Maru's Food Lounge: Mamburao's Hidden Gem

It's been a while since I posted on this blog but this place is really blogworthy.

A place I visited three days in a row.

For those who will be passing by or staying in Mamburao, this the ONLY place that is a must-try.

It was my first time to go to Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro and honestly, I am totally clueless about the place and blog posts about the place is really a handful. Normally, when I go to a place for the first time, I check online the what-to-do's of a place so that's where I came across of Maru's. It has a FB page and few reviews from blogs, good reviews actually. I put it on my almost non-existent list of where-to's in Mamburao.

I went there for lunch. I think I was lucky that the tricycle driver knew of the place because it seems that many locals are not aware of Maru's.

When I alighted the tricycle, dogs greeted me and yeah. I have a great fear of dogs. bad sign? and there was an overgrowth of grass around the parking area of the restaurant. I initially thought that this resto has closed down already but on a second thought, I just read on their FB page a Happy Father's Day post so no. I straighten up, walk straight into the resto but there is no one at the counter, at the bar and no one is dining. uh-oh! Good thing a couple went in rang the bell at the counter and voila! a lady appeared from the backroom. lesson learned: a bell always has a purpose.

I ordered a Burger Overload, Crisscut Fries and Pink Frostie Cooler. bestsellers.

After ordering, I check around the resto and found some interesting stuff.

interesting porch.

CLOSER LOOK: CORALS!

the alfresco area with a classy and cozy beach hut vibe.

Then jazz/lounge music started playing from the speakers. The music completed the vibe. The acoustics was nice. really nice. I actually sat in a spot where you can fully appreciate the music.

After a while, the crisscut fries was served together with the Pink Frostie. I was sold with the presentation alone. After 2 pictures, my burger was served. Boy! I didn't expect it to be that big.

crisscut fries and pink frostie

my pretty lunch.

For the taste, I was really blown away by the crisscut fries. The fries itself was nice, crispy and seasoned well but what took it a notch higher was the dip. it's like a ranch but has an oooooomph! in it. I promise that I can eat their crisscut fries forever.

The Burger Overload was surprisingly good too. It looked really uninspiring at first because of the bulky bun. I didn't even know how to eat that monster. No wonder the burger was served with a knife and fork. Basically, the Burger Overload is a double cheeseburger with mushrooms and egg and for 98 pesos. It's a steal!

The Pink Frostie was very refreshing. It's a mix of strawberry and some fruit I can't pinpoint topped with cream and shaved ice.

I finished everything even the plate and it just costed me P200!

I was fortunate to meet the manager, Miss Evianne and gave me their printed menu. They deliver within the town proper by the way.

The following day, I texted the number on the menu at 10AM for an advance order. I wanted to try the Fricassee, the Lasagna and the Banana Crepe. At 12nn, I went to the restaurant and Ms. Evianne greeted me and ushered me on the same table I ate. I ordered the Orange Twist Cooler for my drink.

My orders did not take long since I ordered in advance. good thinking. The Fricassee was served first. I was actually expecting a glazed chicken with a cream sauce but no. Maru's Fricassee looks similar to a pastel or an ala king. Eventually, my order was complete. Ms. Evianne sat with me and told me she feels bad when she sees someone eating alone so she asked if she can be a company and have a little chit-chat. Really nice.

Chicken Fricassee and Orange Twist

Lasagna and Banana Crepe

Maru's Fricassee is a piece of heaven. I love cream based dishes and this was the fairest of them all. The Lasagna was spot on. I hate lasagna with soggy or thick noodles. Theirs is al dente. The sauce is well blended. not too sour, not too sweet. just awesome goodness. They run out of banana so they offered me a Mango Crepe instead. Better! If they'll just put a cream and a mango syrup on it it will be marvelous but nonetheless the crepe was divine. The Orange Twist is a revelation. Banana and Orange topped with cream/milk and ice. who knew right?

While eating, she shared stories, trivia and plans for their restaurant. I learned that the restaurant and the food was all conceptualized and built by Mrs. Tejada, former Tourism Officer of Mamburao with the help of her daughter, Evianne. Take note, the owner doesn't have any formal training in the culinary arts, only an adventurous and creative mind. Their menu is different from the usual in Mamburao. NO PANCIT, LOMI and SILOG meals here y'all. A restaurant that is truly Mamburao's. The Fricassee was an heirloom recipe and was once served only during special occasions. The Pink Frostie was actually a concoction of apple and strawberry. The Mambu-Rice was created to be a Mamburao signature and this and that. I also met Mrs. Tejada when I was about to leave. What I am excited about is their plans to have an accomodation within their property at the beachfront! 

