OT: Serenitea Cebu

Pin It Now!

You might not know but this tea shop is among the forerunners of the milk tea craze in the Philippines. They are said to be the first to bring milk tea from Taiwan here to the Philippines.

Their place is just along the hallway in Calyx. They have a green and white theme which is really relaxing.

We ordered large Hokkaido (P105) and wintermelon milk tea  (P105). I suggested the Hokkaido to the boyfriend since I've seen it featured a couple of times on TV. I ordered mine to try a usual milk tea flavor. Their Hokkaido tasted like a coffee and milk tea in one. I'm not really a fan of coffee so I didn't like it. Even the boyfriend disliked his own milk tea. Maybe those coffee lovers would enjoy Hokkaido. But, not us. Their wintermelon milk tea tasted like any shop's wintermelon. It was very much like Heart Tea's wintermelon. I just thought that Serrinitea was a bit pricey, being over 100 bucks.

I was really expecting so much from Serrinitea. I've watched a couple of TV shows featuring their milk tea so I have always been intrigued on how their milk tea tastes like. I was disappointed that they were a bit expensive. Those who are coffee lovers and like the variety of milk teas that they offer, may enjoy their freshly brewed teas.

UPDATE: Because of my day job, I was able to attend Serenitea's grand opening and meet the people behind Serenitea and the latest Cebu branch. They gave away free milk tea and a jumbo size at that. I got their Okinawa milk tea, which I expected to be a coffee-ish flavored tea, like Hokkaido. I was surprised that it was really good. It was creamy and sweet, just as I like it. I definitely loved their Okinawa milk tea. It was just difficult for me to finish everything up because of the size.

In three months time, they will also be offering some side dishes and snacks to clients , which is something I'd like to try soon.

Starbucks Cotton Candy Frappuccino

Pin It Now!

Well, I'm not really a fan of Starbucks. Whenever I feel like having a frap or chilling in a coffee shop, the Starbucks in Ayala Center Cebu is always swelling with customers. I dislike crowded places. If you spot me in Strabucks, I would usually order the generic java chip frap or grab a bottle of Tazo. 

When I heard about this cotton candy frappuccino, which is a big hit online (more in Canada and the US), I vowed myself that I had to try it. I thought that it won't be available here in the Philippines.

So, I took the boyfriend to Starbucks after dinner yesterday and I got myself the cotton candy frap. The boyfriend, on the other hand, got his usual caramel frap. I can tell you that I was super excited when the barista said they can whip this  for me.

Don't say you want a cotton candy frap because I'm sure they won't know. Do tell them you want a vanilla creme frap with a pump of raspberry. You would have to pay extra for the raspberry, though. 

cotton candy frap

I read in reviews that it really does taste like cotton candy. Mine wasn't as sweet as cotton candy, though. Maybe if I added one more pump of raspberry, it would be really sweet. My cotton candy frap tasted candy-ish, which was enough to satisfy my sugar craving. I'm just trying to whistle away the calories, like it never happened.

Cotton candy frappuccino is officially my favorite cold drink! I feel in love with the first sip. It's so heavenly! I'd definitely grab one again next time after eating healthy for a few days.

P.S. Comment down below if you want more of these new Starbucks menu and if you're bored with the ones on the counter. I think I'm getting a hang of this. ;)

OT: Jelly Citea

Pin It Now!

I know you guys are well-aware of my love for milk tea. So, here’s another milk tea place that you should try. The boyfriend and I are in love with Jelly Citea. This tea shop is located in Raintree Mall. Don’t feel intimidated by the number of students in the place, because I think this proves that they got really good milk tea.

sort of pay-as-you-use computers inside.

When we first went there, Jelly Citea was so packed that we had to sit outside. We didn’t mind really since we were just passing by. Those who want to hang out with friends inside might want to drop by around night time or weekends where there are fewer people.

