Bubble Tea Archives - Page 2 of 5

In Bubble Tea

Ding Tea Taiwanese Tea House: Now Open in Vancouver

April 6, 2019

Ding Tea is a new bubble tea shop near Renfrew and 2nd in Vancouver, It is a Taiwanese bubble tea franchise with over 600 stores worldwide. There are 2 other locations in Toronto and Victoria, but now a third in Vancouver.

I made a quick stop to grab some bubble tea for my husband and my sister since we love trying new places to see how they compare. With the recent boom of new bubble tea places, it’s so hard to catch up and as they are opening up so frequently.

Interior

The space is quite nice with a modern aesthetic if you are dining in, but most people grab to go. There is also free parking out front.

Monster BoBo Latte

This is a popular drink since the brown sugar milk tea craze is so hot in Vancouver right now. Ding Tea makes the Monster BoBo Latte daily from 1-2pm until they sell out. On weekends they have it at an additional 8pm time slot as well. I came here at 5pm on a Wednesday and they still had this available.

The brown sugar and pearls with the milk is delicious. Mix it all up together so you aren’t just having all the sugar at the bottom. One of the better brown sugar drinks we have had so far.

There is not option to customize sugar levels for this drink, similar to other places too.

Kiwi Aloe Vera Juice

I’ve never heard of this combination before, so I got this with 30% sugar since I usually like my fruity drinks less sweet. There are large chunky bits of aloe vera pieces at the bottom and it was so good with the kiwi. I was so happy I got it less sweet and 30% was perfect. We really enjoyed this and would order it again.

Signature Milk Tea

We had this 100% sugar and 100% ice and it wasn’t too sweet at all. It had a good tea flavour and was very enjoyable. Solid milk tea.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we enjoyed the drinks that we ordered. The biggest surprise for us was the Kiwi Aloe Vera Juice. So delicious and the kiwi and aloe pairing works so well. Highly recommended. The other drinks are pretty good too.

Address:
1808 Renfrew St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.dingtea.com/

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The Ooleaf Tea Lounge: Bubble Tea Shop in Richmond

April 1, 2019

A new bubble tea shop is in town and it’s The Ooleaf Tea Lounge located right beside Aberdeen Skytrain Station. They are currently in their soft opening phase and are working out any kinks before their grand opening. They specialize in handmade oolong based tea beverages

Currently, their promotion is 50% off select drinks on their menu. When we went, there was only 1 drink on that menu and it was the black milk tea.

Interior

The space isn’t too large but there are a few small and large tables for different sizes of groups. I can imagine more people doing take out than actually sitting here, but who knows.

Brown Sugar Matcha

You can see the different layers of ingredients in here, but you should stir it up before you drink it. I usually don’t like brown sugar drinks but this was the right about of brown sugar where it isn’t too sweet or overpowering. Make sure to stir ip up really well before drinking.

Black Milk Tea

This was the special of the day with pearls, milk and the oolong tea. Make sure to stir it around since some of the sugar tends to settle on the bottom. We really enjoyed it and the pearls as well. Bold oolong tea and it was just a solid milk tea.

Bitter Melon Pineapple Fruit Tea

My friend got this because she was so curious what bitter melon pineapple fruit tea would taste like. It could be either really good or really bad. The bitter melon juice is obviously really bitter but there is a good amount of pineapple paired with it to attempt to offset the bitterness. For us, that still didn’t work, but we did still appreciate this drink and how some other people might like it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really liked the strong oolong tea in the drinks. Their menu is different and innovative especially with the bitter melon pineapple fruit tea…even though we didn’t personally like it, it’s very unique.

I would definitely come back for their other drinks for sure. Good balance of tea, milk and sweetness.

Address:
4000 No 3 Road #135, Richmond, BC

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theooleaf/

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Passion Tearoom: Bubble Tea in Downtown Vancouver

March 25, 2019

Passion Tearoom is a bubble tea shop on Howe and Nelson in Downtown Vancouver. They pride themselves for using real fruits in their smoothies and real tea in their bubble tea beverage.

A few people told me to check it out, so I went with my friend to see how it stacks up against the other similar bubble tea shops in Vancouver.

Interior

The space is pretty small, so there are only a few tables inside, but most people observed did take out anyways. A select few looked like they were meeting up with friends over a drink.

