Hella illegit, pt. 2

Melbourne - Going off of advice from my friend J, who said "TenRen is good, I swear! It just depends on location," I gave TenRen another shot. Round 2 was still hella illegit, and left me questioning my friendship with J. (Haha. Jk. Sorta.)

Xoxo,
Cat

(If you know what this is in reference to, we need to talk about season 2!)


Foreground: Boba from TenRen. Background: Flinders Station.

Hella illegit

Sydney, AUS - I am NOT happy. Ten Ren's black milk tea w/ pearls was one of the worst teas I've ever had. And to think, I was really enjoying Sydney, too. Unacceptable.


If you ever walk by this sign, DO NOT go in.


If you ever see a friend with this boba, DO NOT let them drink it.

That's more like it

Brisbane, AUS - Boba twice in two days. Not bad, huh? Brisbane boba part deux was infinitely more successful, even though it didn't involve a cute elderly Chinese couple. It's the trade-off, what can ya do.

BOBA BRIEFING
Name: Tea Bar (motto: "It's made in heaven")
Address: Food court inside Queen St. Mall
Date visited: Wed., Aug. 14, 2008
Goes by: Bubble tea
Price: $3.60 AUD (~$3.15 USD)
Form: Milk tea, tea
Flavors: A couple dozen
Flavors tried: Green milk tea
Lid style: Sealed plastic wrap

Smiles:

• Green milk tea flavor isn't bad, but tastes a bit watered down. Very Tapioca Express-esque.
  
• Cups come with a handy "history of boba" blurb so accurate it could've been lifted from this blog. Impressive.
  
• Cups also contain this text: "The pearls are made from cassava plant juice and are so addictive that they've been called the faux opium of the Orient." Lofty claim, but I guess it explains my addiction.
  

Scowls:

• Scowling takes too much energy.
  

Most memorable bo-ment:

• Thinking of one takes too much energy. This is a lazy post. Blame the opium.
  

Overall rating: 8/10


Tea Bar




Read the fine print

BRISBANE ROX

Brisbane, AUS - I em so eggcited I ken hardly tipe. C? My copy editor friends are probably grinding their teeth reading this. Haha, suckas.

Anyways, I AM HELLA EXCITED. I arrived in Brisbane about 2 hours ago and found boba approximately 1 hour ago. Since then, I've been on a tapioca high that I have no intention of coming down from. A timeline would probably sum up the last hour better than sentences right now (I know, and I'm supposed to be a reporter, right? Oh, the shame.), so here goes:

• 4:20 p.m.: Leave hostel, walk 15 steps to the right, spot sign for pearl milk tea (PMT), flip out.
• 4:21 p.m.: Walking into restaurant, see patrons with cups w/fat straws. Flip out more.
• 4:22 p.m.: Find out restaurant just sold out of tapioca. Am crestfallen.
• 4:22:30 p.m.: Walk next door into another Chinese restaurant, see sign for pearl milk tea, continue flipping out.

Note the yellow sign for milk tea on the door

• 4:23 p.m.: Start chatting with adorable elderly Chinese couple who own the restaurant. Grandmotherly lady makes my PMT and insists, in true grandmotherly fashion, that I get it hot instead of cold. Charmed by her cuteness, I relent.
• God, I'm tired of writing "p.m." over and over.
  
• 4:24-4:45 p.m.:

1. Couple asks me if I'm from Shandong, because Chinese people from Shandong are tall.
2. Grandmotherly lady asks me if I'm 18. Forgive her because am still charmed by her cuteness.
3. Not believing that I'm 23 (Being an Asian girl under age 30, I look 15, welcome to my life), couple asks what year I was born, and what zodiac sign I'm under. (1985, Year of the Ox, and god why would I lie, is this a bar?!)
   
4. Chat about their time in Brisbane (immigrated 30 years ago from Hong Kong).
5. Chat about China, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Canada and other places w/ lots of Chinese people (this is what Chinese people do, and about all my limited Chinese vocab will allow me to do).
6. Chat about how tall my parents are (this is also what Chinese people do when discussing height).
   
7. Realize that hot PMT really is better than cold PMT. Grandma was right.

Cute Chinese couple, owners of Yee Foong (HK BBQ restaurant)


Boba

Oh right, the boba. Sorry. The tea is quite good. She really took the time to brew it and mix in milk and sugar. The tapioca is VERY soft, softer than I usually like it *that's what she said* and has a strong ginger flavor, which I REALLY don't like (and is weird). Still, I just couldn't get over how friggin cute they were, so really, it was all good. Brisbane rox.

Reef to Boba (R2B)

Cairns, Queensland, AUS - Cairns is sweet not only because you can do cool stuff like swim with turtles at the Great Barrier Reef, but also because you can do cool stuff like swim with turtles at the Great Barrier Reef and THEN GO DRINK BOBA.

That's right - after a relatively painless search about town, I found Onigiri Cafe/Omu on the second floor of Orchid Plaza, an indoor shopping center with mostly Japanese and Chinese food counters and trinket shops.

Boba briefing:

• The milk tea is decent, but not spectacular. It has a strong tea flavor, which I like, but is a little bland. Or maybe I've just become so accustomed to gulping salty seawater that I've forgotten what sugar tastes like.
  
• The tapioca is inconsistent in size and shape. Some are smaller than others, and some are lopsided. Some are even clumped together, presenting a challenge for the weak sucker.
• There aren't enough balls to last you through the entire drink. Btw, Michael Scott is apparently the name of a local Kuranda artist who makes colorful glassware.
• Overall, I'd recommend dropping by Onigiri Cafe/Omu if you're ever in Cairns. I'd also recommend dropping by Cairns. Ha.
  

Boba tidbits:

• Onigiri and Omu both mean "rice ball" in Japanese.
• The cafe opened in 2004.
• The owner is from Japan.
• The atmosphere mimics a mini-Asia, with lots of Japanese and Taiwanese high school students hanging out. (At least, they appear to Japanese and Taiwanese, judging by their hair. Then again, we all look the same, so you can imagine my confusion. -____-)

This is a 3-foot sign that I totally walked by w/o noticing until I asked the noodle shop next door where I could get bubble tea.