We got Paris (P90), as this was suggested by the attendant, and passion fruit milk tea (P70), my favorite tea flavor. I was a bit hesitant to try Paris despite the persuasive words of the Jelly Citea attendant, so I just picked a refreshing drink for that day. I had a bad experience with another shop so I wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. However, I was disappointed I didn’t listen to her. Paris was definitely good and is currently one of our new milk tea faves. Wintermelon blended perfectly with the cream cheese on top of the tea. The taste was just amazing. Their passion fruit milk tea was also good and very refreshing.  It was just like how passion fruit is supposed to be. But, it wasn’t as yummy as Paris.

On our next trip, we tried Tokyo (P90) which is another bestseller. This was matcha milk tea with cream cheese on top. It’s very green tea-ish and the flavor is really there. However, green tea with cream cheese isn’t really a good mix. Both were too strong for each other and wasn’t really a good combination. Other people might beg to differ, but it’s really not my cup (or plastic) of tea.

their loyalty card.

menu.

I’m definitely looking forward to drop by Jelly Citea next time, and I also got their loyalty card. I’m glad that it’s conveniently located on the way to my office and too bad for the boyfriend who lives an island away. I fancy sipping on Paris. Maybe I will indulge myself on Monday. ;)

How to Make Vanilla Milkshake

Pin It Now!

I am in love with milkshakes. I just don’t know why. Maybe it’s the sweet and creamy taste in every sip. When I see milkshake on the menu, I just go gaga. So out of the blue, we decided to create our own milkshake by watching vague and crazy how-to videos in YouTube. It was more of a trial and error kind of thing. We didn’t really know what we were doing.

First off, you need the right ingredients and a blender to mix them. You’ll need:

 -          Milk (preferably fresh)

-          Vanilla flavor

-          Vanilla ice cream

Once you have all the ingredients in tow, just mix all the ingredients in the blender. It was really difficult for us to know the exact ratio for the ingredients. We estimated the ratio for milk to the vanilla ice cream as 1:5. We realized that 1:1 is not really possible as this makes the milkshake too watery. More ice cream would mean a thicker and creamier consistency. We limited vanilla flavor to a teaspoon per serving.

scoop and blend

finished product. ;)

Although it was our first time, our little experiment actually tasted good enough. It was enough to satisfy our sugar cravings. We only thought that this experiment was a bit expensive, especially with the ice cream cost. It would be cheaper to order from a restaurant just like Sam's Diner's yummy milkshake.

If you have successfully made your own vanilla milkshake, please do comment on how you did it. You can also tell us how we can make a better one next time. ;)

Gong Cha Cebu

Pin It Now!

"Gong Cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me," is what the boyfriend sang out when we first passed by the Gong Cha branch in SM City Cebu. It's pretty catchy, I must admit. Often, he would even sing it for the rest of the day while shopping in SM, which gives you an LSS.

I realized that we have to try Gong Cha, because it's a new milk tea place and there were many people lining up. We were able to order their milk tea, however, on the second time we passed by.

Gong Cha is a Taiwanese brand that already has a steady stream of followers here in the Philippines. They already have many branches in the world. The branch in SM is Gong Cha Philippine's 19th branch.

We got the Gong Cha Winter Melon Milk Tea, which is one of our ultimate milk tea flavors for every tea house in Cebu. It tastes just like the usual winter melon flavor. It reminded me of Heart Tea's own Wintermelon Milk Tea, which costs about half of Gong Cha's. I also wasn't impressed with their pearls. We found it too hard and a struggle to chew them all. I wasn't even able to finish all of my pearls.

Gong Cha's bestseller: House Special Milk Winter Melon Tea

The next time we went back, we tried their bestseller which was the Gong Cha House Special Milk Winter Melon Tea. We weren't expecting much from it because we didn't really love their other milk tea. However, we were wrong. It was REALLY good. It tasted just right with the perfect sweetness and flavor in it. It's also refreshing with every sip. It was just like heaven. The boyfriend referred to it as being "raw." It's like your all the stresses inside you are relieved with every sip. It's now one of my most favorite milk teas here in Cebu and it's worth the money.

