a bite of brownie

after picking up a package from the post office, i took a look at available food restos next door and found this place but I was a few minutes early. three other parties were also waiting for the restaurant to open so i thought this must be a good sign that this resto is good. I checked the other stores close by. there's Starbucks and nothing bundt cakes. I stepped in the latter and I was greeted with a friendly crew saying if I would be interested in trying their raspberry chiffon cake. it was delicious and not so sweet so I thought I can't leave that bakery without getting something. my eyes were set on buying the chocolate-chocolate chip bundtlet. I asked the cashier what's their best seller and guess what? it's the same as my choice!

I proceeded back to pho wagon and by the time I came back, they turned the closed sign to open. their daily special is grilled pork or chicken sandwich with chips and Thai iced tea. I asked the waitress if I could change the sandwich to meat with rice. she thinks no so I opted to get the special combo pho, an unexpected order from me since I don't like noodles or pasta. surprisingly, I enjoyed it! the broth was tasty. the rice noodles were perfectly cooked, not over cooked nor soggy. special combo pho has steak, well-done flank, brisket, tendon and tripe. I like best the latter three. small order was still too much for much. I wasn't able to finish the noodles but drank all the soup.

there are not many options for rice plates though. this place seemed popular considering almost 10 parties came within thirty minutes after the resto opened.

the chocolate-chocolate chip bundlet was delicious! the sweetness was just right, not so sweet and not so bland.

Verdict for Pho Wagon: 3/5 (-2 for few rice plate options)
Verdict for Nothing Bundt Cakes: 4/5 (it's a little expensive)

Pho Wagon
1712 Meridian Ave
San Jose, CA 95125

Nothing Bundt Cakes
1702 Meridian Avenue Suite B.
San Jose, CA 95125

a friend recommended this bakery after reading or watching from some foodie. we got curious so we tried this famous bakery. when i got to the place, i saw a couple of customers having their breakfast. i read in yelp that they have good breakfast options too but i wasn't there for breakfast so i'll reserve that for future visits. i got one loaf of cinnamon bread since they are known for this. i also got a loaf of blueberry cinnamon bread and a round of almond sprinkled cinnamon bread. i got the last two items as discounted items since they were on sale. this is probably their way to keep their stocks fresh. i like each of the bread i got. the almond sprinkled cinnamon bread was the least sweet among the three. this bakery has very limited open hours so i was so happy to see that they sell their famous cinnamon bread at costco.

Greenlee's Bakery
1081 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126

Verdict 4.5/5 (it would be nice if they are open on sundays.)

85°C first caught my eye when i saw someone carrying this bakery's box in SJC airport. something about picking a food as gift to friends/family from another state gives me the impression that food from this bakery must be good. after doing further research, i learned that this is a highly recommended bakery. i was supposed to get some macarons from chantal guillon but didn't make it before their closing time. since this bakery is less than fifteen minutes drive from palo alto, i ventured out to newark to try this bakery. i've been told that there is always a long queue to this place and it wasn't an exception when i went. it took around ten minutes before i got my turn to pick the bread that interests me. there were a lot of choices that did not only look yummy but also looked fresh. every five minutes, you'd see someone refill the counters. since i was thinking of getting bread which i think would last without refrigerating for 24 hours, i got the giant brioche, cheese bread, cheese dog, calamari stick, and chocolate sponge. there were a lot of other bread there that were calling me but they'll just have to wait for next time. when i was in the cashier, i was told that the chocolate sponge needs to be refrigerated so i had to return them. i found a seat and started on the cheese dog. it wasn't spectacular. i tried next the calamari stick which is a bun of bread with black squid ink on it's dough. i liked it but unadventurous people towards food wouldn't. it had an after taste of the black squid ink. the cheese bread had a cream cheese filling on it. it would pair well with coffee or tea but since i had it with water, it was too sweet and satiating for me. the giant brioche was just fine so all-in-all, my experience was a disappointment as compared to the hype that i got from stories and research. it's possible that i picked the wrong items. this bakery reminds me of bread talk but i enjoyed bread talk's bread better.


85°C Bakery Cafe
35201-V Newark Blvd
Newark, CA 94560

Verdict: 2.5/5 (the items i picked were not extra-ordinary but i am still curious about the hype of this bakery and i'm still planning on trying out their other items.)