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bubbletea bliss {special posting challenge}



FOODBUZZ DAILY SPECIAL POSTING CHALLENGE

i found today’s CHEFS’ product pretty adorable. the egg poach pod is able to mould gelatin or freezing products such as agar or yogurt respectively. the best thing about this product is it can be used in the microwave, freezer and dishwasher so a flexible product like that is definitely for you !

today’s egg poach pod inspired me to write about the ” egg on rice ” dishes i love in estea beverage club.

DISCLAIMER: THIS ENTRY IS DEDICATED TO MY BFF VIVIAN LOW WHO IS A BUBBLE TEA FREAK !! MISS YOU BABE !!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE !!

ESTEA BEVERAGE CLUB 生活小品
6401 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
(604) 438-0186

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MAIN COURSES

whenever i head to estea, the usual thing i order is “ spicy tofu & minced pork with egg on rice “. the food isn’t as spicy as those served in asia. the side dish is mediocre but the egg on rice is what attracts me the MOST. the egg is very soft and melts in your mouth. i guess this is how estea STANDS OUT from the other taiwanese restaurants.

rating: 4/5★ (1 mark deduction due to the mediocre side dish)

spicy seafood with egg on rice

i do not have a rating for this because it is edwin’s dish but just a warning that this dish is EXTREMELY spicy ! edwin was literally sweating his lungs out consuming this.

APPERTIZERS

jenny, joanna & i were having these appertizers during the winter olympics. it was very quiet as we were the only customers around. the waitress had an attitude to spare. in my personal opinion, the fried nuggets and fish cakes were really dry and seems unfresh. the takopachi with wasabi in it were the best of all appetizers we tried. i would rate the appertizers in the following order:

takopachi with wasabi (3/5★) > fish cake (2.5/5★) > fried nuggets (1.5/5★)

DESSERTS

i didn’t get to try ping’s taro with tofu pudding but i did have a mouthful of audrey’s tofu with pearls. it is a nice warm dessert to have on cold winter days. the tofu is smooth but what makes the dessert sweet is the pearls. you know how some desserts are too candy-coated that you don’t even want to finish it ? this isn’t the case for the tofu puddings with pearls and i like it that way ^^

i can’t give any ratings as i only had one try of it.

BUBBLETEA

MY FAVE BUBBLE TEA OF ALL TIMES ^^ i only head to estea or cabin 5555 for matcha bubbleteas. i first tried this when i was having lunch with angel & the singing crew. even though it is a tad too sweet for my own good, i’ll have it despite the freezing cold temperatures.

rating: 5/5★

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 8.5/10 (nice wallpapers and seating arrangements)
service: 6/10 (waitresses are either too busy to serve you or needs a huge ass scolding from their boss)
food (taste & appearance): 6.4/10 (mixed feelings between their main courses, appertizers & bubbletea)
value: 6.5/10 (typical prices like other taiwanese restaurants)
total: 6.85/10★

in conclusion, the unique features of this restaurant are their matcha slush & egg on rice dishes !

Estea Beverage Club on Urbanspoon

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ali shan restaurant
4500 Kingsway,
#1011Burnaby, BC.
(604) 436-9026

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the boyfriend brought me here back in february because i wanted to try some place new. it is a small restaurant in crystal mall. there are only minimum seating so it was pretty crowded during lunch. the proximity between two tables are also very close so your conversation can be heard by others. in any case, i do not like the squeezy environment but i do love the deserts there.

sweet potato noodle soup – CAN$6.20

i was sick so baby ordered this ” tonic soup ” alike for me and it tasted NASTY ! the soup tasted a little bitter and the noodles tasted so bland. i was very pissed off with baby’s order but oh well, i understand that he meant well. the chicken was fine though. tasted exactly like steam chicken with a tinge of bitter taste from the soup.

rating: 2.5/5★

crispy deep fried banana with icing sugar - CAN$3.50 ?

i think this is the limited edition dessert ali shan had during that period of time. despite having a sore throat, i gobbled many down that my boyfriend accused me of being such a pig. it tasted like pisang goreng but it had additional icing and cinnamon powder to it. i would say it is my kind of delicacies

ratings: 4.5/5★

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 5/10 (squeezy environemnt and not a quiet dining experience)
service: 6/10 (busy waitresses. hard to grad their attention to order more food)
food (taste & appearance): 7/10 (hate the potato noodle soup, love the crispy deep fried banana !)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 6.13/10★

in conclusion, i only recommend ali shan restaurant when you are around metro area.

