Milk Tea, Milk Tea: Review of Milk Tea Brands in the Metro

I was never a fan of tea or milk.  It was only recently when the postings on my facebook persuaded me to try one of the food, or rather drink, craze right now- milk tea! To catch up with all the milk teas I missed ever since its conception, I went the rounds to trying all the milk tea stands and stalls in a mall near my house.

So let me share with you my own take on the milk teas I have tasted so far: 

1. Bubbatealicious

photo credit:  http://ph.openrice.com/manila/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=18436

This brand of milk tea is my favorite. Their milk teas are sweeter compared to other brands. And cheaper too! I've tried all their milk tea flavors and the best for me is the Caramel Milk Tea. 

Just an advice, their blueberry and strawberry milk teas don't taste that good. They resemble the taste of medicines- kinda sour and artificial. They also don't have the infamous wintermelon milk tea yet. 

Location: SM Fairview, 2F Annex Bldg. 

2. Tearrific

photo credit: http://jillianisyourfriend.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/check-it-tea-riffic/

I've tasted Tearrific's wintermelon milk tea. The taste is smooth with enough pearls. A regular-sized tea is about P55. Nothing really unique to set it apart from other brands. Just be careful when holding it since the container seems more "crushable" than other brand. 

Location: SM Faiview, 2F Main Building near Max's Restaurant

3. Happy Lemon

photo credit: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2010/12/happy-lemon-manila.html

Sorry for those who adore Happy Lemon, I think their milk teas taste a bit bland. The pearls are also bland and small compared to other brands. It's like there's more water and it's not that thick. But for some reason, there's always a long queue in their stall in Trinoma. (It must be me who's having a problem with taste buds!). Also, their milk teas are more expensive than other brands. I think the cheapest you can buy is about P85- the milk tea with black pearls. 

Just an advice, brace yourself for waiting esp. on weekends. 

Location: Trinoma Mall, 3F near the Cinema

4. Tea Tattle 

photo credit: http://jennyandjessie.blogspot.com/2012/03/tea-tattle-sm-fairview.html

This brand is also one of my favorites. (I think my second in the list. hehehe!) I only tasted their creme teas. My favorite is the Tattler's Choice Milk Tea. The milk is creamier and the taste of tea blends smoothly with the taste of milk. There's also plenty of pearls- no need for additional ones. It's also relatively cheaper than other brands. Cheapest is P60 for 12 ounces. 

Location: SM Fairview, UG across Goldilocks

5. Cha Dao Tea Place

photo credit: http://taraletseat.blogspot.com/2012/02/cha-dao-tea-place-sm-fairview.html

I simply don't like the taste of their tea esp. if it's mixed with egg white. For me, their milk teas taste like medicines- tolerable to some extent but not something you'd choose to taste. I actually did not finish my milk 

Location: SM Fairview, LG Annex Bldg. 

So there's my initial list of milk tea brands. I'll have another round of tasting other milk tea brands! 

Dinner Cruise along Manila Bay

For my 26th birthday, my boyfriend treated me to a dinner cruise along Manila Bay. We availed the package offered by Sun Cruises. There's another company offering the same package- Prestige Cruises.

The yachts for the dinner cruise are docked behind the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The easiest way to get there is if you have your own ride. For our part, we hired a cab from SM Manila to CCP Complex. With light traffic, the ride cost P90.00. There are also some jeepneys from Taft that pass through CCP Complex.

docked ship for dinner cruise

Sun Cruises prefer prior reservations but they also welcome walk-ins as long as there are available spaces. It's a good thing that it was a Thursday when we had the cruise. There were less people and we're all in the upper deck. For peak seasons, try to arrive early so you can choose your place. The cost of the cruise is P550 per pax.

The best things about the cruise are the view and the experience itself. For more than an hour, you get a good glimpse of the Manila Bay shores- the buildings, the ships and the sunset. The trip starts from CCP to SM Mall of Asia. 

before the dinner

staring at the sunset

They have daily trips from 4:30 to 10:00 pm. They have three trips. If you're sailing to see the sunset, board the 4:30 trip. But I think the best time to sail is their second trip, 6:30 pm because it's just right for dinner with the darkness and light playing hide and seek. The third one is rather late but best for a romantic ambiance scheduled at 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

view from the deck

sunset view from the deck

There's also live entertainment.

As for the food, it's a big disappointment. We were served with a salty watery bowl of soup, a plate with a cold cup of rice and two dishes. There was also a small serving of gulaman dessert. The worst thing is, drinks are not included. WTH! When is a dinner served without drinks?

The seamen aboard the cruise were friendly and helpful. Ironically, the waiters were not so friendly. They did not offer a welcoming smile. While eating, we also heard them talking about the guests aboard the ship. Tsk, tsk bad manners!

So in conclusion, it was a good experience for a first-timer with a few downsides that did not necessarily spoil the fun!

taking a shot on the open deck

 

Dining at Tagaytay

I am not a food connoisseur. My cooking abilities are also limited. I see food as a fuel for the body. As long as the food being served to me is not spoiled and doesn't smell (or taste) unusual, I'll definitely eat it. When I eat out, I prefer the ambiance of the place more than the taste of food. With these limitations laid out, this blog entry is just an attempt to describe my gastronomic experience during my recent trip in Tagaytay. 