Mango Slush

This is mango blended with ice and my friend has it with pearls. It was pretty good. Smooth and not chunky at all. The pearls had a nice soft chew to them which was nice.

House Milk Tea

This is their premium special blended black tea with cream and milk. I added grass jelly to this drink as a topping. I got it half sweet, but the drinks here generally aren’t that sweet, so full sweetness is just fine. As for the drink itself, it was pretty much room temperature and had no ice inside. Would have been more enjoyable if it was colder.

Final Thoughts

I was a little bit disappointed with their milk tea since that’s their signature drink. Slush was definitely more enjoyable. As we only had 2 drinks, it’s hard to get a grasp of the full menu, but if they can’t get a classic milk tea right, I don’t know about the other items. Other people seem to love this place, so maybe it was an off day when I visited.

Address:
1020 Howe St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.passiontearoom.com/

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Old Street 老街小吃: Chinese Crepe and Taiwanese beef noodle soup in Burnaby

March 24, 2019

Old Street 老街小吃 is a restaurant located across from Metropolis at Metrotown specializing in Chinese Crepes and Taiwanese beef noodle soup. There’s more and more new restaurants in the area and it’s good to see plenty of options.

We were invited to give a few of their menu items a try, so I came with a few friends to see how it is.

Interior

There are a good amount of tables for groups of 2’s and 4’s but if you have a larger group, you can easily combine the tables to make it larger.

Old Street Fresh Fruit Tea

One of their signature drinks on the menu is their fresh fruit tea. You can choose it with green tea or red tea with the option of having it hot or cold. We went with cold and there was a good amount of citrus and berry fruits inside.

Milky Tea Series

They have a few different milk teas on the menu. We went with Honey Milk Tea and Matcha Milk tea. You can add toppings like pearls, coconut jelly or grass jelly. You can have it as a regular milk tea or green milk tea.

It’s good you can customize it with different tea options, but the menu doesn’t give you the option for ice levels or sweetness levels, but you can inquire with the staff.

Old Street Chinese Crepe

They are known for their Chinese Crepes and it’s hard to find them in this area of Burnaby. These are highly customizable. Each crepe is made with an egg, green onion, cilantro, sesame, and whatever else you want to customize it with.

We had it with green bean flour, spiced beef, dried pork flakes, pickled mustard, crisp fritter, and with a touch of spiciness. With the added spiced beef, this crepe was huge! It tasted pretty good and I love the crisp fritter to give it a nice crunchy texture inside.

Taiwanese Meat Sauce on Rice

Our favourite item here was the Taiwanese meat sauce on rice. It has a good ratio of the meat sauce and rice, so all that sauce soaks into the rice. It also has half an egg with it too.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

In each bowl is marinated beef shank, veggies, pickled greens, green onions, cilantro and you can customize your noodle thickness and add any additional meats. We added in beef tripe and braised beef brisket to ours for an extra charge. The beef shank was a good size and tender. Broth was good with a good amount of spice as we asked for a little spice. The noodle soup was average but nothing really stood out too much.

Szechuan Style Chicken

Also known as saliva chicken but there is no saliva in this at all if you’re wondering. It’s a good size dish and the chicken is very tender and flavourful. A good amount of spice too.

Final Thoughts

It’s good to finally have a restaurant specializing in Chinese Crepes in the area. Even though it is a traditional breakfast item, that doesn’t stop you from having this for lunch or dinner. Some dishes are so-so but definitely stop by to see what Chinese Crepes are like.

Address:
4729 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

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Bobii Frutii Richmond: We Tried 10 Items on the Menu

February 21, 2019

We are back at Bobii Frutii in Richmond BC to try even more items off the menu with some friends. Last time we only made a small dent in the menu, but there is so much more to try beyond their signature drinks.

I really like their drinks since it’s more tea-forward and not too sweet. They really take their time to craft the drinks, so the quality is definitely there. Plus, the drinks look pretty amazing.

There are some drinks like the matcha series are a tad more expensive but that’s because of the ingredients they use must be imported to retain the similar standards of Bobii Frutii around the world.

Interior

The space is quiet during the weekday, so that means there are tons of tables and wifi if you’re looking for that sort of thing.

