A short distance from McCallum on Airport Boulevard sits 85 Degrees Celsius, a Taiwanese chain that offers a variety of breads, teas, coffee, and cakes. Despite opening six years ago, I’d only eaten there once a while back, so I decided to give it another try.
Entering the store, I was greeted with welcoming racks of bread and buns displaying items such as ravioli buns, croissants, taro milk tea buns, coconut twists and cheese bread. The glass pastry cases next to the register contained a variety of enticing-looking treats: gorgeous cakes adorned with fresh fruit, slivers of chocolate and perfectly piped swirls of whipped cream and adorable, individual desserts decorated just as beautifully. After a tough decision, I ordered a cheese bun, slice of lemon cake, boba milk tea and mousse called a “mango delight” to share with my family.
Upon arriving home with my treats, I decided to begin with the tea.
It was priced fairly enough at $4.75 for the smallest size offered, a medium, compared to $8 teas at nearby boba shops. The boba pearls themselves were perfectly chewy, not too soft or too hard, but the drink was too sugary for me, to the point where it was hard to taste the earthy notes of the black tea. In the future, I’ll make sure to request a lower sweetness level, and although I didn’t love this beverage, perhaps people who like sweet drinks would enjoy it.
Price: 6/10
Taste: 3/10-due to its overpowering sweetness
Texture: 9/10
Appearance: 8/10
Average: 6.5/10
As a lover of all things lemon, I couldn’t wait to try the lemon sponge cake, so I tasted it next. It cost $4.05, and I was immediately enchanted by the unique, vertical layers of sponge cake topped with pillowy whipped cream and a blueberry.
While the whipped cream frosting was delicious and the cake was soft and spongy, the distribution of lemon was uneven so that certain parts of the cake lacked flavor while other parts were at the seams with citrus.
Price: 5.5/10
Taste: 6/10
Texture: 7/10
Appearance: 9.5/10
Average: 7/10
After two sweet dishes, I decided to move on to the cheese bread, which cost $2.20. The cheese roll appeared delicious, and was topped with crispy, melted cheddar cheese. As I bit into it, I was surprised to discover a filling of soft, sweet cream cheese, which didn’t combine perfectly with the salty cheddar.
Although I didn’t originally love the flavor combination, the crispiness of the cheddar contrasted well with the softness of the cream cheese.
Price: 6/10
Taste: 6/10
Texture: 8/10
Appearance: 8/10
Average: 7/10
Finally, I tasted the Mango Delight, an entremet that contained a vanilla chiffon cake enveloped by a mango mousse and was priced at $4.55. The entremet was a beautiful glistening dome with a gorgeous orange hue topped by a white chocolate leaf and an artfully placed raspberry. The Mango Delight burst with a fresh, vibrant mango flavor and had a perfect level of sweetness. The texture wasn’t gritty, like some mousses are, and its lightness contrasted beautifully with the slightly heavier chiffon cake center.
Price: 7/10
Taste: 9/10
Texture: 9/10
Appearance: 10/10
Average: 8.75/10
While 85 Degrees Celsius might not have been my favorite bakery ever, it was fun to try a new spot close to McCallum. They had a lovely atmosphere and offered a variety of different snacks and drinks so that anyone could find something to enjoy there. If you’re like me and love fresh flavors, definitely opt for the “Mango Delight.” It certainly lives up to its name.