For my last day at Mamburao, I decided to spend the afternoon at Maru's and watch the sunset at their beachfront. I ordered the Mambu-rice, Crisscut Fries and Perk. The Perk was served first. I'm a chocoholic and this one is a choco and coffee infusion cooler. Just one sip and I'm in heaven and it's only 38 pesos. Beat that Starbucks! This is my drink. I didn't even noticed that I finished the drink even before my food orders came so I ordered another one. Yeah! It's that good. The Mambu-Rice was served next and it I was surprised it has a fried chicken on the side. I don't remember I ordered chicken. Oh well. Maybe this is free. Just a waft of the rice, you know it will be good. Well, it's not good. It's out-of-this-worldly good. If there is a word beyond wow that's how I can describe the Mambu-Rice. Those moments you can't help but close your eyes and feel the burst of flavor in your mouth. At first glance, it looks like a Chao Fan from Chowking with the ham and bacon bits but I tell you this is the BEST mixed rice. ever. It's so flavorful and has this different dimension that you can't possibly explain and that was just the Mambu-Rice. The fried chicken was just as flavorful. A match made in heaven. The dish was served again with their zingy/tangy side dish. Tried to combine the Mambu rice, the chicken and the side dish in one spoonful. I'm beyond speechless. For the, Crisscut Fries, I finished it in a minute. sooooo sooooo goood!

PERK. Yep. the other glass was also mine.

Mambu-Rice and Fried Chicken.

lanterns and their signature white fence.

While eating, Evianne or Beanne sat with me again and told me that the Mambu-Rice was on the house. W-O-W! After I finished eating my meal, she gave me a Pudding as a token of appreciation. I was already happy with the free Mambu-Rice and another treat? Happiness! It was sooo good that I didn't even bother to take a picture of it. I just quipped to her "You are so unfair, bakit walang hindi masarap dito?"  Wait. Did I mention that their food is really good? yeah. ok.   

After eating, I got the chance to have a glimpse of their beachfront but wasn't able to linger longer because the rain poured so I just had a chat with Tita Elma and Beanne (feeling close?) about the restaurant, Mamburao, future plans and bit of this and that. At that point, I realized that I never been this attached to a restaurant. I felt welcomed. I felt home. If you'll get the chance to talk with them you'll discover why. A reason to come back to the sleeping capital.

TRIVIA: MAMBU-RICE is MAMBU-RICE not just because of the namesake. Ask Tita Elma and you'll see that it is really Mamburao's very own. :)

For me, this IS the best restaurant in Mindoro outside Metro Manila. Considering the stellar food quality that won't cost an arm, a place near the sea with the perfect music and cozy ambiance. Thanks to the resourceful, innovative and out-of-the-box mind of Mrs. Tejada, Mamburao has a place that is extremely worth raving about. 


Maru's Food Lounge
Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro
09267556833

GONG CHA: ROYAL TEA?

Previously, on my Milk Tea Battle post, I didn't like the drink that I had at Gong Cha-Megamall which is an Earl Gray house special. I felt that I should give it another try and I should try other drinks and my favorite in particular, Caramel Milk Tea.

Today, I found myself wandering around Glorietta. After, a quick fix at Jollibee, yeah that's where I end up when I can't choose where to eat, I started to wander around again. earlier this day,I told myself that I should take a break of having milk tea when I'm going out but as a crazed milk tea fan. I couldn't help it so i gave in. 3 tea shops came to my mind. Serenitea, a branch just opened at Greenbelt 3 but I was in Glorietta, I didn't feel like walking so not Serenitea this time. Second, Chatime, I walked towards Landmark and behold, a mega queue. Ok,not Chatime. So leaving Gong Cha as my only option. In thought that it's Gong Cha's time to redeem itself to me.

Gong Cha-glorietta branch is located at the Food Choices at Glorietta 4. The line is not too long. My turn came, I ordered for a large Caramel Milk Tea, Full sugar, no toppings for 90 pesos. Not bad. In a couple of minutes, my drink is served. Fast service, I'm impressed.