I Don’t Want to Work

This has Oolong Tea, Milk and Butterfly Pea Boba. It’s not too sweet at all and the essence of oolong is nice. Very similar to the extraordinary milk tea but not as sweet.

I Don’t Want to Grow Up

This has Strawberry, Mango, Milk and Yogurt. Similar to the other drinks, they keep them in separate layers without mixing. It’s nice that you can taste both of the layers. Yet again, another good drink for the Summer.

Pandora Treasures

This beautiful drink has lemon, honey, Butterfly Pea Bobii and their Original Bobii. Definitely more icy but the lemon and honey combination work well together. Would be great and refreshing for a hot summers day.

Uji Snow

One of the more expensive options at Bobii Frutii and it’s their Matcha beverages as they use carefully selected Marukyu-Koyamaen matcha from Uji, Kyoto. Each order is hand whisked to ensure quality.

There is matcha, milk and their original pearls in this drink. The matcha is so good and you can taste the quality and its not too sweet. A good ratio of tea and sweetness.

Uji Snow Koicha Thick Tea

We were intrigued by this on the menu as it said ‘thick tea’. It’s very similar to the Uji Snow but with stronger intensity of matcha. If you look closely, it does have a darker colour to it.

Mermaid’s Tears

Sounds like a sad drink but isn’t. It is made with blended ice with mango, lemon, honey, milk and topped with Butterfly Pea Bobii.

Definitely super Instagrammable and delicious. It will give you a brain freeze if you drink it too fast but the flavours are nice.

Grapefruit Oolong Tea

This was a special they had in store and it has fresh grapefruit, and oolong tea in a slush format, then topped with a real slice of grapefruit. Very refreshing and the oolong tea is strong and compliments the grapefruit well.

Childhood Memory

This has brown sugar, bobii, and organic milk. Since the brown sugar milk beverages are making a big splash in Asia and now in Vancouver, almost every bubble tea shop has their own version.

This version by Bobii Frutii isn’t too sweet but has a good ratio of the bobii, milk and brown sugar. Definitely one of my favourites as I feel other places in town are too sweet or have bad pearls.

Yuzu Green Tea

This is very nice. The green tea taste pairs well with the yuzu like those Korean marmalade beverages. We got is as a slush but you can make it how you like. You can add different bobii to it too.

Uji Milk Foam

Look at the intense colour of that uji matcha. They do not skimp out of matcha at all. It is topped with the cheesy salty sweet milk foam on top. It’s not for everyone but if you are a milk foam lover, this might be for you.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Bobii Frutii is one of my favourite bubble tea places in Metro Vancouver, but it’s always a bit far for me personally as it can be a 45 minute drive. When I am in Richmond, I would recommend it to friends. The quality is there and is unique aesthetic quality when you look at the drinks.

Address:
157-4800 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.instagram.com/bobiifrutii.richmond/

Rad on Denman: Individual Hot Pots and Bubble Tea in Vancouver

December 29, 2018

Rad on Denman serves up Taiwanese dishes from individual hot pots, rice and noodle dishes, and bubble tea. You may know them from their first cafe inside Granville Skytrain Station serving up delicious bubble tea. With this Denman location, you can still get their bubble tea, but there is a wider offering of dishes.

I came here with a few friends to check it out to see how it compares to other Taiwanese cafes and hot pot restaurants around town.

Interior

It wasn’t very busy on a weekday night and on all the tables, you can see the hot pot equipment on the tables. Most people come here for that. We also noticed a decent amount of takeout orders too.

Taiwanese Hot Pot

You essentially build your own hot pot by selection your broth, protein, any extra toppings, sides and sauce.

Some of the bone broth flavours are:

Clear chicken broth
Tonkotsu
Sukiyaki
Kimchi
Thai
Satay
Spicy

You can choose your choice of protein:

Alberta Beef
Premium Lamb
Pork
Chicken
Shrimp

All hot pots come with free rice, but I upgraded to glass noodles for $2.50 extra. They give you a very generous portion.

My friends and I got Satay, sukiyaki and Tonkotsu for our bone broths. All of them were good and not too salty. Price was good for what you get.

