but, I think I would like them in a pretzel roll, with cheese and mustard, at lunchtime.  Above average cold cuts, ****.

There were two kinds of sliced cheese.

On the side were lemons, seaweed salad, and horseradish.

I really appreciated the garnishes.  Again, seaweed salad not really what I want at 8am, but, I liked it all the same.  ***+.

Cheeses.

Every morning the cheese platter was a bit different.  It usually had 5-6 cheeses to cut yourself.  They were rarely labelled.  There was two fresh cheeses, I think something feta like and something mozzarella like?  Sometimes it had dried fruit and nuts to garnish.  The cheeses, like the meats, were above average. ***+.

This section also had butters (including vegan) and cream cheese.

Fruit.

Fruit however was sad.

No berries.  Melons, stewed fruits, really not a great fruit line up.  Whole bananas and apples also available.

**.

Yogurts.

Several large format white yogurts were available.

The signs list natural yogurt, and quark, yet there were three different yogurts available.  I'm not sure which was which, but, I actually really liked them all. 

The thinner one I suspect was the "Natural", it was my least favorite just because I prefer thicker, but it was nicely tart.  All were clearly full fat yogurt, so creamy and rich.

  

I wish there were berries or better fruit to go with the yogurt though, although some fancy honey and granola from the cereal area made for a nice little treat.

****.

Milk & Yogurt.

In addition there were soy and regular yogurt pots in several flavors, plus actually tasty bircher muesli that I liked.  It was loaded with shredded coconut and apple, and among the better bircher I had on this trip, although I really wished for berries to go with it. ***+.

The milk jugs contained soy, oat, and regular milk.  All full fat.

"Salad"

I remember really craving vegetables by the time I left Germany last time, and this station reminded me why.  This was the entirety of the salad station ... yup, no base greens at all, just cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers for fresh veggies.  There were pickles, olives, and hummus too.  I did really like the different pickles (they changed nearly every day), but, yeah, not much for veggies. ***.

Hot Food

The hot food selection was less impressive than the continental.  I found it interesting that a few cuisines were entirely missing - no hot carbs like waffles/pancakes/crepes/bread pudding, and also no Asian cuisine (congee, dim sum, etc).  The focus was basic American and German.  The German offersing however were pretty decent.

Hot Veggies.

First up, hot veggies: roast tomatoes, hash browns, mushrooms.

These never changed, and I never tried them.

German Meat.

Next up, meat.  Two kinds of sausages (traditional white are hiding inside the earthenware vessel), meatloaf, and meatballs.

I tried the regular breakfast sausage (not the German white one) and it was really greasy, kinda grisly, and not enjoyable.  *.

The white sausage I know is traditional, and it was much better, but it also wasn't my thing.  At least, not for breakfast.  It was juicy, plump, filled with herbs, flavorful, but, at least at the time, not what I wanted.  Still, a fine sausage. ***.

And finally, the meatball.  It was seared on the outside, which was nice, but that is about all I have positive to say about it.  It was dry, and it tasted like fake meat, not real meat.  It reminded me of seitan.  I really did not like this.  *.

Meatloaf. 

I remember discovering the meatloaf late on my trip last time, so this time I was determined to try it early this time, as I had loved it before, particularly with a bit of sour cherry jam.

I still liked it, particularly the flavorful crust, but the magic was slightly lost.  **+.

American Station.

No chicken nuggets this time, just baked beans, chicken wings, bacon.  Again, never changed, and I never had any of these.

Eggs.

Not sure why, but I tried the scrambled eggs the first morning.  They were whatevs. **+.

Made to Order

There is also a made to order egg station featuring mostly omelettes, and, as I discovered far later into my stay, the ability order other items from the kitchen.

"1 Egg Over Medium with Mushroom & Onion".

I tried to order a poached egg.  "What is ... poached?" the egg chef asked.  So I said ... "No problem, how about over medium?"  He pointed at the sunny side up already fried eggs laid out in the buffet.  And then made a motion like flipping.  I thought he was on board with the "over medium" and said "yes!" Then he gestured at the toppings, asking if I'd like things.  I wasn't planning to get toppings, but, why not?  I thought I ordered mushroom and onion to go with my over medium egg.

What I got?  A ham & cheese omelette.  Lol.

I didn't like it at all (exactly the over cooked, tough, style of omelette that I don't ever like) and, um, totally not what I wanted.

*.

"1 Poached Egg."

The next day, there was a different staff member working the egg station, so I tried again to order poached eggs.  He was *far* more helpful, and told me to just order those from a waitstaff, as they'd be prepared in the kitchen.  I found a staff member circulating the room, and asked for one poached egg.

A few minutes later, this was brought out.  I was expecting literally just a poached egg, but, got a little side salad, buttered toast (with crusts removed!), and two eggs ... quasi poached.

The salad was actually fine, just mixed baby greens and grape tomatoes, and not really what I crave at 8am, but given that they don't have any greens anywhere in the buffet, and my vegetable consumption, besides potatoes and white asparagus, was quite low on this trip, it was much appreciated.  It was heavily dressed with olive oil.

The toast was unexpected, but good.  Lol that removing the crusts, but, it was actually just lightly toasted, well buttered, simple but good white toast.  

The eggs though ... eh.  I'm not quite sure how they cooked them, but, not really poached as I was expecting.  The yolks were medium-set, a tiny bit of ooze to them.  I had hoped that the eggs would taste more like Australian eggs (where I love them!) but alas, they tasted no different than American eggs.

It all needed some salt & pepper, which strangely there is none of in the restaurant (not on tables, not in buffet).

I wouldn't get these again, but good to know there is the option.

**+.

Liege Waffle.

I remembered there being great liege waffles in the buffet one time during my last stay.  Every morning I was on the lookout for them.  And yet, I never saw they show up.  One morning, I saw one person with them at their table.  I hung around a while, hoping the buffet would be replenished with them, but alas, nope.  

On my second to last morning, I saw the chalkboard behind the omelet station said something about pancakes or waffles.  I tried to order one at the station, and was told to order from waitstaff.  I tracked one down, and did so.  He asked how I'd like it ... I asked options, and the only one I was given was "with some maple syrup on the side perhaps?"  I said sure.

I went to gather my other things, and when I returned, a waffle was waiting for me.  Liege style, just as I hoped. It was very coated in powdered sugar, and garnished with a single fresh raspberry.  Finally, berries! Er, berry.

It was a good, generic, liege waffle.  Nothing extraordinary, but, frozen and heated liege waffles can be plenty satisfying, and this was.  Crispy outside, good flavor, just, overall, good.  It was barely warm however.  

It didn't need syrup with it since so sweet from the powdered sugar, but I did really want whipped cream and fresh fruit with it.  I have no idea if that was an option?

Anyway, quite good, and I wished I had discovered it sooner during my stay.

****.

Liege Waffle.

My final morning I ordered another waffle.  This one came without syrup (although there was a dot on the plate, not what looked like intentional plating ...), and tons of powdered sugar, no fruit garnish.

It was also very overcooked.  It didn't look it, but it was crispy to the point of being nearly impossible to eat, and, burnt (super dark) from the inside out.  I honestly don't know what they did to it to make it come out like that, as the exterior, while dark, didn't look quite a burnt as it really was.  This one also seemed to maybe have pockets of caramel or syrup baked in?  But so hard to tell as it was so burnt.

This let me down greatly, and I'm glad I at least got to experience one good waffle.  Had this been my first one, I certainly would not have ordered another.

**.

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