First sip.... (no reaction)

No reaction. Unlike on other tea shops, on the first sip, i'm already smiling widely but this time I had to have the second,third,fourth sip just to feel the drink. Honestly, i didn't enjoy it. The taste is so lacking. The milk overpowered the tea and there is something wrong with the sweetness. It's just milk and caramel. I feel cheated, Sai Bachi's 59 peso Caramel Milk Tea is way better than this. I can't taste any hint of the tea at all. Where's the royalty in this? I asked myself.

Good for them, that I am waiting for someone, that I have to endure and keep the drink so I can stay at the Food Choices. Eventually, I didn't finish it and I just carried it around Glorietta with no pride at all. I should have endured the line in Chatime instead and have a trusted milk tea there.

But for now, I don't know if I'll have a Gong Cha milk tea. Even my excitement for the opening of the Alabang Town Center branch is gone. I haven't tried their Ice Cream Tea though. It sounds interesting. I hope it's good. Maybe, just maybe, I'll give it a try some time.

Gong Cha: tea fit for the royalty? Maybe there isn't even a drop of royal blood in my system that's why I can't appreciate it but for those people with royal blood out there I think you can give it a shot. Maybe you'll like it. :)

SAIBACHI: new found favorite milk tea

Milk Tea!

I really can't get over it.

Tea shops are already sprouting out everywhere in the Metro. Like here in the South, almost all bigtime tea shop are already putting shop here. Serenitea has been here for a while, Chatime recently opened its ATC branch and soon enough Gong Cha will be opening too. Still hoping that my favorite,Moonleaf would find its way here.

Currently, the price of a precious milk tea is more or less a 100 pesos. For the elites and well-off, this is heaven compared to sky-high prices of those fancy coffee drinks which is around 150 but for thriving people like me, its quite something. For a 100 pesos, you could actually have 2 orders of Chicken fillet meal at McDo at this price. So, I was on this quest to find an affordable yet quality milk tea.

Sai Bachi 3rd floor Kiosk

Fortunately, I don't need to look far because I found one in my very own city. My little piece of heaven. Located at the 3rd floor of Festival Supermall near X-site is a kiosk named SAI BACHI. Sai Bachi started as a casual Japanese restaurant at the ground floor of the same mall serving good tempura, sukiyaki and sushi. Eventually, they opened a take-out counter which sold tempura, prawn balls and their best selling Takoyaki. Yes, Takoyaki, as far as I remember they started the Takoyaki craze at Festivall Mall. Because of the increasing public demand for their yummy Takoyaki they opened a kiosk that exclusively sell Takoyaki. Now, due to the unquestionable popularity for Milk Tea, I think they decided to join the band wagon but the question is can they compete with those big shot tea shop?

yummy takoyaki

The SAI BACHI kiosk is very unassuming like what you expect to see on a stall selling mall-quality streetfood. Actually, I laughed when I saw that SAI BACHI is already selling cheap Milk Teas. A rundown copycat of Serenitea and Moonleaf, I thought. So I kept on ignoring it until one day, I was extremely and desperately craving for a Caramel Milk Tea. I was at Festival Mall that time, when I first tried it. It's the same day I ate at My Thai Kitchen, where I also had a glass of Thai Milk Tea.

drink sizes (M,L,XL)

Yeah, I was desperately craving for a milk tea, so I decided to give it a try. Note that at this time Sai Bachi is the ONLY store selling Milk tea at Festival Mall so I have no choice. The menu for their Milk Tea is very simple,straightforward,readable from a distance (not microscopic, ehem). The best flavors that I want is present on their list. All you have to do is choose your flavor and size (M,L,XL). No sugar level, no ice level, no sinkers/toppings (they only have pearls) or whatsoever to choose from which I personally like. I ordered a large Toffee Caramel with no pearls. I had low expectations for this drink, may be it would be just be milk with a hint of sweetness so you can say it's Toffee Caramel or maybe they have powdered milk tea flavors already but seeing the staff who was making my drink, who made it from scratch. That was actually my first time to see how a milk tea is made. My drink was done in a jiffy which is so unusual. I am used on waiting for 5-10 minutes on other tea shops.

The cup is bare, no labels,stickers,handwritings and designs. They wouldn't even get your name. Ok, enough with the rants. Of course what would you expect for a 45 peso drink which is half the price of those big shot tea shops.