Although Gong Cha is on the expensive spectrum among the tea houses in Cebu, I think some of their teas are worth the price, especially their bestseller. I can't wait to be back and order another Gong Cha House Special, but still the winter melon tea.

Tell me what you think of Gong Cha's teas and comment below. :)

The New Heart Tea

Pin It Now!

I've mentioned in a previous post that Heart Tea was expecting a new change. So about a month ago, Frank of Heart Tea invited me and the boyfriend for their relaunching at GILT. There were also other bloggers and people from the media who were invited for the event. I was pretty much excited for this relaunch since Heart Tea will be re-branding and they will offer new flavors. Yay!

GILT is a really pretty and interesting place. The boyfriend and I were conversing about the decors and design. We both love vintage items and decors and the place was filled with them. We couldn't help but take pictures of their interesting knickknacks here and there. Their food was also yummy! During the relaunch I met JM of Big Food (now my Tasteful Life), along with other bloggers in Cebu.

free milk tea at GILT

vintage cash register ♥

Frank announced that Heart Tea is already offering new popping bobbas to add to their menu. They have cranberry, blueberry, mango, and orange among other bobbas. We were given samples of the popping bobbas and I tell you, they were yummy. I love the blueberry popping bobba with the wintermelon. Frank also mentioned they have other flavors, like caramel and others, which are still on the way.

A few days after the relaunch, the boyfriend and I visited Heart Tea in IT Park and I really like their new stall. The boyfriend and I both got wintermelon (Yay!) with different sinkers. I got the cranberry bobbas, since they don't have the blueberry. The boyfriend, on the other hand, got his orange popping bobbas. Cranberry gives you a fruity pop, which I really like. I think it works well with the wintermelon and is not that overpowering. The orange is also interesting and the boyfriend really enjoyed his share of milk tea. The orange bobbas had a tangy flavor after every pop, which would definitely make you feel alive.

Heart Tea's new stall. :D

PS. I would like to thank Frank and Heart Tea for the GCs we got during the relaunch. I'm hoping to try their new flavors with my GCs. Yay! I'm planning on experimenting on the new bobbas with my favorite Heart Tea milk teas. Can't wait for the caramel. ;)

It's Chatime!

Pin It Now!

Before I start this post, I think saying sorry to you guys would be in place. I'm really sorry if I haven't updated the blog for a couple of weeks now. I've been a bit busy with school (since I'm trying to graduate). Now that I'm done with school, I can now start eating my heart out (while looking for a new job).

Back to Chatime. This international tea franchise is already in Cebu. So after submitting my papers for finals a few days ago, the boyfriend and I headed to Chatime in Ebloc 2, IT Park. We actually got lost before we found our way. Anyway, we were surprised to see many people inside Chatime. You'd know by now that I'm not that comfortable with crowded places. However, at least we got the comfortable couch and table when we were there.

red bean tea and pearl milk tea.

parmesan French fries

Chatime really had a wide variety of milk tea choices. It was a bit difficult to choose, so I decided to go for their pearl milk tea (P90). The boyfriend, meanwhile, got himself a red bean tea (P100). We opted to pair our drinks with Parmesan-flavored fries (P65). Their pearl milk tea was yummy but nothing really special. It's just like other pearl milk tea from other tea places. Their red bean tea was definitely interesting. The red beans in the drink added texture to the tea. However, it wasn't something that I would love. The boyfriend, however, enjoyed his tea. Their parmesan fries was interesting, but not that yummy to me.

I couldn't really say that Chatime is different from other tea places, yet. So far, I think their tea is just similar to other shops. They do have a wide variety of interesting teas on their menu that I've yet to try. 

this vibrates when you can claim your tea at the counter.

I really like the colors and the interiors of Chatime. It's really colorful and fun. Their couches are just so comfortable. What's more is that they have plugs that you can use for charging your laptop or other mobile devices. They also have Wi-Fi. Say hello to a new place for thesis and group projects!

