85 Degrees
Mochi Egg Tart
Almond Croissant
Cream Cheese Brioche
Maple Toast
Raisin milk bread
Ice Sea Salt Coffee
Marble Taro Bread
Blueberry Half Moon Cake
Another ‘can’t miss’ stop according to people I trust my visit to 85 Degrees in the early morning hours on Monday proved fortuitous in that it was not only close to the hotel, but also in that my arrival coincided with the vast majority of the items just coming out from the kitchen; a situation that combined with exceedingly low prices and led to blatant over-ordering thus allowing me to taste a lot of interesting items I may have otherwise passed up. Vaguely aware of some of the must have items including the maple toast and sea salt coffee my other decisions were largely based on recommendations from an elderly pair of regulars who arrived just before me, their suggestions confirmed by the young man at the register who additionally sold me on the marble taro bread that had yet to come from the kitchen but that he promised to bring to my table as soon as it was ready…a mere five minutes later along with the coffee. Speaking to the selections made, all sampled fresh with some leftovers saved for later, it was expected that not every item would wow but in reality the only choices I did not care for were the overly tangy cream cheese brioche and merely average almond croissant while the other five items all proved quite delicious, particularly the aforementioned marble bread with a supple crumb intertwined with dense pockets of sweet taro and the moon cake with a lovely angelfood texture surrounding a ribbon of blueberry filling and subtle coconut tones, both truly unique, though I’d be remiss not to also mention the sweet crunch of the maple toast which pairs so elegantly with the creamy and oddly satisfying saline tones of the infamous iced coffee.
