Coffee, Milk Tea,, or Me?
June 29th, 2019 — Food, Nomnom Loves, Restaurants
Presotea From Taiwan Enters Philippine Milk Tea Market
January 27th, 2019 — Food, Foodie News
When there’s too much competition in a particular product brand category, two major factors are key to make you rise above the rest – a real good marketing strategy, and product quality.
Tiger Sugar Milk Tea Opens in the Philippines
December 22nd, 2018 — Affairs, Food, Foodie News, Promos / Events
The opening of yet another international milk tea brand in the Philippines proves that the Filipinos’ love for milk tea is more than just a fad. It has been going on for more than a decade and will most likely stay.
Keeping it Fresh: 20yrs of CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice
May 11th, 2017 — Affairs, Food, Promos / Events
The Philippines joins the worldwide 20th anniversary celebration of CoCo Tea around the world since its inception in Taipei in 1997.
NaiCha Philippines Milk Tea Store Opens Banawe Branch
June 28th, 2012 — Banawe, Casual, Chinese, Cravings, Cuisine, Dessert, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, Ortigas, Quezon City, Restaurants, Sweet Shops, Where To Eat
It’s actually redundant to call it “NaiCha Milk Tea” because ‘Nai Cha‘ is the literal translation of ‘milk tea‘ in Chinese. Hence, allow me to call it just ‘NaiCha‘ moving forward. 🙂
I, together with some food bloggers, were recently invited to the grand opening of NaiCha Philippines‘ 12th store in Metro Manila which is in Banawe, Quezon City.
Simple ceremonies, blessings, and the usual ribbon cutting was held, but it was the taste test which food bloggers await. I was able to try their best-selling Wintermelon Milk Tea and the Oolong Milk Tea.
Oolong Milk Tea for the Win
Taste-wise, the Wintermelon Milk Tea was similar to what others have to offer but I love their Oolong Milk Tea which had the authenticity of four season tea and goodness of milk tea combined.
And although I did not customize the sugar level of the Oolong Milk Tea, it still didn’t come off too sweet. However, in contrast, I suggest you adjust the sugar level of the Wintermelon Milk Tea to 50%–75% since wintermelon is already sweet by itself. The same tip applies to all other brands of wintermelon milk tea.
Ms. Jospehine Chua (CEO of Grand Pillar International Development, Inc. – parent company of NaiCha Philippines), said that they import the tea  from Taiwan through her two Taiwanese nationals partners. Mrs. Chua has worked in Taiwan during her younger years where she developed her business network. So getting them to invest in the Philippines as her business partners was a logical consequence of events.
NaiChastarted in December 2010 from its main store located across Royal Duty Free Mall and has since grown to several branches in Subic. By October of last year, it ventured to Manila with it’s first branch in N. Domingo St., Quezon City. They now have branches in Fairview, Makati, Ortigas, and more.
Interesting Observations
NaiCha Philippines as a milk tea business is still in their growing stage and the simplicity of their menu is evident of it.
Some interesting observations I made was that their pearls are not as big as the pearls/tapioca of other milk tea shops. Did you know that they don’t call their pearl as ‘sago‘? Try ordering the “Sago Milk Tea” and you’ll not get pearl/tapioca in the drink but “nata” (coconut gel). 🙂
The price range of the milk teas and juices are actually very affordable with their wintermelon tea (not milk tea) at P40 for the 16 oz.
But most noticeable of all is their gigantic 32 oz. serving of milk tea in what they call “Tabo” in their colloquial jargon equivalent to a small pail. At Php 120, tabo size pearl milk tea can be more than enough for two persons.
They also have novel teas such as the black tea, jasmin green tea, and matcha. NaiCha specials include Signature Taiwan Tea and Choco NaiCha. Another favorite of mine is from the ‘Jelly Delights‘ which is the Coffee Jelly Tea. They have juices as well while their add-on options are pearl, pudding, almond, sago (nata), and coffee jelly.
Hopefully they would also add food items and maybe variants of milk-lid or rock-salt milk teas in the menu very soon.