There’s only a few places around town that do individual hot pots, but in the Denman area, there aren’t other options. They light the pot from underneath so it reminds me of another hot pot restaurant with a similar concept

Roasted Oolong Bubble Milk Tea

You get a free drink with your hot pot but you can add $2.99 to upgrade it to a bubble tea. I went with the Roasted Oolong Bubble Milk Tea and got it less sweet. It’s normally not very sweet to begin with, so getting it less sweet barely has any sweetness at all. Just a personal preference, but I know some people are thrown off by it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was good but the service was very subpar. Even though the restaurant was pretty much empty, getting the staff’s attention was hard and when we asked for more sauce for our hot pots, it was forgotten. It would have been good if they checked up on us to see if we needed anything else.

Address:
774 Denman St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.radeatery.com/

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Bobii Frutii: Instagrammable Bubble Tea in Richmond

December 26, 2018

Bobii Frutii just opened their first Canadian location in Richmond BC and started in Taiwan, with another location in Singapore. They specialize in Instagrammable bubble teas that don’t have any artificial preservatives, stabilizers, or artificial colouring. The drinks are very beautiful, but we decided to stop here to see if it lives up to the hype.

Interior

The store has a few seats inside but its not too busy when we went on a weekday afternoon. The interior has a lot of concrete greys and brown woody colours.

Extraordinary Bubble Milk Tea 不甘平凡

This extraordinary bubble milk tea is made with layers of red tea, milk and brown sugar pearls. A classic choice and you can really taste the subtle brown sugar in the pearls that aren’t too over powering and it works nicely with the tea and milk. Delicious. Make sure it mix it before you drink it to incorporate all the layers.

Don’t Want to Work 不想上班

The name of this drink is so cheeky. It is made with oolong tea, milk and their Butterfly Pea Pearls. It looks similar to the extraordinary milk tea and taste similar but less sweet due to the type of pearls.

Uji Snow 宇治初雪

One of the more expensive options at Bobii Frutii and it’s their Matcha beverages as they use carefully selected Marukyu-Koyamaen matcha from Uji, Kyoto. Each order is hand whisked to ensure quality.

There is matcha, milk and their original pearls in this drink. The matcha is so good and you can taste the quality and its not too sweet. A good ratio of tea and sweetness.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a good quality of bubble tea, looks great, tastes great, but it is higher in price compared to other bubble tea shops in the area. With so many options in Richmond, it’s definitely hard to compete.

Address:
157-4800 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/bobiifrutii.ca/

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YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea: Now Open on Kingsway in Vancouver

December 3, 2018

YiFang Taiwan Fruit Tea is now open on Kingsway near Boundary. They are best known for their fruit teas as well as brown sugar pearl latte, which is only available during certain times during the day.

They only accept cash and debit.

YiFeng Fruit Tea

It is made with Taiwan pineapple sauce, fresh passion fruit, apple, orange and jade tea. I got it with 30% ice and 30% sugar. One of their most popular drinks and it doesn’t disappoint at all. I love the passion fruit seeds as they are crunchy when you bite down on them.

Black Sugar Soft Pearl Latte

Chewy black sugar peals in sun moon lake black tea and fresh local organic milk. You can’t change the sweetness level or ice levels with this drink. The pearls and the brown sugar come warm while the milk and tea are cold on top. Make sure to give it a nice mix when you’re about to drink it.

It was ok, but there was a bit too much brown sugar to milk tea ratio, so it was sweeter than other places.

Black Tea Latte

This has sun moon lake black tea and fresh local organic milk. M order this with 50% sweetness and 70% ice. It was ok compared to the other places around town.

Final Thoughts

It’s a good addition to the neighbourhood even though there are a lot of other bubble tea shops in the area. It just gives people more choices.

Address:
3612 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/YifangCanada

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Jia Plus Fusion Cafe in Pitt Meadows

November 30, 2018

Jia Plus Fusion Cafe is located in Osprey Village Market in Pitt Meadows. I wouldn’t have known a Taiwanese Cafe was located here in this area. I had to give this a try with my friend to see how it is.

Interior

There are a few seats inside but wasn’t too busy on a weekend for lunch. Very simple interior.

Ginger Pork on Rice

The bowl has a bed of rice with thin slices of pork belly, ginger, onions and a delicious sauce that drips down into the rice. It was interesting to see the use of pork belly in this dish instead of other cuts of pork.

