85℃

Taiwan’s reigning bakery makes its way into Hong Kong. While, yes, there’s dozens upon dozens of bakeries in HK, but none of it is 85! The style of the bread is the same… soft, fluffly, and washed with a bit of egg wash before it’s baked, but it’s the toppings that makes 85 degrees different. I had a bun that was almost like a okonomiyaki, topped with crunchy bits and mayo. If that isn’t your style, there’s rows of different other buns that would definitely suit your taste.

It was quite a joyous news to know that 85 °C has branched out to Hong Kong. As a frequent traveler between Taiwan and Hong Kong, it definitely reminds me of the good times I have in Taiwan.
A cross between a bakery and a café, 85 °C has a full blown coffee bar that serves up good quality café style coffee; to go with your perfect cup, there is a great variety of pastries and puddings for you to choose from. Whereas for the breads and bun of that take up the majority of the display space have batches fresh from the oven from time to time. Quite different from the buns you see in a local bakery, 85 °C mainly provide those you will see in traditional Taiwanese bakers (at least I have seen them in places other than 85 °C in Taiwan), savory and sweet. If sausage bun is the staple of Hong Kong buns, the equivalent of Taiwan would be the buns flecked with scallions. The spring onions are first marinated with salt before sprinkling on top, this savoriness and the pungent oniony flavor makes the blandness of the dough spring into life and become a delicacy on its own not requiring any fillings.
Whereas for the coffee, when starbucks and pacific coffee is selling a cup of coffee for over $ 25, those of 85 °C are half the price but of comparable quality. There are even some beverages that you would not find elsewhere such as ginger tea and grain milk, very traditional, very Chinese yet that only makes sense for a café owned by a Chinese corporate to pay homage to its heritage and provide something that is unique from other cafes in different parts of the world.

85 °C is a Taiwanese bakery chain specializing in bread, cakes and drinks. If you’ve ever been to Taiwan, you probably have passed by, or even been to 85 °C — I went to Taiwan a few months ago and it was everywhere! The Taiwanese craze has been kicking in here in Hong Kong, with the popularity of Taiwanese restaurants like Teawood and dessert cafés serving Taiwanese-​style toasts. And of course, Eslite at Hysan Place spans a whole three floors. 85 °C was somewhat of a forerunner, arriving in HK quite a few years ago.
If you’re a standard coffee drinker, you’ll be glad to know that they’ve got your regulars like regular coffee, latte, cappuccino etc. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, try their specialty — the sea salt coffee — which has a thin layer of salt sprinkled on the coffee, supposedly to bring out its taste. I’ve never tried it before so I can’t comment on how it is. The latte and the cappuccino here is your run of the mill coffee — I would suggest to go for something more Taiwanese, such as the bubble tea or even the sea salt coffee.
The cakes here are not bad as well. They’re less pricey than a lot of other artisanal bakeries, and they’re a decent size too, so you know you’re getting your money’s worth. I’ve tried the cheesecake, which is nice and creamy, and not overwhelmingly heavy. The bakery section stocks freshly baked bread. I’m guilty of buying them and saving it for the next day, throwing it in the toaster as breakfast, but it’s of course better to eat it on the spot.
It may be a little hard to find a seat here, but just wait around for a bit and you should be able to find one. I only wish that there was an 85 °C
closer to where I live — it would be great to have a place where I could sit down for a nice drink and a slice of cake without breaking the bank!