First sip, WOAH! O_O

It's unbelievable. That taste is awesome. Is it really only 45 pesos? It's very awesome. The perfect combination of Black Tea and Milk plus the rich sweetness of the Toffee Caramel. Truly a flavor burst. It exceeded my expectations for its price. Its taste is comparable to Serenitea or even better. It is so good I finished it in 2 long sips.

Few days after, I realized that maybe I'm just craving for a milk tea desperately that day that's why I truly liked it. I have to confirm so I tried it again, the same flavor but now on XL. It's still pure awesomeness. I promised myself that day that I will try all their flavors so I kept coming back. So far my favorite is Wintermelon and Black Sugar. They also have fruit teas. I already tried the Passionfruit Green Tea and it has the same awesomeness of their milk teas.

By the way, as of the moment, they already have a competition around the corner. I forgot the name but it's price is way higher than Sai Bachi. So for identity sake, Sai Bachi added their name on their cups which I proudly display while walking on the mall. I'm their free walking endorser without their knowledge. I'm even putting it here in my teeny-weeny blog.

I just hope that they can maintain the quality (awesomeness) and low price of their drinks. This is their edge among their competitors. say what ROYAL TEAS?

*DISCLAIMER: I'M NOT PAID OR AFFILIATED TO SAI BACHI AND IT'S MANAGEMENT I'M JUST AN EXTREMELY SATISFIED CUSTOMER :)

My Thai Kitchen - Festival Mall

I was running errands for our balikbayans earlier this afternoon at Festival Mall when my dear tummy started to protest. So I started to roam around and find a dining place. First, I checked Stavros, a Medi resto, maybe to have a Chicken gyros but no one is eating so I skipped. I still have to try Stavros' though. Next stop, Wendy's, for a Baconator, but I don't feel eating a burger that time. So I went back to Chef's Avenue and saw this newly opened restaurant that replaced Tia Maria's. It is now Pho Hoa and My Thai Kitchen. Interesting.. Thai + Vietnamese cuisine in one place.

MY THAI KITCHEN/PHO HOA

I went in and sat in a booth. Two menus were given by the ordertaker, one for My Thai Kitchen and one for Pho Hoa. I browsed the menu of Pho Hoa, nothing caught my interest and I don't feel like eating noodle soup that moment so I skipped to the Thai Menu. I liked the choices on the Thai menu, all my favorites are in there. I was torn between ordering Pad Thai and Bagoong Fried Rice. I chose chicken Pad thai and Thai milk tea.

While waiting for my order to come, I can't help but to notice the restaurant's interior and finishings.

pink and green chairs.

girly accents.

file drawers anyone?

The restaurant doesn't have that feel of an Asian or Oriental restaurant. It's more of a design you would expect in a store that sell cupcakes.

Pad Thai (P210) and Thai Milk Tea (P90)

My Thai Milk tea arrived first. It was really good and refreshing. I would have this again. Blame it on my milk tea addiction. The flavors of tea and milk is balanced. There's this fragrant aftertaste but it's not overwhelming and actually add to the good drink experience. After playing 2 games with 500,000 score on Temple Run, my Pad Thai arrived. It is served with lemon and chili on the side. It looks promising enough. For the taste, it's OK but it's a bit oily for my taste. I believe that a perfect pad thai should have a perfect balance between the sweet,salty,sour and spicy and mine is a bit too salty and for P210, I already had cheaper but yummy Pad Thai so I expected more on serving size and quality for this one. I am so disappointed that I wasn't able to finish my order so I just decided to have dessert. I ordered Thai Sticky Rice with Mangoes.

Khao Neeo Mamuang /Thai Sticky Rice with Mangoes and Ice Cream (P110)

This was the bomb! This compensated for my Pad Thai. I love the sweet and salty taste of the sticky rice which was complimented by the coconut cream and the vanilla ice cream. The mango is not really sweet but it adds to the flavor explosion on my mouth. The waiter even noticed asked if I liked it and I answered "Opo! soooooobra!" and he was all smiles after that.

Generally, I like the restaurant. Foods are a bit pricey but would definitely come back to try their Bagoong Rice, Tom Yum, their Vietnamese food and of course more sticky rice. Great start!

Chewy Junior

While I was chatting with a relative on Facebook and debating about Happy Lemon.

Suddenly..

relative: aww...wait lng, natikman mo na chewy juniors?

