Bubbling bubbles at Bubble Tea!

I grew up learning how to appreciate tea and loving the different tea variants that has entered the market. This goes way back when my family would spend our Sunday afternoon tea bonding with each other at a hotel lobby. While the parents chit-chat, we kids munched on scones, canapes and mini tea sandwiches as we drank cups and cups of tea. At times, we would have dimsum for lunch and together with all of our steamed favorites, we would fill up our teacups with hot tea, be it chrysanthemum, jasmine or oolong.

Just lately, you've witnessed how fond I was over a neighborhood milk tea shop where I would make it a point to buy myself a large cup of Hokkaido Milk Tea on my way home from work. This went on for quite some time and I've influenced a number of friends in the process. My tea addiction can be pretty infectious.

Before this neighborhood milk tea though, I came across a cute Japanese-looking store at the basement of SM Megamall. It was my sister who first discovered this and she really liked their Coffee Milk Tea. So, on one shopping trip a couple of years back, we visited Bubble Tea in SM Megamall and ordered their Coffee Milk Tea to drink while going around the mall. They also serve food but I remember that their menu was pretty limited then.

Fast forward to the present, I was privilege to be invited to visit Bubble Tea's newest branch in Tomas Morato. It was a Monday night and straight from work, I headed to Quezon City to join my fellow bloggers in meeting the owners of Bubble Tea and to try their wide-array of food items.

Unlike how they were 3 years ago, Bubble Tea now has a huge menu filled with a number of mouth-watering drinks and food items. We began with a number of sushi rolls for appetizer. The Vancouver (Php. 285) sushi is perfect for the seafood lover. It has a piece of shrimp tempura wrapped in Japanese rice and nori and topped with Spicy Tuna sashimi. This was the first served to our table and I enjoyed this a lot. I love dunking my sushi into my wasabi-soy sauce mix before popping the entire thing into my mouth.

Another sushi favorite was the Dragon Maki (Php. 365) imagine prawns rolled with Japanese rice, topped with sweet unagi and drizzled with Teriyaki soy and mayonnaise sauce. Oishi-desu! Paul loves unagi and this was his favorite among all of the sushi platters served that evening.

My sister, who frequents Bubble Tea in SM Megamall more than I do, told me that she enjoys having lunch there as she loves their baked rice. Luckily, we were also given the chance to try the Chicken Teriyaki Doria (Php. 245) which has a generous serving of grilled boneless chicken on top of baked rice with lots of melted cheese. For the cheese lovers out there, then you'll love this dish! I got to agree with my sister, their baked rice is yummy! However, I'd love for the rice to be creamier though.

For the pesto pasta lovers like myself, they have the Tori Pesto Spaghetti (Php. 255) with pan-fried boneless chicken on top of creamy pesto spaghetti. I never seem to get tired of pesto and I love the nutty texture of the sauce.

My friend Joan requested if we can try the Beef Stew Curry (Php. 265). After ordering it, she was telling me how tender the beef was and the sauce was authentic Japanese curry which we all know how delicious this can be. Finally, the dish has arrived and the smell of curry immediately filled our part of the restaurant. Everyone on the table was excited to dig in. I took a small slice of beef and a spoonful of curry-covered rice. Oh I love how fragrant the curry sauce was and it wasn't too spicy at all. The beef, as Joan said, melts in your mouth. This is one of the things I'll definitely remember to order on my next visit.

As we have been having quite a number of carb-loaded dishes that evening, there were two meat dishes that really stood out that evening. First was the Japanese Fried Chicken in a Basket (Php. 385). This dish is perfect for kids as the little ones will surely enjoy the crunchy chicken skin and the tender, juicy meat underneath. I has quite a sophisticated taste different from the ones from the popular fast food chains. The breading was just right, not overly coating the chicken and giving you nothing by flour and breadcrumbs. This is served with Nori Ginger Sauce and Japanese Potato Salad as a side dish.

Another crowd favorite was the Salmon Foil Yaki (Php. 345). This is one thing I'm pretty sure my mom would love. A healthy choice of steamed salmon fillet wrapped in foil to keep the flavor, nutrients and juices intact. The fish was very tender and delicious. They also have the Gindara Foil Yaki and I can just imagine how yummy that would be.

Of course, a trip to Bubble Tea is not complete without enjoying their drinks. For years, staying loyal to their Coffee Milk Tea, I realized that it's time to give others a try. That evening, I had the Almond Milk Tea which has a light sweet taste that I love. It went perfectly well with all of the dishes that I've enjoyed that evening.

I love Bubble Tea's hip and chic interiors and I'm so happy that after opening their Tomas Morato branch, they are finally opening another branch along Wilson Street here in San Juan soon! I am excited to welcome Bubble Tea Wilson with open arms and I'm sure the entire neighborhood will agree with me too.

Bubble Tea has three branches in SM Megamall, The Block in SM North Edsa and along Tomas Morato in Quezon City. Watch out for their new branch at Madison Square Wilson, San Juan City this November!