I'm not quite a beverage person though I do subscribe to the "hold a drink and walk" look - come on, that's how the beverage industry thrives! The number of times Britney Spears or even Cheryl Cole gets snapped by the paparazzi with a Starbucks Frappe in hand far exceeds the occasions they get snapped with the LV Bag of the season. Anyhow with the opening of Happy Lemon, Artease, Woobblebee and Gong Cha in the vicinity, we really only need KOI to complete the landscape.
First up, Happy Lemon...!
Place your order, wait for your drink with the happy lemon tag, order is ready..collect and go. As orderly as it sounds, it is that way.
Unlike the other players, Happy Lemon innovates from their core of lemon drinks with grain, macha and rock salt additions.
Lemon Yogurt with Aloe ($3)
The first couple of sips were really good - zesty without being too acidic. I like the pleasant aftertaste the drink left me with, could be the use of yakult (though I'm not sure!)..aloe was diced (as much as I would have loved for every sip to be full of aloe bits). Ice melted way too fast resulting in a watered down drink.
Lemon Yakult and pudding next before I seal this place!
www.happy-lemon.com
Happy Lemon
Tanjong Pagar Exchange
Share Tea at Parkway! I've only spotted another outlet at Wisma.
Celebrity sparkle.
Wall of confusion.
I'm not a fan of Eric Tseng, at all. Not sure why I chose this over KOI just across the street from Parkway when I had a milktea craving.
It would have been the Taro Milk had it not been for the screaming "signature" stamp on the top of the board for Taiwan Green Tea Milk Tea with Pearls ($2.40) at 50% sugar. The milk was too thin without the desired creamy finish, tea was alright and pearls were a tad small. Not the bestest drink...a sign of the bursting bubble with substandard drinks?
Back at Sharetea for seconds after I started the whole taro milk madness with Gong Cha.
Handmade Taro Fresh Milk ($5.40)
Possibly the most expensive taro-flavoured beverage across all attempted. The only explanation - grated yam that made all the difference. Milk lacked the creamy finish, otherwise it was just milk blended with grated yam. Somehow, this natural drink is not as addictive as Gong Cha's Taro Milk (powder)!
Service is impossibly polite and "taiwanese" with the entire package - hello-welcome-goodbye-seeyouagain chorused.
http://www.sharetea.com.tw/
Share Tea
Parkway Parade
Riding on the crave for taro milk, I spotted it on the billboard favourites of Gong Cha. I was expecting blended yam with milk but it was otherwise - flavoured powder. Yet, they managed to pull off a lovely yam flavoured milk without the coarse texture of yam bits. Paired with slurpworthy egg custard jelly...I think that will be my staple! Still the same grouse, the first half of the cup was delish but the ice soon made this too diluted for comfort.
Lemon Juice with Aiyu Jelly and White Pearls ($3.40)
Refreshing and appetite inducing drink, loved the combination of aiyu jelly and white pearls - dense chewy agar balls.
Lemon Kumquat Juice with Ai-yu Jelly ($2.90)
I reached a delayed realisation that ai-yu jelly is bland. Lemon kumquat juice is reminiscent of korean citron tea. Despite being a popular hit, I thought lemon juice was a better combination with the white pearls.
Gong Cha Alisan Tea ($2.50)
Less milky and fragrant than KOI and Artease, I thought this was rather ordinary though fans of this insist its number one rank. Chewy pearls would have made some difference but on its own...I thought it was mediocre.
Honey Green Tea ($2.50)
The canned ones do it better.
Plum Green Tea with Brown Crytal Jelly ($3.10)
On the acidic side complete with a face wincing-muscle twitching expression. Not a fan of the bitter aftertaste though brown crystal jelly was like konnyaku jelly, addictive!
Gong Cha
International Plaza
Hazelnut Milk Tea
The colleagues swear by this to cure any Monday blues, as much as I dig their fragrant milk teas...this was not over the top delicious. Too much anticipation does kill and it was the case.
The USP of this particular milk tea outlet is the cafe concept infused in as well. Bento sets of sushi and rice dishes look pretty enticing...until the menu is more comprehensive will I attempt!
