Getting to The Adobo Road Cookbook Tour. {The first stop: 85C-Irvine} Road Trip!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food.  Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about adventures in eating.  Today, the beginning of one of Cathy's adventures.

In May, I received an e-mail from the LA Times about an upcoming book signing in Pasadena by Marvin Gapultos, whose Blog (cleverly named Burnt Lumpia Blog) I have bookmarked on this machine. Marvin's cookbook, The Adobo Road  Cookbook a Filipino food journey -from food blog to food truck and beyond, looked interesting to me, and I saved that email. Later that week, I heard from my friend and fellow blogger, cc, who asked me if I'd want to do a roadtrip with her...because she had already purchased several copies of the cookbook wanted to meet Marvin and have the cookbooks signed by him. Road Trip!

At 7 a.m. on Sunday June 9, cc was at my front door and I had my car filled with fuel and ready. We each had our own coolers so we could transport/bring home anticipated food purchases safely.  The book signing was scheduled for 3 p.m..  Yes, there would be a few (nine) stops for food on this 14+ hour day. This post is a link to cc's version about our first stop.  

85c Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese bakery of international franchises.  I've heard of it, been asked about it but had never experienced it.  Now I have done so, *twice* in less than two weeks. {I had to go back with The Mister...} 

When cc and I arrived here just before 9 a.m., we missed an onslaught of customers by less than five minutes. When I brought The Mister here, we were in the parking lot five minutes before the doors opened.  I really try to avoid crowds. The above refrierated glass case holds cakes and cake slices...

Cubby holes of various fresh baked sweets and savories line the far wall. Cubbies of shelving about half that size line the two adjoining walls. They are are replenished constantly and announced loudly ("fresh bread!!!"). The individual-doored spaces are emptied quickly most of the day with a steady line (an outside the door and into the parking lot line) of customers. The photo above shows the small floor refrigerator centering the shelving and it's filled with prepacked whipped cream and cheesecake filled pastries.

The choices are almost overwhelming and because of the many people picking and choosing pastries, it's necessary to grab what you want as soon as you see it (trays and tongs are at the door as you walk in). 

There are two cash registers here; the one to the right will put your pastries into individual bags and you can order beverages and pay, or someone with you can go the register on the left where only beverages can be ordered and they'll probably be ready about the time you are finished paying for pastries.

These were the purchases cc and I made.  The sausage cheese pastry (a soft bread dough) and the tomato cheese pastry (a puff pastry dough) became 'breakfast' for us. The beverages are iced sea salt coffee and iced sea salt green tea...beverages I saw a few times this day but still never have seen in San Diego County.  The other items are a mango bread (new item here advertised in a poster "Celebrate Mango Season"), blueberry danish, maple brick toast and a multigrain berry bread  loaf (which remained soft into the following morning). 

This was the 'breakfast' The Mister and I had -cream puffs (real whipped cream; a heavier dough than at the County Fair cream puffs); we were told to refrigerate as soon as possible...as if those would make it back to San Diego) and a ham and cheese croissant. I got a medium iced sea salt coffee ($2.75) for The Mister and also small Americano ($1.80) just to compare the taste differences.

Everything here has been fresh/still warm and what made it to the next day remained fresh.  The salted beverages are different and not crazy salty...they are basically a 'regular' beverage topped with sea salt foam that you either can stir into the regular beverage (by swirling; the beverages are in paper cups topped with that hermetic seal you've seen in Boba Shops) or you get the salt at the end of your drink when the sea salt foam has descended to the bottom of the cup: I haven't developed a craving for those beverages...yet.

85c is a good place to stop, but I don't think I would wait in a very long line if I lived here...there are so many alternatives- even within the Diamond Jamboree Center-just across the parking lot; our second stop this day.

85C Cafe and Bakery 2700 Alton Parkway, Suite 123 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 553-8585  US website

Comments

[Nhbilly]

Can't beat freshly baked goods. I might have to try when I'm in town.

[caninecologne]

Yay! that was such a fun day! Nine stops, really? And I haven't even gotten to Vroman's yet for my post!

[Cathy]

The majority of stops on this Road Trip are bakeries, bill. If you can get to 85c early, you'll enjoy it. Another stand alone (Korean) bakery in this mall (next post in this series) and also at least one bakery inside the HMart in this same Shopping Center.

Not counting the ultimate stop at Vroman's, we grabbed something at nine different food shops, cc- each unique and fun! This was a great day. I just had to take The Mister back to each new place; showing him a photo and handing him a treat isn't the same.

[Kirbie]

If you are in the Rowland Heights area, that 85C is much bigger and usually no line. I'm enjoying reading about all the stops you and cc took.

[Cathy]

At some point, I will be in that area Kirbie; thanks. This was such a fun road trip for me. I got to see so many new places and also was able to show cc some of my favorite stops.