Ali Shan Taiwanese (Crystal Mall) on Urbanspoon

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bubbletopia tea house
7974 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6P
(604) 677-8205

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my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 5/10 (just like ali shan)
service: 6/10 (self-paced & fast-paced)
food (taste & appearance): 9/10 (the pearls are not too soft, which is an indicator that it is good)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 6.63/10★

in conclusion, bubbletopia is strongly recommended for purchasing bubble tea.

Bubbletopia Tea House on Urbanspoon

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bubble world
555 North Road
Coquitlam, BC V3J1N8
(604) 931-8788

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my overall ratings are the same as bubbletopia tea house:
ambiance: 5/10 (just like ali shan)
service: 6/10 (self-paced & fast-paced)
food (taste & appearance): 9/10 (the pearls are not too soft, which is an indicator that it is good)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 6.63/10★

in conclusion, bubbleworld located at coquitlam is strongly recommended for purchasing bubble tea.

Bubble World (Coquitlam) on Urbanspoon

bubbleworld
3377 Kingsway #2
Vancouver, BC V5R5K6
(604) 451-7658

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the bubble world at kingsway is practically the same as the one at coquitlam and bubbletopia so the rating is 4.5/5★

as for the food, i strongly feel that it is not as good as other taiwanese restaurants. everytime my bf and i do take outs, we frequently have diarrhea after consuming it. the pork cutlet i had with my carecell was too dry and it was downright mundane eating 6 strips at one go. what i love most from bubble world is their deep fried nugget.

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 7/10 (regular seating arrangements but the lights are too dim in the afternoon.)
service: 5.5/10 (food takes pretty long to be served and some waitresses seriously need more training)
food (taste & appearance): 5/10 (their beverages are mouth-watering but a huge thumbs down for the food)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 6/10★

in conclusion, have your meals at the bubbleworld located at kingsway only if it is convenient.

Bubble World (Burnaby) on Urbanspoon

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cabin 5555
5555 West Boulevard
Vancouver, BC
(604) 263-5155

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yvonne brought me to cabin 5555 back in 2007. she was the one who introduced matcha green tea to me. it has two levels. the lower level is a bubble tea bar while the upper levels are seating catered to the customers. the couch area is really comfortable so grab it fast before someone else does.

matcha green tea – CAN$3 – CAN$ 5+

i love how natural the matcha tea was. the waitresses remember my orders whenever i ordered it with ” less sugar and no pearls “.  when i brought mary over though, she didn’t like her coconut milk tea. i tasted it and it tasted extremely artificial. i guess it might be because we don’t have fresh coconuts here. i’m not trying to defend cabin 5555 but many of my other friends like lucy and xin ni even commented that their bubbleteas tasted fresh.

ratings: 5/5★

MAIN COURSES



mary had the noodle soup with pork cutlet while i had the spicy kung pao diced chicken with rice.

you know how other taiwanese restaurants will give you a mild spice for their most spicy dish ? well, fret not because cabin 5555′s extremely spicy dish is INDEED very spicy !

i enjoyed my kung pao chicken with rice very much. i had their beef noodles as well but it was just average.

ratings for kung pao chicken with rice: 3/5★

ratings for beef noodles: 2.5/5★

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 10/10 (comfortable seatings and spacious place)
service: 8/10 (waitresses despite being busy do remember our orders)
food (taste & appearance): 7/10 (above average taiwanese food)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 7.88/10★

in conclusion, cabin 5555 is a cool restaurant @ kerrisdale to have a casual meal with your friends. as they always say, you need to feel comfortable while dining out.

Cabin 5555 on Urbanspoon

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corners 23
4008 Cambie Street Vancouver,
British Columbia V5Z 2X8
(604) 709-9788

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came here for the first time during theresa’s birthday last year. the waitresses took a long time to serve us. practically all the food tasted wrong except for the sizzling hot plate. the beef noodles soup was too sweet. nancy commented that her preserved vegetables was saccharine as well. baby found his hot bowl of meat fine but a tad too sweet and theresa didn’t like her coconut bubbletea. also, i was amazed when this taiwanese restaurant had MAN TOU (my favourite !).

sizzling hot plate

i got to try the sizzling hot plate on my birthday this yearl. the meat was tender and the noodles had yummy black pepper sauce on it but what i love most about it is the yolk of the egg wasn’t broken.

ratings: 4.5/5★

the man tous tasted like every other man tous since it is deep fried so no rating shall be made for it.

beef noodle soup

as i said above, i was disappointed because the soup was certainly too sweet. i asked for the most spicy beef noodle soup but they gave me nothing but a sweet beef noodle soup. should BLACKLIST this restaurant for their many sweet main courses.

ratings: 0/5★ (not even the portion counts when they’re putting the wrong ingredient in MOST dishes)

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 6/10 (just average)
service: 5/10 (waitresses do not give us much attention)
food (taste & appearance): 4.5/10 (yikes ..)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 5.5/10★

in conclusion, i’ll only come for the sizzling hot plate, enough said.