Artease
Cineleisure
I think what makes this new generation bubble tea works is the level of sugar you can control and the non-bubble condiments you can throw in - red beans, coconut jelly, custard jelly, aiyu..the list is endless and slurping these things up a straw? I think it's called drink therapy.
First up, Happy Lemon...!
Place your order, wait for your drink with the happy lemon tag, order is ready..collect and go. As orderly as it sounds, it is that way.
Unlike the other players, Happy Lemon innovates from their core of lemon drinks with grain, macha and rock salt additions.
Lemon Yogurt with Aloe ($3)
The first couple of sips were really good - zesty without being too acidic. I like the pleasant aftertaste the drink left me with, could be the use of yakult (though I'm not sure!)..aloe was diced (as much as I would have loved for every sip to be full of aloe bits). Ice melted way too fast resulting in a watered down drink.
Lemon Yakult and pudding next before I seal this place!
www.happy-lemon.com
Happy Lemon
Tanjong Pagar Exchange
Share Tea at Parkway! I've only spotted another outlet at Wisma.
Celebrity sparkle.
Wall of confusion.
I'm not a fan of Eric Tseng, at all. Not sure why I chose this over KOI just across the street from Parkway when I had a milktea craving.
It would have been the Taro Milk had it not been for the screaming "signature" stamp on the top of the board for Taiwan Green Tea Milk Tea with Pearls ($2.40) at 50% sugar. The milk was too thin without the desired creamy finish, tea was alright and pearls were a tad small. Not the bestest drink...a sign of the bursting bubble with substandard drinks?
Back at Sharetea for seconds after I started the whole taro milk madness with Gong Cha.
Handmade Taro Fresh Milk ($5.40)
Possibly the most expensive taro-flavoured beverage across all attempted. The only explanation - grated yam that made all the difference. Milk lacked the creamy finish, otherwise it was just milk blended with grated yam. Somehow, this natural drink is not as addictive as Gong Cha's Taro Milk (powder)!
Service is impossibly polite and "taiwanese" with the entire package - hello-welcome-goodbye-seeyouagain chorused.
http://www.sharetea.com.tw/
Share Tea
Parkway Parade
Riding on the crave for taro milk, I spotted it on the billboard favourites of Gong Cha. I was expecting blended yam with milk but it was otherwise - flavoured powder. Yet, they managed to pull off a lovely yam flavoured milk without the coarse texture of yam bits. Paired with slurpworthy egg custard jelly...I think that will be my staple! Still the same grouse, the first half of the cup was delish but the ice soon made this too diluted for comfort.
Lemon Juice with Aiyu Jelly and White Pearls ($3.40)
Refreshing and appetite inducing drink, loved the combination of aiyu jelly and white pearls - dense chewy agar balls.
Lemon Kumquat Juice with Ai-yu Jelly ($2.90)
I reached a delayed realisation that ai-yu jelly is bland. Lemon kumquat juice is reminiscent of korean citron tea. Despite being a popular hit, I thought lemon juice was a better combination with the white pearls.
Gong Cha Alisan Tea ($2.50)
Less milky and fragrant than KOI and Artease, I thought this was rather ordinary though fans of this insist its number one rank. Chewy pearls would have made some difference but on its own...I thought it was mediocre.
Honey Green Tea ($2.50)
The canned ones do it better.
Plum Green Tea with Brown Crytal Jelly ($3.10)
On the acidic side complete with a face wincing-muscle twitching expression. Not a fan of the bitter aftertaste though brown crystal jelly was like konnyaku jelly, addictive!
Gong Cha
International Plaza
Hazelnut Milk Tea
The colleagues swear by this to cure any Monday blues, as much as I dig their fragrant milk teas...this was not over the top delicious. Too much anticipation does kill and it was the case.
The USP of this particular milk tea outlet is the cafe concept infused in as well. Bento sets of sushi and rice dishes look pretty enticing...until the menu is more comprehensive will I attempt!
Artease
Cineleisure
I think what makes this new generation bubble tea works is the level of sugar you can control and the non-bubble condiments you can throw in - red beans, coconut jelly, custard jelly, aiyu..the list is endless and slurping these things up a straw? I think it's called drink therapy.
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