Franchise Opportunities
I learned that they also offer franchising options to business hunters. You may contact them at the following
- Subic Head Office: M6 Aguinaldo St., Central Business District, Subic Bay Freeport Zone
- Manila Office: Unit 3D, Megalink Bldg, Banawe Ave. Brgy Sienna, QC
- http://www.facebook.com/MilkTeaPinas
So if you’re from Quezon City or Manila, check out NaiCha Philippines in their Banawe branch soon.
Seattle’s Best Coffee Gives In to Milk Tea Craze
February 22nd, 2012 — Beverage, Casual, Cebu, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Cuisine, Fusion, Greenhills, Greenhills Town Center, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, New Brews, Ortigas, Pasig, Quezon City, Quick Service, Restaurants, Taguig, The Fort, Western, Where To Eat
No food blog needs to tell you that the milk tea craze has hit the Philippine’s capital and metropolis while slowly moving into the suburbs as you are reading this article. And Seattle’s Best Coffee is not turning a blind eye to this ongoing, and even phenomenal, trend.
They’ve always had it, but it’s now being given a spotlight. Available for almost a month now, I was only able to try Seattle’s Best Milk Tea a week or two ago in their Greenhills Town Center branch.
Having recently come from the milk tea capital of the world that is Taiwan, my interest in milk teas has certainly grown. And sometimes, I can’t help but compare them to what we have here.
But I don’t even have to go far. Seattle’s Best Milk Tea is already unique by itself on how they positioned themselves in the market. Here are my observations:
- They only offer one variant/flavor of milk tea
- They offer their milk tea with a hot option (something not so common)
- They use red pearls
One and Only Milk Tea Variant
In contrast to the usual milk tea shops, Seattle’s Best is offering only one kind of milk tea – the SBC Milk Tea.
It’s a blend of black and green tea infused with caramel flavor to take care of the sweetness.
I told a friend that they are actually taking a big risk here. It’s a hit or miss thing. With only one option, you either get the customer’s nod or nay. It’s a bold move, I should say (or maybe they are still testing the market).
Hot Milk Tea
Although a hot milk tea is not a regular thing either in Taiwan, more so is the case in the Philippines. It’s good thing SBC offers this option for those who want it not chilled.
Red pearls
They want to be different, and it comes in style. As trivial as it is, having red pearls (or sago) in your milk tea adds that SBC touch, specially to someone like me who almost always have it with extra pearls. 🙂 It’s not unique though as I recently saw one in particular, the new ‘Drink Tea‘ shop having the same (there’s one in The Podium).
It’s only red tapioca/pearls and no other. You won’t find a nata or jelly option as add-ons. 🙂
The Verdict
Cold
After all has been said, what now? To shoot it straight to the point, the SBC Milk Tea was good, although I’ve had better. I’m not sure if my cup had much ice, but it was at the verge of being bland.
Hot
The hot SBC Milk Tea was also good but most of my friends dismissed it as too sweet. I think it deserves a second chance. I like it better than the cold one I had. It gets my thumbs up!
It’s also perfect with an order of the SBC Clubhouse.
Tip
With my experience with the cold one, I suggest you tell the counter to reduce the amount of ice by half. I’d try that myself the next time I go back. 🙂
Price
The cold SBC Milk Tea is available in sizes medium (PhP110) and large (PhP120), while the hot one is slightly cheaper at P100Â and P110, respectively. The price is fair enough considering the ambiance of a known coffee shop.
With Seattle’s Best Coffee is giving in to the milk tea craze, I suggest you give-in as well and find your cup of tea – hot or cold. The SBC Milk Tea is available only here in the Philippines and until March 31, 2012.
Figaro’s Chicken Rice Bake and Tofu Steak Should Be Combined
January 31st, 2012 — Alabang, Batangas, Casual, Cebu, Chinese, Coffee Shops, Cravings, Cuisine, Davao, Fusion, Greenhills, Iloilo, Makati, Mandaluyong, Manila, Naga, New Brews, Ortigas, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, Restaurants, Taguig, The Fort, Vegetarian, Western, Where To Eat
Filipino coffee company Figaro taps into satisfying its market from breakfast ’til night with it’s newest offering for dinner – Figaro Dinner Meals.