I don't know how to exactly start this entry. I'll just say that these were the places where we, my boyfriend and I, ate during our recent Tagaytay trip.

1. Alamat Restaurant

Alamat Restaurant can be found inside Picnic Grove. We ate here because this is the only restaurant inside the grounds. You can find it upon walking up the path from the entrance gate. There are indoor and outdoor tables. We ate outside because there were no more spaces inside. Place was relatively clean. However, there were a few flies because our table was situated outside and there were plants around.

Kare-kare at Alamat Restaurant, Tagaytay

Smoked fish (tilapia) at Alamat Restaurant, Tagaytay

Service was slow once they get our orders. We had to wait for about 20 minutes before our food was served. We just ordered 2 dishes and the place was not full with people. My boyfriend had to ask three times for water before it was served.

We ordered kare-kare and inihaw na tilapia or smoked fish. The fish was cooked just right to our taste- crispy on the outside and well-cooked in the inside. But the kare-kare was a different thing, It's just okay. It tasted a bit sweet. The sauce was not thick enough.

For 2 dishes and 3 servings of rice, we paid for around P390.

Recommendation: If it's not a hassle on your part, bring your own food if you're planning to have lunch at Picnic Grove. It's better to pay a picnic shed or table overlooking Taal than dine here. First, the place doesn't overlook the lake. Second, the air is cooler in the picnic area than dining out in Alamat Restaurant.

2. Pamana Restaurant

The only reason why I'd like to eat here was the because of the place's ambiance. It's also nearer where we stayed than the other well-known restaurants in the area. Pamana is located along the road going to Nasugbu. From Tagaytay Rotunda, it's about 5 minutes away and can be seen on the left side. The location of the place is strategic to give you a good view of Taal Lake. The place itself is luxuriously homey. I think the place was a rest house before it was converted into a restaurant. We ate on the second floor. Good thing that there were only a few patrons because the place is cramped. The chairs and tables are antique in style. We would like to be placed in the balcony area but due to mist and drizzle, we were advised to eat inside.

BULALO at Pamana Restaurant, Tagaytay

As for the service, the staff was friendly and as prompt as they can be. They also accommodated us when we requested to see the third floor which was also closed due to the weather.

We just ordered Bulalo, a type of beef stew, a bowl of rice and a pitcher of iced tea. The bulalo was good for 5 to 6. It tasted good enough. I just hoped they put some corn in it. The bowl of rice was good for two people who eats moderately. In short, the rice serving won't really fill you. The iced tea tasted like a Nestea. I had no problems with the taste but for ordinary-tasting food (and drink), I was disappointed to be paying around P950!

Pamana Restaurant facade

Recommendation: Dine here for breakfast, lunch or early dinner so you can see Taal Lake. Don't look at the food prices at face value. The prices listed there were exclusive of VAT. They also have service charge. Don't dine if you're on a budget. Maybe have a drink instead of a full meal. Enjoy the ambiance!

3. Java Jazz

Java Jazz is located near Ina ng Laging Saklolo Church. It is about 5 to 10 minutes away from Tagaytay Rotunda along the road leading to Picnic Grove. Originally, we planned to have a late night drink of hot choco and coffee. But because of the bulalo we ate at Pamana, we reserved eating at this place for our lunch the next day. The place is like an artist's haven. Several paintings are displayed around the  area. We ate on the mat ala Japanese style. There were cute tables and chairs too. The place was soothing and relaxing esp. with the Jazz music being played.

Artworks  at Java Jazz, Tagaytay

Service is quite slow. I wasn't sure why since we were the only customers at that time. We waited for almost half an hour for a plate of spaghetti and a plate of fried bangus, egg and rice. (Yes, their menu is very varied.)
Actually, even when we asked for our tab, we waited for about 10 minutes.

Hot Choco with Marshmallows at Java Jazz, Tagaytay

Tsokolat-Ah! at Java Jazz, Tagaytay

 As  for the food, they were average. Nothing really special. But their hot chocolate were something else. I ordered Tsokolat-Ah! It was a perfect blend of sweetness and bitterness. So far, theirs was the best-tasting hot choco that I have tasted and this is considering that I always try hot chocos and coffee whenever I travel. I also tried hot chocos from various cafes in the metro. My boyfriend ordered hot choco with marshmallows. It was also good but with a candy-like aftertaste because of the marshes.

All in all, we paid P480.

Recommendation: Go here at night. No need to order food but try their hot chocos. The place is good for conversation! 

One thing I have learned when dining in Tagaytay was not to see the food prices at face value. VAT was always not included in their prices. At least, here in the restos that we tried. They also have service charge which I have nothing against of but they should inform their customers about through the menu. It's like they have hidden charges. Also, try these places for the ambiance and experience. No need to expect too much about the food. At least, this is my opinion.