The only thing that irritated me during our visit was the crew saying "Welcome to Chatime!" over and over again to every customer who ordered. It is nice, especially when you enter and take your order. However, when you stay inside the shop for an hour or so, you'd get a bit annoyed with this line. The boyfriend even had an LSS and repeated the line again and again while we were strolling in Ayala. I wonder if they get tired saying that x number of times in a day.

Although Chatime is a bit pricey, I know I'll be back with some friends soon. I'm eyeing on their passionfruit milk tea for my next trip.

Heart Tea (and The New Heart Tea)

Pin It Now!

I met up with Frank of Heart Tea two weeks ago to get to know more about Heart Tea. Sorry for the late post! It was really nice to talk to someone who could really provide good information about how the entire venture started. I've been to Heart Tea once, a few months back, but I wasn't really able to taste much of their drinks. You can read my entry here.

Wintermelon. Are you ready for what's coming?

Frank, one of the owners of Heart Tea, is a tea enthusiast himself. Having heard of the booming tea fad in Manila, he and his wife did more research about the different teas in Taiwan. They even sourced their ingredients directly from Taiwan. 

Heart Tea was inspired by tea, being a hearty drink. Tapioca, Coffee Konjac, and Wintermelon are among their bestsellers. Take note that Winternelon does not have sinkers or tapioca so you'll have to add one to your drink. Tapioca and other drinks have sinkers, though. But, it pays to ask the attendant if the drink already has sinkers. Frank mentioned that they themselves created their own milk tea drinks, which makes them different. 

I would have to agree with Frank. Their wintermelon taste really different compared to other stores. Frank said that their own version does not have an overpowering aftertaste. Their wintermelon is good to go even without the tapioca.

the red ones are the strawberry balls

They also have these fun strawberry burst balls that you can add to your drinks. This is Frank's favorite. He says this is like Cobo's but does not pop right away. You'll have to put your teeth on the balls to make them pop or burst which adds to the fun.

Basil health drink is a drink that's unique to Heart Tea (in Cebu). This drink has basil seeds that is great for losing weight. Frank suggested to consume the basil health drink after gym. It really is a filling drink. I even didn't feel hungry after drinking basil. The seeds are also fun to chew, well I had fun.

the white stuff at the bottom are the basil seeds. :)

One of the things that make Heart Tea different from the rest is that their drinks are can be personalized for no extra charge. Frank noted that customers can ask their attendants to customize their drinks. One can choose to add more tea and lessen the fructose or vice versa. You can ask them to add more dairy, if you want. Other tea places only let customers customize the sweetness levels.

Heart Tea has three branches, as of the moment. They can be found in IT Park (besides Krispy Kreme), Cebu Doctor's University, and inside Convergys. Frank confided that they are planning to expand the business and clients can expect more branches. The most exciting part about our talk is the upcoming changes in Heart Tea. Clients can anticipate for a better Heart Tea with even better teas and other things to offer. They are reopening this September and I'm also quite excited the new changes.

Llew's Mudpies Part ii

Pin It Now!

A series of stressful days brought me and the boyfriend to Llew's Mudpies again. The last time we visited (read here), we failed to try their famous s'mores. We realized we missed half of our lives. So we took the opportunity to taste their s'mores.

Llew's s'mores only cost P25 each. That's for both warm and cold s'mores. It's really affordable and fits a student's budget well. They have different flavors for their cold s'mores, like pistachio, vanilla, and others. Unfortunately, they only had choco mint at that time. So, we contented ourselves to choco mint cold s'mores.

forzen choco mint s'mores

hot s'mores. (sorry it's out of focus.)

I really like their s'mores, both the hot and the cold one. I really love munching the cold s'mores. It's really yummy and filling. You could also really taste the ice cream flavor in between the graham crackers. It also blends well with the graham cracker. With the hot s'mores, you could really taste the chocolate and marshmallows. It really is yummy! Before, I couldn't really get it why people would look like a mess while eating s'mores. I now get it.