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

The steamed bao was soft and warm, filled with BBQ chicken, sauce and arugula. I was surprised by the amount of ingredients inside. Lots of BBQ Chicken and they did not skimp on it.

Spicy Wonton Soup with Noodle

We ordered the spicy wonton soup with noodle to give it a try. It was surprisingly good. The broth had a nice kick of spice and the wontons were yummy.

Black Milk Tea with Pearls

I couldn’t come here without ordering a bubble tea. I got the black milk tea half sweet with pearls. It was good but I wish the tea was slightly stronger.

Red Bean Wheel Cake

What is so interesting to find here are wheel cakes. This one is filled with red bean. The exterior is very crisp and the centre is soft.

Custard Wheel Cake

This wheel cake is filled with custard. It was really good and my favourite of the two flavours.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it is a good addition to Pitt Meadows as you don’t see too many Asian fusion cafes in the area. The food is good and very comforting if you want a big bowl of hot soupy noodles for the colder months of the year.

Address:
10931 Barnston View Rd #102, Pitt Meadows, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JiaPlus/

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Exposure Social House 曝光奶茶: Bubble Tea in Richmond

November 12, 2018

Exposure Social House is one of the newer bubble tea shops that opened in Richmond. They are also an event space and hiphop culture event centre. When I was in Richmond, my friend told me about this place, so we headed out to give it a try. They pride themselves of using real ingredients like Avalon Milk.

The parking is a bit tough during the day as there are a lot of other popular restaurants and a grocery store in this plaza. You may need some patience when navigating this area.

Interior

The interior is small as they only have seating capacity of 10. Most people come grab their bubble tea to go.

Mostly standing room, 3 tables, a washroom and a retail area at the back of the shop.

There’s also a lot of little figurines to look at all. This place sure has character.

Devil’s Fresh Milk

Devil’s Fresh Milk is essentially brown sugar milk tea using Avalon milk. It’s the most trendiest bubble tea drink lately and has taken Asia by storm too. You can get this at set times during the day and may sell out.

Japanese Roasted Milk Tea

Japanese Roasted Milk Tea with pearls was my friend’s choice. The tea is fragrant and tastes pretty good. A classic item to order.

Supreme Milk Tea

I went for the Supreme Milk Tea which comes with a base of pudding an pearls. You can choose your tea, which can be JX Light Oolong, Earl Grey, Assam, Spring Green Tea, Jasmine or Gyukuro. I went with Assam tea for mine. I also got it 50% sweet and less ice. It was pretty good and I enjoyed the combination of pudding and pearl toppings.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s good to have more diversity of bubble teas in Vancouver. Any opportunity to customize is great too. On the menu, there is a little bit of everything. They can also make your bubble tea with almond milk, soy milk, ice cream or yogurt.

Address:
131-4600 No. 3 Road
Richmond, BC V6X 3V7

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Gong Cha: Bubble Tea in Joyce-Collingwood Neighbourhood

August 5, 2018

Gong Cha opened the newest location in the Joyce area on Tyne Street across from Safeway. The other locations are in Downtown Vancouver by the Vancouver Public Library and in Richmond. It’s good that it’s finally a little bit closer to Burnaby.

During their grand opening weekend, we went to get $2 bubble tea with milk foam as that was their promotion. Since we live close by, we knew we should come here early before they open at 12pm.

Interior

The interior is a decent size with a few tables to sit and enjoy the drinks. Most people did take out as it was really busy on opening day with line ups out the door. If you come here at non-peak times, you should be able to get a spot.

Green Tea with Milk Foam

I went with the green tea with milk foam for my drink with 50% sweetness and 30% ice. I want to be able to taste the tea without it being masked by the sweetness of too much sugar. The milk foam is a bit salty which is a nice balance surprisingly.

It was good and I enjoyed it.

Black Tea with Milk Foam

The black tea with milk foam was the most popular of the series from what I saw other people ordering. The above has pearls and is 30% sweet.

This one is regular sweetness and ice levels for the black tea with milk foam. When it comes to the combination of sugar and ice levels, its all based off personal preference.

Final Thoughts

It’s good to have more bubble tea options in the area especially Gong Cha, which is well known for their drinks all around the world. We only had the milk foam series, but they have more to offer that just that. There is classic milk tea to fruity drinks.

