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.