Jay: ndi pa. nu yun?
relative: ntikman ko un sa sg. sobrang naadik ako
Jay: nu ba yun?
relative: tpos meron pla sa trinoma at glorietta/greenbelt ata, pinagdadala ako lagi nung friend ko. ang sarap tlgaaa. haha. famous un sa sg
Jay: ano nga kasi yun? hehe. brownie ba yan? toffee ba yan?
relative: dko maexplain, hahaha. basta me filling tpos chewy sya
Jay: ahhh parang cream puff
relative: yup. ang sarap talaga. haha
Jay: though chewy. pasuspense ka naman kasi. tininingnan ko na website nila.
relative: try mo minsan tpos msg mo sakin kung ngustuhan mo


This conversation sparked my curiosity about this Chewy Junior since i loooooove cream puffs. I just love munching those pastry.


The other day, our balikbayans asked us to accompany them in Mall of Asia. Just a random thought, a balikbayan's balikbayan trip wouldn't be complete without visiting MOA.We strolled around the mall to find knick knacks and typical balikbayan finds. We then ate luglug, sisig and Halo-Halo at Razon's. Truly the best halo-halo in my opinion.

We continued our shopping, I came across with this store with oh-so-attractive looking pastries displayed on the window. It's Chewy Junior! I hurriedly went inside and can't help but adore those pastries. I almost literally drooled. Bought a box of 3. 2 chocolates and 1 cream cheese. We just checked the Department Store for finds then went to visit my cousin's place. When we arrived home, I went straight to the dining table so my cousin and I can try those precious puffs. Funny, it has eating instructions on the box.

ooh! eating instructions!*open box.marvel.stare.grab a piece.marvel.bite*

"Uhmmmmmmmm..."

That is the sound I made while I had my first bite of my chocolate chewy junior. It's like your biting a rubber. I'm wondering if this the reason why they call this "Chewy" It is really messy and hard to eat.

The taste? It is not that sweet. the dough is OK. The filling is just right. Too bad for those with sweet tooth like me. Except that it is rubbery, i mean chewy, there's really nothing special about the cream puff. I think it's not really the one you'll crave for every now and then but I like the novelty of it.

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The Battle of the Milk Tea Giants

Growing up I was never a fan of drinking tea well except for that all sugar Nestea.

My family and I love to eat at Chinese restaurants but I never liked the complimentary tea that comes before the meal. All I know that tea is just for the older people only.

Milk Tea? This is worse. I really don't like drinking milk alone and can't really even imagine the taste of it when blended it with tea. All I remember is that I swore that I would never have Milk Tea again after I had my awful glass of Nai Cha at Chowking. It tasted so off. It's like I'm drinking cough medicine.

My perception for MILK TEA changed when we had a vacation trip to Singapore last year.

the sidewalk teashop at Lau Pa Sat

While having satay dinner at Lau Pa Sat, my cousin pointed to a guy doing something interesting. My cousin said that the guy is "pulling" the drink so the milk and tea would mix well. She said it was good so I happily obliged. What's a trip without trying local stuff right?

AMAZING! :)

After that first sip of Iced Teh Tarik (Tea+Condensed Milk), ah, i'm in heaven! i never thought that milk tea could be that could. After that, I always wanted to have a cup of Teh Tarik everywhere we go in Singapore even in Kuala Lumpur. I already saw Gong Cha and Chatime there but I'm so into Teh Tarik that time and they don't sell Teh Tarik so I didn't mind them that time. All I know is that they sell milk tea and Singaporeans and Malaysians are patiently waiting in long lines just to have a cup of those drinks.

Back in the Philippines, I finally noticed the Serenitea in Alabang Town Center which I was always ignoring before. I realized that it continuously draw long queue of people and all I would hear from them is "Okinawa or Hokkaido?" To satisfy our curiosity, my cousin and I fell in line and on our turn we simply said "one large Hokkaido and one large Okinawa " and the crew asked "Your sugar level? you sinker?"...Sugar level? Sinker? wait.. what? Funny because I initially thought that she is asking about my blood sugar level. So I just chose Nata for my Hokkaido and Pearl for my cousin's Okinawa. After a while, my name is called and finally I would taste my first Milk Tea *shake.insert straw.sip......ahhhhh* I'm officially a crazed Milk Tea Fan.