Address:
5712 Tyne St, Vancouver BC

Website:
http://gongchacanada.com/

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MYST Asian Fusion: New Dishes and Old Favourites

April 22, 2018

MYST Asian Fusion in Burnaby is a Taiwanese restaurant and they have recently revamped their menu to add even more dishes. We came to try a few of these new dishes. Since they have opened, this restaurant has been very busy at peak hours attracting people in the Lower Mainland.

Golden Sand Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk

This dish was delicious. The salty yolk is coated on the exterior, so its pretty yummy sucking on it.

Marinated Combo

Pork intestines, beef tripe, and beef tendon were the items my friend chose for this trio. I didn’t particularly like it since I’m not always a fan of organs.

Chinese Style Tea Smoked Duck

I love tea smoked duck and I still enjoyed it even if it was slightly over cooked. The smoked aroma just gets me every time.

MYST Deluxe Fried Rice

This fried rice is topped with pork floss, egg and a skewer of prawns. Delicious and easily shareable among the table or have it all to yourself.

Preserved cabbage, bamboo, green soy beans and sliced fish

I really enjoyed this dish since it has delicate dish, chew of the bean, and crunch of the bamboo. Healthy too. One of the favourite dishes of the night.

Sichuan dan dan noodle with spicy peanut sauce

This dish was so good. It had a little kick to the dish which was good as it pulled the dish together. I would order this again.

Assorted seafood spicy hot pot

This was really spicy. Because of the heat, it really numbs your mouth after a few bites. The fragrant aroma was there but it was a touch too spicy for me.. and everyone else at the table.

Steamed sliced fish with diced hot red peppers

It’s not as hot as it seems. The fish was very moist and delicious.

Myst assorted deep fried basket

If you like a diverse amount of fried item in one basket, this has squid tentacles, green beans, salt peppery chicken and black rice cake on top of shrimp crackers. Great item to share with a large group.

Myst deluxe feast platter

This is a bit different than the fried basket and it has fries, prawn chips, tiger prawn skewers, pineapple and sausage wrapped in bacon, and deep fried prawns.

Three Spice Chicken

I enjoyed this for the excessive amount of fried ginger and chicken. It would taste really good with a bowl of rice.

House special fried sliced noodle with beef

This is a very classic dish of any Chinese restaurant and it was good. The beef was tender and the noodles had a good bite to it.

Mango Shaved Ice

This mystical dessert was an exciting end to the meal. When the water hits the fdry ice, it’s quite a show. You’ll want to take pictures or even a video. When we went, it wasn’t mango season, so the mango wasn’t fresh. Now that it is in season, it will be super fresh.

Condensed milk thick toast

This was the last item to arrive at the table and it’s not as exciting as the shaved ice.

Final Thoughts

Myst continually adds new items to their menu and its good to see the variety especially if you come with a group with differing tastes. There’s always something for everyone here. Sometimes Myst can get very busy and parking can be a bit tough, but there is parking on the main road.

Address:
6400 Kingsway, Burnaby

Website:
http://www.myst6400.com/

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Sharetea: Bubble Tea and TorDa in Vancovuer

March 6, 2018

Sharetea opened their latest location on Cambie Street close to Broadway-City Hall Skytrain on the Canada Line. They started in 1992 in Taipei serving black tea and pearl milk tea. Since then Sharetea has opened over 450 stores in 18 countries. We came here to try a few of their signature drinks as well as their TorDa treats.

Interior

There are a few tables inside to sit with group if you are lucky enough to snag a table. They do offer free wifi too.Most people grab their drinks to go.

There is free parking in the underground.

Black Pearl TorDa

Inside is filled with Sharetea’s black tea custard and the chewy pearls. It has an interesting texture as it’s mostly the squishy pearls. The black tea is subtle.

Tuna Cheese TorDa with Honey Mustard

This is their savoury creation stuffed with tuna, cheese and honey mustard. It’s like a savoury sandwich waffle.

Red Bean Torda

In this one, there is custard and red bean, which is a great combination if you enjoy red bean.

Mango Green Milk Tea with Pearls

We is made with 50% sugar and less ice, which they recommend.

