The Land of Milk Tea (and Honey?)

Quickly Treats

Here in Manila, pearl shakes have come back with a vengeance. A few years ago, the market leaders here were brands like Quickly, Easy Way, Zagu, and Ersao that sold ice cold shakes with chewy pearls and an assortment of other drink 'accessories' (like puddings, nata de coco strips, jams, etc.). Prices ranged from an estimate of P45 (plain shake) -P70 (with all the bells and whistles).

Ersao Shakes

I'm not sure how trendy these brands still are. But these days, pearls are still one of the famous go-tos for refreshments. However, they seem to have reincarnated in the form of teas and milk teas instead. Pretty much every mall you go to, there will probably be a kiosk or full-blown store selling a plethora of flavors and drink add-ons to choose from. So here are my comments on the milk tea craze that has blown us away:

1. These brands often have flavor staples.

I've had Oolong or Jasmine or Original (Nai Cha) milk tea with pearls at Serenitea, Cobo Bubble Tea & Snow Ice, and Simple Line/Simple Life. What I can say is that, overall, the Oolong in store A tastes similar to the Oolong in store B and store C. The same can be said for the Jasmine and Default/Original flavors. In terms of making each brand's version distinct, I would have to say that it relies on the 'milkiness' (the use of milk to dilute), the essence (the strength of the tea they used), and the pearls (chewiness and size).

2. Perhaps there is a flavor for every occasion.

After a heavy meal, I find that taking Oolong milk tea has the equivalent of taking coffee when it comes to cleansing the palate. There is a certain strength in the taste of Oolong itself (even if you drink the tea without the milk in a Chinese restaurant): a roasted flavor that seems to have the ability to cut away any greasy taste you may still have in your mouth.

But when I am looking for a dessert flavor, I go for Jasmine milk tea. When you taste it, it has a pleasant floral aroma to the tongue. It's milder than Oolong, less floral than Rose (which can sometimes feel like I'm drowning in a pool of roses), and is harmonious with the flavor of milk.

Bubble Tea "tokyo milk tea place"

3. Still, there are some differences worth knowing.

Notably, Cobo Bubble Tea has many variations of the Oolong milk tea. They have a roasted version (which isn't so sweet and tastes similar to roasted seaweed), another version that I haven't had the opportunity to try, and the original version (which I really like!). The drinks come with pearls, but you can choose from add-ons like the popping bobba and yummy brown sugar han tien jelly

Bubble Tea "tokyo milk tea place" has big pearls and small pearls which is fun and exciting for those who love to their sago. They also have authentic Asian flavors like azuki red bean and black sesame. You even have the option of ordering the drinks as milk shakes, but do order a smaller size as the shakes are so heavy on the stomach.

Zen Tea has one of the most affordable milk teas of the lot (around P50-P70), but there tends to be some milk tea powder sediments at the bottom of the drink.

At Simple Line/Simple Life, you can get some Oolong with pearls for about P55 (small) to P60 or P65 (big). No powder sediments. That's a sweet deal.

The other brands tend to verge on presyong Starbucks (price range of Starbucks) with drinks starting at P80 and reaching P130 (depending on flavor and number of add-ons).

Serenitea offerings

The quality of the milk tea in these establishments are, across the board, good. The only ways you can ruin this drink are if you burn the pearls (I've experienced this at Quickly in Megamall) and if the concoction comes out too sweet (which is solved by the availability of 'less sugar' options).

Do try out this new trend and, preferably, find each brand's unique specialty for an enhanced milk tea experience.

Kota Kinabalu Part I

On a recent trip to Malaysia, I unexpectedly re-discovered how eclectic my taste buds are, and it reminded me of why I love going to Singapore and Malaysia and knocking myself out with the amazing food there.

My love for Singaporean/Malaysian (SG/M) food is a product of several trips to both countries in the last couple of years that were filled with fond memories. I had then just become a foodie and I was blindingly conscious of each meal I had. Very quickly, the food of SG/M became a fast favourite. It also has something to do with the dynamics of the cuisine. I adore the melting pot concept. To this day, I still feel that SG/M cuisine embodies “sugar, spice, and everything nice”. –even going as far as to apply it literally to some dishes that dance on the palate with salty-sweet goodness.

With regards to a recent trip to Malaysia, I visited sunny Kota Kinabalu (KK) in Sabah, known as a coastal area that specializes in seafood and beach activities. This was my second trip to KK, and I enjoyed myself as much on this trip as the one before it (if not more).

My adventure started on our 1st day in KK with a walk inside Centre Point Sabah’s (image on the right) food court while on the prowl for lunch. We saw that a lot of people crowded the turo-turo (karinderya, cafeteria-style) eateries where you can get the very basic nasi lemak for RM 1.80 (Php 26.00). But more than that, they had seafood, different types of curry, roti breads, vegetables, noodles, and the like. Coconut milk being a common find in a lot of the dishes there. Prices range from RM 1-5, but you can already get a good meal at RM 1-3. The prices are very affordable, and the food is as authentic as they come.

However, we were somewhat perplexed with the way the other customers got their food, which were in chafing dishes (buffet-style). We saw that each diner would grab a tray and scoop the viands into their plates themselves, so the quantities of each dish varied. Then, a person manning the buffet at the end of the line would calculate the bill. Though there was a white board of prices, the descriptions were all in Bahasa. And so we basically chickened out and went to a KFC, promising to come back later.

What a shame! I had my eye on the Roti Prata-esque thing that seemed to be what many of the patrons were eating at this small, busy restaurant nearby. And so excited was I to let them taste the Roti Prata, I decided to leave the KFC and brave the somewhat confusing cafeteria set-up. I figure it can’t be too expensive, if it’s basically bread and dip.

So I stopped by a crowded Islam eatery where I saw so many people with Roti on their plates. I spoke to the man in charge and asked the name of the dish by indicating leftovers from a deserted table. He replied something that sounded a lot like jumble to me, so I just nodded my head and asked how much. It was worth RM1.80 (give or take a couple of centavos) for the roti with fried egg in the dough. I asked if he I could get it for takeout. He nodded impatiently and gestured for me to sit and wait.

About 5 minutes later, the man returns with a plate of the roti (with egg), dining utensils, and 2 kinds of dip for the bread. I reminded him that I wanted it for take-out. He shook his head. I repeated myself, saying, “I want this for takeout… Take-away.” Again, he shook his head.

So here I was with a plate of roti, while I had a cheesy zinger waiting for me inside KFC. And I didn’t know how else to communicate with the stern-looking proprietor, so I decided to wolf down the whole thing. I’d just take them back to eat here some other time.

The roti was warm and went deliciously with the dips (the first one was a spicy, orange curry; the second was a yellow chickpea or lentil dip that was a bit cool to the mouth). The addition of the egg reminded me of pancakes. It gave a certain thickness and chewiness to the bread, not to mention the lessening of the heat from the curry.

And so I went back to KFC, armed with RM 0.20 worth of change and an interesting story to tell.

To be continued…