85°C Bakery Cafe -- Or, someone finally figured out how to market an Asian bakery to a wider U.S. audience

85°C - It's apparently a bit culty in Irvine: the line is long and replenishes quickly whenever there is a lull. We went there Saturday after dim sum at Capital Seafood [sic] in the same mall complex. The dim sum was tasty but I was too absorbed in picking up the slippery spareribs with my slippery chopsticks to think about taking a picture. The reviews are right to point out it's pretty salty; I was drinking water all day. Dim sum however remains one of the best bargains in food. Lots of food, lots of shrimp, and an army of ladies in the back making wrappers added up to $9 each (with tax). That was with 5 people paying for 6 because of a birthday. Unbelievable. It made me worry about working conditions.

Afterward there was interest in 85°C, as several people in the group had heard of it but had not yet gone because the line was always too long. Having already blown through my carbs for the day with the dim sum, I had planned on just sitting with the group. My resolve was lost in the face of a counter of adorably cute little pastries. Note that on yelp, there are 455 pictures. 455. Seriously, you'd think it was the cast of Twilight or something.

I usually know better than to order chocolate desserts at Asian bakeries (we seem to have different ideas about chocolate), but the adorable little piece of chocolate orange cake was appealing. S., having more sense about these things, got the strawberry cream roll cake that you see (note the cute box). The other item in the picture is a coffee-flavored cake.

As cute as the baked goods are, the reason the line goes out the door isn't the cakes or the buns. The really culty item to get is the sea salt coffee (the paper cup in the picture). As several signs will tell you, it can and will only be served iced, and consists of a study in contrasts with sweet cool coffee and salted foam. I was not on a straw-sharing basis with anyone who ordered one, but it was acclaimed as amazing by those who partook.

Meanwhile, the chocolate cake was reasonably tasty, but I probably wouldn't order another one. The chocolate factor was okay on first taste, but failed to have the complex, lingering finish that one expects with a quality chocolate experience.

As someone who is a fan of Asian bakeries, I'm glad someone has figured out a way to market one to a wider U.S. audience. I am also glad they are not Americanizing it too much. There is taro, buns stuffed with various fruit and custard concoctions, and I heard there were squid ink buns as well, but I couldn't see them past the crowd of people crowded around the bakery case where they were. And, despite the high demand, you'll pay less than you will at Starbucks for anything comparable (the pastries are certainly better than Starbucks).

JJ Bakery

 If you aren't ordering sea salt coffee, I would still recommend visiting if you are in the area, but I think my favorite bakery still remains JJ Bakery (see left). I've only been to the one in Arcadia, across from Din Tai Fung which is very much worth a visit as well. I got my dissertation party cake from JJ Bakery, so there will always be a special place in my heart for their chiffon, fruit, and cream.

Overall Conclusion: If you are intrigued by the sea salt coffee, it is worth the pilgrimage. Otherwise, it's fun if you're in the area. If you have a JJ near where you live, give it a try. I particularly like the taro bun, custard bun, and chocolate raisin bread.