HAHAHAHAHA.

I think their s'mores has gotten into me since I've been thinking of s'mores lately. I've been wanting to make my own. Maybe I just will. ;) I'll definitely be back, Llew's.

Tea & Symphony

Pin It Now!

A lot of my friends have been to Tea & Symphony. However, I wasn't able to visit the place. When Justinne of Babe for Food suggested the place to me, I knew I had to try the place.

We didn't really plan on going there and we just thought of it out of the blue. Nevertheless, we were really happy for doing that impromptu date. Anyway, I also have to ask sorry for the pictures since I only had an SLR with me that day with only a couple of shots left.

I was really surprised to see that Tea & Symphony had a big space for customers. They had a number of tables and chairs that were enough for many customers. I really like the place and they also had books that you can read inside. Yay to that!

So we got panda milk tea (P85), Hokkaido milk tea (P75), hash browns (P35), and fries (P50). The panda milk tea was a mash-up drink out of their Tea & Symphony milk tea plus black and white tapioca pearls which gives it an interesting look. Their milk tea options, like Hokkaido, didn't have any sinkers, so you'll have to add them to your drink. The boyfriend got aloe vera since it seemed interesting.

hash brown and fries (in the little basket), panda, and Hokkaido.

my treat for the night: hash brown and panda. ♥

Their tea is really good and it's not the usual overly sweet that you'd get from other tea shops. All I could say is it really changed the way I see sweetness. We both had 100% sweetness which was just normal. It was definitely good. I though that my drink wouldn't taste good if it wasn't too sweet, but I was wrong. I also like how soft and chewy the tapioca pearl were. They weren't as sweet and chewy as Bubble Bee's, but it was good enough. The aloe vera sinker was also yummy. It was unique and it added a great kick to the drink.

I really like the fact that Tea & Symphony also had food served. I will vouch for their fries and hash browns. They probably have one of the best hash browns I've tasted, next to McDonald's. It was just fried the way I wanted it to. Their fries were also fried beautifully and had the distinct salt and pepper taste to it. 

Tea & Symphony is officially among my top list for bubble tea. They really have yummy and unique teas that make you want for more. My only issue is it's location. It's a bit far from school, work, and even from my home. I wish they have a more convenient location. However, I'd be willing to go there just for a cup of tea. ;)

Cool greetings in many languages. :)

Tea Religion

Pin It Now!

I was really waiting for Tea Religion to open since I pass by the place almost everyday on my way to school and work. And I got really excited when I saw it open up last week. So, we decided to head to Tea Religion a while ago after our responsibilities.

We got even more excited when we saw CupcaKen cupcakes on display. I thought of eating something yummy earlier and a red velvet CupcaKen cupcake appeared in front of me. How can I resist?

We got ourselves a large mint milk tea for P80, a medium green honeydew milk tea for P70, and cookies n' cream and red velvet cupcakes for P55 each. They also have other teas which are served hot and cold. You can choose the sweetness levels, as well. So make sure that you do inform the attendants what you want.

Tea is instant wisdom.

Their mint milk tea is probably one of the most interesting milk teas I've tried so far. It has a minty kick to the drink that would make you want to drink the entire drink. I could imagine myself having that tea during a long hot afternoon especially if you just want to feel cool and fresh. Their honeydew is just as sweet as I want it to. Their pearls are also soft and sweet which we both like.

As usual, the cupcakes were as yummy as they were back in the CupcaKen branch in Banawa. It was just so good and sweet. Every bite is just filling and it makes you want more. The boyfriend kept mentioning the cupcakes even hours after we ate them. That's how much he loves CupcaKen.

Tea religion is reasonably priced. Their cups have interesting designs and I love it. Their service is good, as well. They also have nice interiors. I do have a problem of getting to the place though from school (UP). I have to walk from IT Park just to get there. However, getting a few minutes walk might just do me good. Teehee!