PUBLISHED ONMay 14, 2019 3:10 AMByJoey Lee
Remember the good old days of stopping by Sweet Talk for your $1.50 bubble tea (BBT) fix?
It's 2019, and boy has boba evolved.
This week, two much raved-about Taiwanese BBT stores will be making a grand entrance along Orchard Road and we went down to check out which store you should jio your friends to and what to try out.
THE ALLEY LUXE - FOR BBT ADDICTS WHO ALSO WANT MORE
The Alley Luxe is not just a BBT joint -- it's a cafe that happens to have extremely Instagrammable drinks.
Featuring an in-house bakery serving freshly-baked flaky European pastries, the cafe also has non-BBT drinks such as the ice-blended teas, some of which are topped with a cream cheese foam.
For that reason alone, you should jio friends who wouldn't mind accompanying you for your BBT fix, but would appreciate something other than milk tea and tapioca pearls.
Photo: AsiaOne/ Joey Lee
For those wondering what's in their colourful Northern Lights drink from the Aurora Series ($8.80), a little bird told us it was apple cider, grape concentrate and butterfly pea tea!
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Personally, it was way too sweet for me and may be better for those who have a sweet tooth.
My favourite was the Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea ($5.80), which was topped with a cheese foam that provided a nice salty contrast to the lightly sweet tea.
As the tea had a subtle flavour, it paired well with the savoury pastries. My pick of the yummy bakes? Don't pass up on the Almond Croissant ($5).
The Alley Luxe will officially open this Saturday (May 18).
Location: Cineleisure Orchard, #02-06A/B
Opening hours: 12pm to 10pm
CHICHA SANCHEN - FOR TRUE BLUE TEA-LOVERS
CHICHA San Chen was founded over two decades ago in 1998.
With over 20 years of experience dealing with tea, the folks at CHICHA San Chen are legit tea connoisseurs, and anyone in the vicinity of the store will be able to smell that they mean business.
I'm serious -- an entire column in their store is covered with dried tea leaves, giving off a light, refreshing fragrance that instantly relaxes.
With a drink that has been awarded a certification equivalent to a Michelin three-star rating, this high SES (socio-economic status) BBT store even has a tea appreciation counter that the public is free to partake in.
Even the ordering process is a step up from the usual -- the cashier first lets you sample their milk tea before patiently explaining and giving you a whiff of the different dried tea leaves available for brew.
At CHICHA San Chen, their pearls are supposedly 1.5 times bigger but in all honesty, I couldn't taste the difference based on mouth-feel.
If you're basic like me, you'll probably enjoy the OG Bubble Milk Tea which was the most premium-tasting BBT I've ever tried. The Dong Ding Oolong Fresh Milk however, is an acquired taste in my opinion, and only grew on me after a few sips.
If you're a tea-aficionado, CHICHA San Chen also sells merchandise, but glancing at the steep price tag, we are not expecting these to fly off the shelves. But, we could be wrong.
Location: 313@Somerset, #03-41
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm
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joeylee@asiaone.com