85C – Happiness Baked

Simply put, the baked goods at 85C are to die for! Sigh, I can’t stop thinking about their milk pudding roll…moist and buttery on the outside, filled with creamy, milk custard on the inside. Pure happiness in a roll…the *BEST* Asian pastry I’ve ever eaten. (Make sure to eat it right away while it’s still fluffy)
85C originated in Taiwan. The Irvine location is their first in the U.S. and already has a cult following. This is the first time I’ve seen a line outside an Asian bakery. Fortunately, the line moved pretty quickly, and they limited the number of people inside so it wasn’t a crowded madhouse.
Since there’s such a high demand, 85C continuously bakes their items throughout the day (instead of just in the morning like most places), so everything is literally fresh out of the oven. Even so, they had already run out of taro buns (one of my faves) and the next batch wouldn’t be ready for another 2 hours. Darn, I really wanted to try their version…I’m sure it would’ve been heartbreakingly good. Regardless, there was still a large selection of breads, buns, and pastries…and like everyone else, we piled our trays high with goodies. Had I known better, I would’ve gotten more milk pudding buns! Their boroh (pineapple) roll was also especially scrumptious. I also ordered the sea salt coffee…interesting but not as exceptional as the pastries.
My only complaint is that 85C doesn’t have a location in San Francisco. Please expand up here soon!

BITE METER: 85C – 4.5 bites (out of 5)

Shin Sen Gumi – Customize Your Ramen

After a weekend of gluttony, we decided to “cleanse” ourselves with a warm bowl of ramen at Shin Sen Gumi. What’s unique about this restaurant is you can choose the level of richness/oiliness you want for your broth, the firmness of your noodles, and the array of toppings for your ramen.

The tonkotsu (pork bone) broth was great. I ordered the ‘light oil’ version, but the broth still maintained a rich (albeit lighter), almost creamy pork flavor. The slices of cha-su Berkshire pork were tender, and I loved the crunchy, sweet bamboo and the bite from the pickled ginger…a wonderful medley of flavors and textures. My only gripe about the ramen was the noodles. The restaurant serves Hakata-style ramen, which I’ve had before in Tokyo so I knew to expect thinner noodles. But what bothered me was these noodles tasted more like starchy rice noodles than denser flour noodles. Even the ‘medium’ consistency noodles were too soft, so I’d recommend getting ‘hard’ noodles.

Chicken rice balls came with my meal since I ordered one of the lunch combos. It was really unappetizing – bland and mushy with dry chicken chunks. Instead of using sticky rice, they used regular rice and made it soggy so the rice ball would stick together. Not good.
To sum it up, the ramen was delicious, but make sure you order the ‘hard’ noodles. And stay away from the chicken rice balls!

BITE METER: Shin Sen Gumi – 3.7 bites (out of 5)