Ube Crack Cheesecake ($3.99): Ube doesn’t just turn this petite cheesecake purple, it makes the texture deliriously rich and creamy. The “ube crack cheesecake” from Cafe 86 in Union City. The orbs are dipped in white chocolate and rolled in pulverized Oreo cookies, which might sound like overkill but it’s not. In this case, the center is an ube-flavored cake blended with coconut cream cheese frosting. Ube Truffles ($2.99): These truffles are like what cake pops should be: extremely moist and not too sweet, with a barely perceptible coating of white chocolate. The ube truffle is one of several ube desserts at Cafe 86 in Union City. (Don’t worry, there’s still a cube of caramelly leche flan on top, too.) Most importantly, it delivers on the textural contrasts that make the dessert so special while feeling fresh and new. Instead, coconut jellies, jackfruit and boba provide chewiness while Frosted Flakes add crunch. There are other notable diversions: no shaved ice and no beans. Cafe 86’s “upside down” twist swaps out the milk with an ube base and tops it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Upside Down Halo Halo ($7.85): A traditional halo halo sees a scoop of ube ice cream on top of shaved ice, evaporated milk and lots of mix-ins like fruit jellies and beans. The upside down halo halo is one of the must-get items at Cafe 86 in Union City. If you’re tempted by the hype and don’t mind long waits, here’s what to order: On a recent visit to Cafe 86, ube’s flavors were well-pronounced in several treats - though a few items were already sold out just one hour after opening, including an ube tres leches cake, ube tiramisu and Southern-style ube butter bars. It lends an extra creaminess to desserts and isn’t too sweet. The flavor is subtle, somewhat similar to sweet potato but with a mellow nuttiness and hints of vanilla. Ube ice cream is easy to find, with even Trader Joe’s getting in on it. Fusion empire Senor Sisig sometimes offers ube horchata as a special beverage, while San Francisco’s high-end Abaca serves a bright purple pina colada-esque cocktail with ube-coconut cream. But it’s a long-standing part of Filipino food culture and a source of pride for the younger generation of Filipino Americans opening restaurants in the Bay Area. It might be tempting to write off ube as a trend, given that the ingredient stains food and beverages a glorious violet that pops on Instagram. The roomy cafe has a few tables and a street-art aesthetic - “ube nerds” is prominently displayed - but given the crowds, most people take their orders to-go. Hoping you all make the trip out to Halo Halo Cafe.Cafe 86 is a popular mini-chain based in Southern California, and the Union City location marks its first expansion in the Bay Area. My husband felt the quality was higher end. The Halo Halo was crazy good! The cantaloupe was oh my gosh yummy (sweetened with sugar cane)! Growing up with a sugar cane tree, I truly can appreciate the delicious, nostalgic taste. We kept buying a little and then a little more. So my husband ordered Kare Kare (meat, veggies in a peanut buttery sauce) with white rice, his Coke, then of course we ordered Halo Halo, and to go I ordered the cantaloupe drink (it is sweetened with sugar cane). Little did we know they have a full blown kitchen in the back serving up meals! This place is small, cute but they actually have a lot to offer. I never mentioned it to the hubby, and he said let's have a little Halo Halo date night.□ I said, Oh yeah!! I heard about this Cafe thru Google maps and it sounded good.
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