Corner 23 on Urbanspoon

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dragon ball tea house
1007 King Edward Avenue West
Vancouver, BC
(604) 738-3198

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i first came to dragon ball when my dad’s friend brought us there back in 2006. i had the tofu bubble tea and it tasted awesome but i was so bloated having korean cuisine by then, i felt like throwing up. the second time i went there with nad. it was at night and so, the lights were very dim at dragonball.  there were also minimal seats so any people order bubble teas to go.

bubble teas – CAN$ 3 – $5

nad had the taro bubble tea but i didn’t get a sip of it. i ordered the strawberry slush but it was disgustingly artificial. i didn’t even get to finish it. i would prefer my fresh fruity strawberry smoothies, thank you very much.

ratings for strawberry slush: 2/5★

i also ordered dragon ball’s toast and i must say it is not worth the price (CAN$4+). it is just a toasted sandwich with nutella, WHICH I CAN ALSO MAKE AT HOME.

ratings for toast: 1/5★

and as described above, i had the tofu bubble tea with pearl !! it is my favorite of the lot !! smooth tofu with pearls just for people like me !! tasted like the one at estea.

ratings for tofu bubble tea with pearl: 5/5★

my overall ratings are as follows:

ambiance: 5/10 (just like ali shan)
service: 6/10 (self service; fast-paced)
food (taste & appearance): 5.33/10 (guess it depends on what you’re ordering but NEVER attempt on ordering the TOAST)
value: 6.5/10 (standard pricing)

total: 5.71/10★

in conclusion, dragon ball is a good bubble tea place only for taro & tofu bubble teas :)

Dragon Ball Tea House on Urbanspoon

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flo tea room
7994 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 266-1555

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i forgot all about my first visit to flo but i went there with phoebe and lingna last summer. the place has comfortable long seats for us. we were able to order in mandarin, cantonese and english. the attitude of the waitresses varies but most of the times, they are cool.

lingna, phoebe and i had their special edition bubble tea drinks.

i forgot who ordered what but i remembered only TWO of our special series bubble tea:

shakespeare’s affair – CAN$4.95

flo’s flurry (must be phoebe’s) – CAN$4.95

i would have to say, i regretted ordering my summer drink (the central bubble tea) as despite the fancy name, it tasted not even like a smoothie but just an ordinary summer juice. i have a safe bet that phoebe’s flo’s flurry was the best.

ratings for my bubble tea only: 1.5/5★

spicy hot pot – CAN$9.25

i had the hotpot and i found it below average. it was not as spicy as mentioned but the ingredients were good.

i prefer theresa’s portuguese sauce on baked rice with chicken ($9.99) though. it tasted exactly like swensens’ baked rice.

yoseph commented that his sambal green beans with rice (CAN$7.25) tasted not as good as the previous time ate it.

ratings for the hotpot only: 2.5/5★

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 7/10 (dine with ease !)
service: 8/10 (on average, it is not bad)
food (taste & appearance): 4/10 (below average)
value: 4/10 (too expensive for mediocre food)

total: 5.75/10★

in conclusion, flo is a nice dine out place but it serves food below standard.

Flo Tea Room on Urbanspoon

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tapioca express

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i went to tapioca express at richmond back in 2006 but i only remember my dining experiences with allen, yvonne and jurry. we could play card games when we dine there. it is a self-service restaurant though and the prices is exactly like flo.

i used to have deep fried nugget with rice and regular bubble tea and it was already CAN$12++. i don’t mind about the price but the food is just as typical as other taiwanese restaurants.

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 7/10 (spacious)
service: 6/10 (self-service)
food (taste & appearance): 5.5/10 (average)
value: 4/10 (too expensive for mediocre food; same as flo)

total: 5.63/10★

in conclusion, this is a taiwanese fast food restaurant for quick take-outs.