I got two try the first two variants namely the Chicken Rice Bake and Tofu Steak Rice.
Chicken Rice Bake
The Chicken Rice Bake is a cup of flavorful chicken, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, rice in creamy white sauce baked and topped with mozzarella cheese baste.
Paired with a cold glass of lemonade it is priced at P150.
Tofu Steak Rice
Next is the Tofu Steak Rice. It’s a deep-fried Tofu glazed with a flavorful special sauce with hints of onions and topped with white sesame seeds on steamed rice garnished with parsley.
Tofu is known to be rich with health benefits such as being a good source of protein. Check out the health benefits of Tofu here. It would make a healthy vegan meal for those looking for one and is paired with a complimentary cold glass of lemonade (Price: P150).
Recommendation
Being familiar with the common Chinese dish Mapu Tofu, the Tofu Steak Rice was no stranger to my taste buds. The sauce tastes good, however, paring tofu alone with rice as “ulam“, falls short to my expectation for a filling meal. My thumbs-up goes to Chicken Rice Bake, instead.
On the other hand, I had a crazy idea/recommendation of combining the two – Chicken Rice Bake + Tofu Steak (without the extra rice). Chicken, Tofu, and baked cheese as a comfort food fills the complete meal set.
If you have a big appetite and welcomes the extra rice from the second meal, try ordering both and ‘taste‘ what I mean. 🙂 If ever Figaro would be reading about this and happen to combine the two and logically offer it at around P200, that would be great! 🙂
Figaro Milk Teas
In that visit, I was also surprised to see Figaro Milk Teas. They have cached-up with the milk tea fever. 🙂 Curiosity piqued and I tried the Raspberry Milk Tea. It turned out to be just average and instead, I liked the Taro Pudding Chiller Frost Milk Tea my other friends ordered.
Try Figaro Healthy Dinner Meals of Chicken Rice Bake and Tofu Steak Rice. It started to be available at all Figaro stores and outlets nationwide since the start of the new year.
Beyond Bubbles and Tea at Bubble Tea
November 1st, 2010 — Appetizer, Beverage, Casual, Cravings, Cuisine, Fusion, Greenhills, Japanese, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Restaurants, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, Sweet Shops, Tomas Morato, Where To Eat, Wilson
I first saw Bubble Tea when they opened their first branch in SM Megamall in Ortigas. Through the years, Bubble Tea proved to maintain its quality amid competition using authentic, natural, and freshly shaken premium milk tea in contrast to powder-based fads. Eventually, other branches came about in SM North Edsa and Timog. And later this month, they will be opening their newest branch with a function room along Wilson St. in Greenhills.
It was only recently that I began to appreciate their other servings of Tokyo-inspired Japanese dishes and some Japanese-Western fusion including pasta, burgers, and sandwiches.
In line with new discoveries, I ventured out from my usual Bubble Tea favorites such as the Royal Milk Tea and Taro Milkshake when I visited their branch in Timog with some foodie friends.
I initially got to sample a small serving of the Azuki Red Bean Milk Shake and was extremely satisfied. For a change, the red bean flavor was different, to say the least. It was a welcome respite from the usual sweet milkshakes. Moreover, it provided a unique texture to taste because of the red beans.
I also saw a new flavor in their table menu – the Honey Dew Melon with mango bits available in both milk tea or shake. But I ordered the Black Sesame Milkshake for curiosity’s sake. It was my first to try this one and similarly, it was not too sweet and of course, had the black sesame flavor. It was a good choice.
