Monday munchies: Pastries

85°C Bakery Café is literally bright, shiny and filled with pretty, edible objects. The self-serve pastry emporium is an enchanting place for stoners; one where you can indecisively ogle confections to your heart’s content and then, with sleek white trays and matching tongs, pluck up far too many because everything is so visually appealing. Fluorescent overhead lights intensify this, reflecting off the sheen of treats - especially those in the dessert case - creating a sort of blinding white, heavenly effect.

Then, the sobering holler of an employee carrying a tray of “Fresh bread!” Brace yourself for these announcements every few minutes lest you drop your goodies on the (albeit pristine) floor. But the real surprise is when the crowd of carb hounds cheers back in unison, as if they’re laying eyes on fresh bread for the very first time.

The cashier wraps everything up in individual glossy plastic bags. Be sure to experience the oversized cream puffs, one of the more expensive items at $2.50. Also try the strawberry panna cotta, milk bread with chocolate chips, cheese roll, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, all totaling around $10.

But you mustn’t leave without ordering the house specialty drink: your choice of iced coffee or jasmine tea with a floating layer of cream and sea salt. Take a cue from regulars who turn their sealed cups upside down to mix everything up; then, stab through the lid with a straw and gulp the unusual drink that will leave you befuddled, and yearning for more.

5575 Balboa Ave. suite 330, Clairemont Mesa. 858-278-8585 and 85cafe.us

Source: DiscoverSD