Oolong Milk Tea with Herb Jelly

We got this with 50% sugar and less ice which is recommended. One of my favourites.

Hawaii Fruit Tea

It is made with 50% sugar and less ice.It’s a good item if you love fruity teas. Great for a nice hot summer.

Hokkaido Pearl Milk Tea

We got this with 80% sugar with less ice. I like the depth of the Hokkaido milk tea and the pearl gives the drink a chewy texture as you drink.

Okinawa Pearl Milk Tea

Similar to the other ones, it has80% less sugar and less ice. This black tea is slightly different, but enjoy able as well. I am a huge black tea fan, so any milk tea is good.

Coffee Creama

It is recommended 50% sugar and less ice. I’m not a fan of coffee types of bubble tea, but if you do love coffee, this could be an option.

Taro QQ

For taro fan, you’ll enjoy this yummy taro drink. Decent flavour and taste.

Final Thoughts

Overall, lots of varieties of bubble tea to choose from and I love how you can customize ice and sugar levels to cater to your tastes. With the addition of the TorDa on the menu, it’s a delicious snack to pair with bubble tea.

We Rate Sharetea:

Address:
2828 Cambie St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.1992sharetea.com/

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Sweet Memory Desserts: Taiwanese Desserts in Richmond

February 16, 2018

Sweet Memory Desserts is located in Richmond on Leslie Road. It was opened by the people behind Memory Corner, which is also in Richmond. We were eating dinner close by and decided to grab some dessert.

Interior

The interior transports you back in time and it’s very cute with all the lanterns and ornate decoration all over the walls.

The space is pretty cramped when it’s busy, so there isn’t much space if you are carrying a big jacket and bag.

The brick walls, wooden furniture and the decor give the space so much character.

Sweetened Tea

As we got seated, they have a pot of sweetened tea for the table.

Passion fruit Shaved Ice

The passionfruit syrup and seeds drench the milk shaved ice underneath.

Soy Tofu Pudding with Three Coloured Taro and Yam Balls

This was pretty good and comes in large portions. I wasn’t expecting it to be this size. The taro and yam balls were hiding under all the tofu. Very good quality and I enjoyed it.

Tofu Pudding with Pearls

The cold tofu is in ginger syrup and has the pearls hiding underneath until you mix it up a little bit.

Grass Jelly

This is a popular dessert and grass jelly is made from the leaves and stalks of the mesona chineensis plant. It has a mild slightly bitter taste.

Bubble Tea

They have a few different milk teas on the menu.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the desserts were really good, interior was beautiful, but the table space is pretty small.

We Rate Sweet Memory Desserts:

Address:
130-8080 Leslie Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.memorycorner8.com/

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Mr Moustache: Now Open in Burnaby

January 29, 2018

Mr Moustache has opened their next location right outside Metropolis at Metrotown taking over Cafe Joie. They have quietly opened up here for a soft opening but it was still busy on a Tuesday evening. They are popular for their bubble tea. They also have cakes and some games here too. The space is a decent size for small to medium sized groups.

Bubble Tea

Their bubble teas are pretty large and they come in a pitcher mug. Everyone comes here gets one.

Oolong Milk Tea with Pearls

I got this half sweet, but since it’s normally not too sweet, full sweetness is perfect for my tastes.I should have gotten this with fresh milk instead of powder if I’d known as I don’t like how frothy it gets on top. Either way, it was still good. They do have a section of the menu for fresh milk.

Mango Slushie

The mango slushie has mango bit on top, which is a nice touch. My friend added coconut jelly to this.

Green Tea Macchiato

This looks like a beer but it has the green tea on the bottom and cheesy foam on top.

Sweet Treats

They have a few sweet treats to go with bubble tea.

I got the Praline Chocolate Mousse. This was familiar and turn out it’s from Faubourg, a French bakery and cafe in Vancouver. A nice treat to share with a friend.

Canelé is a small French pastry flavored with rum and vanilla with a soft and tender custard centre and a dark, thick caramelized crust.

Final Thought

The bubble tea drinks here are good and I would come back to hang out with friends. The pastries were ok, but it’s good that there are those options if you want to much on something while having bubble tea.