Milkshakes are priced at P135 for medium size and P145 for large. Milk Tea are at P115 (medium) and P125 (large). Hot milk tea is at P80. Other flavors include Japanese Green Tea, Almond, Coconut, Double Chocolate, Mocha, and Jasmin (I’d like to try this next). For an additional P20, you can have add-ons which include extra-bubbles (big/small/combi), vanilla ice cream, and the egg-pudding which you goy to try out. I really love chewing on their soft firm bubbles (sago/tapioca), I go for the big bubble add-ons. 🙂
Bubble Tea Japanese Food
Now for the dishes. It was a fiesta of comfort foods in Bubble Tea. With servings big enough to share, it seems like the photos came right out of the Japanese menu and landed in our tables where no empty space were left.
The dishes we tried out include Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza – P125), Japanese Ceasar Salad (Ceasar salad with Fried Chicken – P195), Tonkaktsu Omurice (Breaded Pork & Omelette – P265), Beef Stew Curry (Jap style sliced beef stew w/ sweet and mild spicy curry, rice, & egg – P265), and Takoyaki (P175).
Pasta
We got to try out two pasta dishes. The first is Spicy Mix Seafood & Tomato Spaghetti ( P295) which has salmon, tuna, squid, prawn, clam and mussel.
The second is Tori Pesto Spaghetti (P265) which is pan-fried Chicken w/ pesto cream sauce.
Maki Sushi
It flooded with maki and sushi such as Nippon Ebi (P285), Unagi Lover (P295), and Vancouver (P285). The latter is made with breaded prawn and spicy tuna in teriyaki sauce.
Another home-developed sushi is Bubble Salad Sushi (P165) which is a mini mixed salad topped with sushi rice. On the rightmost of the four photos is the Spicy Tuna (P195).
They have combination platters in case you want to have a try of each.
Recommendations
But among the myriad of choices, there were five which greatly satisfied my tastebuds (in reverse order of preference).
Salmon Foil Yaki (P345)
The tender fish meat of the steamed salmon fillet gave it away with its freshness retained by the wrapping in foil. Surprisingly, it also had a mildly sweet twist.
Chicken Teriyaki Doria (P245)
It’s baked casserole rice covered with melted cheese. Topped with grilled boneless chicken and teriyaki sauce, this dish is sure to fill you up.
Aspara Bacon Yaki (P185)
It’s a skewer of grilled asparagus wrapped with bacon and cheese on top. Bacon and Cheese is love; no need for further explanation. 🙂 The asparagus is the healthy angle to reduce your guilt in exchange for this pleasure.
Tofu Steak (P165) [Top Photo]
Light, fresh, and soft. Those are the three adjectives befitting this small simple dish called Tofu Steak.
Lightly breaded and mixed with sweet sauce and vegetables, this soft, melt-in-your-mouth and warmly served tofu is my perfect appetizer.
Japanese Fried Chicken in a Basket (P385)
Actually, I am surprised as much as you are that a common friend chicken dish ended up on top of my recommended list.
I did not expect much when I took a bite of the leg portion. But the taste and crispiness, albeit with almost nil bread crumbs, was fantastic.
Aside from the quality of the chicken itself, I would say the cook have a certain style in cooking this thin-skinned fried chicken to maintain such level of crispiness and juiciness in the white meat.
Perhaps more than just deep-frying it to perfection.
With only four pieces, it may also be dismissed as expensive at P385. But this juicy Japanese fried chicken served with noi ginger sauce and japanese potato salad sidings is very much worth it.
This is what you call a Bubble Tea fiesta in this humble Tokyo milk tea place started by Reagan Tan who developed most of Bubble Tea’s menu and is also its CEO.
Check them out online at http://www.facebook.com/tokyobubbletea or email them at tokyobubbletea@gmail.com
Join their current contest called “Pichur Pichur” and get to win a Nikon Coolpix S230 camera with touchscreen LCD and Bubble Tea gift certificates.
Bubble Tea Branches:
Tomas Morato – #220 Tomas Morato Avenue, QC (4123573)
SM North Edsa – LGF SM North Edsa, The Block, QC (4410097)
SM Megamall – LGF SM Megamall, Mandaluyong (6387479)
Greenhills – Unit 3 #229 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan City
Delivery Option: www.citydelivery.ph or 87878