Tapioca Express on Urbanspoon

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the fraser branch opened last year and i must say, it looks way more attractive than the one in richmond albeit being a smaller branch.  the cashier was very friendly and patient with my enquiries. also, the richmond branch only takes in cash whereas the method of payments for the fraser branch includes debit and credit cards as well.

the bubbleteas looks appertizing and it certainly are above average.

fried rice – CAN$6.25 to CAN$6.95

nuggets – CAN$4.25

the fried rice was delicious although it is very oily. again, this is what makes the food good eh? the fish cake is way better than the one in estea too.

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 10/10 (spacious & filled with tonnes of decorations – huge ribbons/ornaments/etc)
service: 7.5/10 (self-service but i love the waitresses)
food (taste & appearance): 7/10 (above average)
value: 6/10 (food tasted way better than the one at richmond)

total: 7.63/10★

in conclusion, this is the best taiwanese restaurant around my neighbourhood.

Tapioca Express on Urbanspoon

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tea team bubble tea
4909 Kingsway,
Burnaby, BC‎
(604) 431-8868‎

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my boyfriend and i discovered this new bubble tea place when we were walking along kingsway.  the outlook of it was pretty adorable, filled with stripes of different colours. the interior was designed with circles and everything cute. we found the place funky and so, we decided to order some food.

taro milk tea – CAN$3.95

i was displeased when the waiter gave us the wrong order and even got frustrated when we told her about it. taro bubble tea was just average though. the pearls are not as hard as it should be but the taro definitely taste good.

fried nuggets with noodle soup -CAN$6.25

japanese eel with rice -CAN$7.95

i had the deep fried nuggets with noodle soup while baby had the eel with rice. he really found the eel dish such a distinct one in a taiwanese restaurant. it had black pepper sauce and he craved for more. i found the noodle soup tasted better than the ones in bubble world patterson.

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 8.5/10 (nice ambiance; tight seating but still able to hold private conversations and dining experience)
service: 4.5/10 (rude waitresses)
food (taste & appearance): 7/10 (unique food)
value: 6/10 (value for money !)

total: 6.75/10★

in conclusion, good taiwanese restaurant recommended around metrotown area.

Tea Team Bubble Tea on Urbanspoon

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wang’s beef noodles
8390 Granville Street Vancouver, BC
(604) 266-7966

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i always order either the beef ball noodles or beef noodle soup and i absolutely love the taste of the noodles. people may come to wang’s beef noodle house for the beef but i’m coming for the noodles. the spice is indeed there so people who can take lots of spice, do give wang’s a try !

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 9.5/10 (a casual place along granville street to dine out)
service: 8/10 (waitresses were patient to give good recommendations in english to my friend)
food (taste & appearance): 7/10 (i hereby declare that i come here for the noodles, not the beef)
value: 6/10 (prices range from CAN$6+ to $8+)

total: 7.63/10★

in conclusion, come here for specialized beef noodles !

Wang’s Beef Noodle House on Urbanspoon

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well tea 茶井
5728 University Boulevard
Vancouver, BC
(604) 222-0016

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gigi got the bubble tea for both jason and i. it took her 20 minutes to get her bubble tea as it was a small place and there were many students during the final exam period. i’m giving well tea a HUGE THUMB DOWN because the pearl is so soft and the taro milk tea tasted warm, not cold. it didn’t taste like taro as well.

DEFINITELY NOT GETTING ANYMORE BUBBLE TEA FROM THERE AGAIN.

it is so bad that no ratings are NEEDED !

Well Tea (Vancouver) on Urbanspoon

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phoebe brought lingna and i to well tea at richmond last summer. the interior was decorated with leaves under glass. it was too cool to be true. we had hotpot and bubbletea. the service was very likable and we could even use wifi for a long period of time. for students out there looking for hotspot places to study, this well tea branch located at richmond is another option for you !

my overall ratings are as follows:
ambiance: 10/10 (leaves at exterior banner matches leaves decoration in the interior)
service: 8.5/10 (excellent service)
food (taste & appearance): 6.5/10 (average hotpot but fine bubble tea)
value: 5.5/10 (prices range from CAN$7+ to $10+)

total: 7.63/10★

in conclusion, this is a nice hotspot taiwanese restaurant for casual dineouts !

Well Tea (Richmond) on Urbanspoon

finally, PHEW* i’m done with this long-awaited entry !! some grammatical errors are made so i apologize for that. i’ll be back for more gastronomic goodies to share ^^



swisscheese*

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