We Rate Mr Moustache:

Address:
110-6125 Sussex Ave, Burnaby

In Bubble Tea

Chatime Alexandra Road is Now Open

December 30, 2017

Chatime on Alexandra Road is the second location in Richmond right in the middle of “Food Street”across from the Four Points Sheraton. A great addition to the rows of eateries on this block. They open today for their soft opening from December 30 – January 4th from 3-11pm, but it is cash only. They officially have their grand opening on January 5th with regular hours and will take cards. Also expect the buy one get one promo that happens on their grand opening day too.

There is a parking lot in the plaza, so you don’t need to fight over a spot like other restaurants in the area.

Interior

The space has an industrial feel different than the other locations, but it is huge. They have a maximum occupancy of 155 people.

There are lots of small and large tables to sit at. There are also outlets, so if you decide to pull out your laptop to do some work or to charge your phone, you can do so.

Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

My favourite Chatime beverage is their roasted milk tea with grass jelly. I get it half sweet and less ice which is to my liking.

Final Thoughts

I love the space of this location as you have lots of seats to stay and chitchat with friends while having bubble tea. A good addition to the block and I’m sure it will be quite popular.

Address:
160-8351 Alexandra Road, Richmond

Website:
http://www.chatimebc.com/

In Bubble Tea

Bar Pa Tea: Healthy Bubble Tea and Soft Serve in New York

December 6, 2017

When in New York, I had to check out Bar Pa Tea for their bubble tea and soft serve ice cream in Lower Manhattan. They are creating a healthier alternative to bubble tea without compromising the distinct taste and experience of traditional bubble tea. On the menu, you’ll find tapioca pearls that are free of additives and drinks sweetened with pure cane sugar instead of corn syrup. We came on the weekend around 2pm and it wasn’t too busy.

Interior

The space is small, so there aren’t many seats. Just a few stools and smaller tables. Most people grab it to go.

Oolong Tea Latte Soft Serve with Mixed Bubbles

This soft serve was delicious, but on the sweeter side. We added a mix of their regular bubbles and mini bubbles to give them both a try. It was really delicious and you can instantly taste the difference and it looks different than normal bubbles.

Black Tea Latte

I love the colour of this drink where it’s 2 colours until you mix it all together. It not very sweet, which I really like. You can also get this with soy milk or almond milk if you’re lactose intolerant. After having the soft serve, this didn’t taste like much because of how less sweet it was in comparison.

Final Thoughts

It’s pretty unique since there aren’t too many shops focusing on healthy bubble tea and also create delicious tea-based soft serves. I would definitely come back for some more, but I would avoid peak times to avoid any line ups.

We Rate Bar Pa Tea:

Address:
85 Kenmare St, New York

Website:
https://www.barpatea.com

In Bubble Tea

T-Go Tea: Bubble Tea in Richmond

October 19, 2017

T-Go Tea in Richmond is a new bubble tea shop focusing on freshly brewed tea from loose tea leaves rather than powders like some other bubble tea shops in town. I was invited to check out a few of their drinks and see how they are. It’s pretty exciting to see more and more shops focusing on giving customers a healthier alternative to bubble tea.

Interior

The counter to order drinks is at the front but there is a room in the back where there are some seats and washrooms. Most people order drinks and have it to go.

All their teas are visible, so you can see they have nothing to hide.

Roasted Milk Tea with Pearls

One of my favourite drinks to get at any bubble tea shop is their signature milk teas to see how they fare against each other. If you can’t get a delicious basic bubble tea, what are you doing. Good thing T-Go has a delicious roasted milk tea that isn’t too sweet, which is great.

Osmanthus Green Tea

I had to try their tea with no sugar and no milk to taste how their tea is like without the sweetness. They use an espresso machine to brew the tea. Then they add ice to cool it down. It’s pretty decent brewed iced tea.

Bubble Waffles

They make their bubble waffles in-house, but during our visit, they seemed to have an issue with creating the bubble waffles. I twas pretty doughy and not crisp, so it doesn’t snap off easily.

I’m sure they need some time to perfect the execution of these treats.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the tea here is good, but I only tried 2 drinks out of their entire line up of beverages. If you are in the Richmond area and are looking for good bubble tea made out of loose leaf tea, give T-Go Tea a visit.

We Rate T-Go Tea:

Address:
4720 Mcclelland Road #1810, Richmond

Website:
http://www.tgotea.com/