As a crazed milk tea fan, I swore to taste ALL the milk tea i would see if i could. So here's a rundown of the Tea Shop I already went to and my comments on their shop and their drink that i had.

SERENITEA

my first.

A local tea shop. What I liked about Serenitea is the variety of drinks they have on their menu. They use different kinds of tea like Assam, Black, Earl Gray, Green Tea etc. You can adjust the sweetness level. from No Sugar (0) to Full (100%). You get 1 free sinker for your drink. They have Pearls, Crystals, Pudding, Bricks. For my milk tea, I prefer pudding or none at all. For the taste, the taste of milk and the tea is perfectly balanced. No aftertaste from the tea at all which I like. So I keep coming back for more and particularly love the Nagoya and Choco Milk Tea.

CHATIME

An international Brand. I mentioned earlier that I already saw Chatime in Malaysia and Singapore and soon I learned that they already had branches here in Manila. The first one I saw was their branch at Landmark Makati. I went at around 7:00pm and they were out of stock

already. yes. they are that popular. Few weeks later, I visited MoA and lo and behold it's Chatime-MoA's opening day. I excitedly went in and the extremely friendly crew assisted me on

ordering. I had a large Chatime Milk Tea with Egg Pudding 100% sugar 100% ice. Yes. Ice. You can adjust the amount of ice on your drink from No Ice to Full Ice. With Chatime, there is this modernal oriental vibe on there concept. All tea choices are oriental like Green Tea and Jasmine.

Other then tea and milk tea, they offer coffee and juices on their menu. Another cool stuff in Chatime is this queue disc. You'll be given this disc upon ordering and when it lights and vibrate

s, your order is ready on the counter. For the taste, similar with Serenitea, the taste of milk and

tea is perfectly balanced. No aftertaste from the tea. Well, except for that jasmine milk tea and its floral aftertaste.

MOONLEAF

The no frills tea shop.

The menu is simple. The chairs and tables are white and basic. Reasonable prices. Ordering is simple. No more sugar and ice levels to bother with and toppings/sinkers are even optional.

Nothing is over the top. The concept is fit for college students and young professionals. I already lowered my expectations when I set foot on their shop near UST. I already expected that all I would taste on the drink is the milk. I was wrong! I tried the Peppermint Milk Tea and the taste is awesome. The sweetness is awesome and the balance between the milk and tea is perfect. The amount of ice on their drinks is a bit much though. On a trip to Manila, I went back to Moonleaf, this time, at their St. Thomas Square branch. I ordered Caramel Milk Tea. My best drink ever! I just noticed that the store seemed to be battered looking compared to the one near UST. The service is very nice though.

GONG CHA

at the Megamall branch

my Earl Gray House Special Tea

The royalty. This store is already known all over Asia for their best quality drinks. There is no Gong Cha store here in the South yet but i saw that their branch in Alabang Town Center is opening soon though. During my trip to Manila recently, i decided to have a Milk Tea trip. Where my goal is to try a drink on major known teas shops around the Metro. My first one, was Moonleaf in St. Thomas Square. Then, I took an FX going to Megamall to try 2 more.

First stop, Gong Cha. I had high expectations for this shop but to my surprise their Megamall branch is just a kiosk at middle of the Atrium. No chairs and tables for customers and worse, a long, long line. I decided to try an iced regular Earl Gray House Special without any toppings. Like Serenitea, you got to choose, the sugar level and toppings for your drink. I was amused that there is even a drinking instruction for the House Specials. So I willingly followed it. First, remove the lid and sip the frothy cream. Second, insert the straw and take the first sip of the tea. Lastly, mix the drink using the straw and enjoy. To my disappointment, i didn't enjoy it. Their cream is yummy but the tea is too strong for my taste. Even after I finished my drink and started to walk going to my next stop I could still taste the tea on my mouth. Maybe that's the best quality they are talking about. Next time, I think I should try the Milk Tea and Ice Cream Tea variants and avoid the House Specials already.

HAPPY LEMON.

Happy Lemon- Megamall

my Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese

Yummiest Drinks?

Second stop in Megamall for my Milk Tea Drink trip. After my disappointment on my Gong Cha drink, I just thought that maybe Happy Lemon would make me happy. As i stepped inside the store, i can't help but to notice that it really has a positive and happy vibe. Maybe, the line is shorter here, the crew are like smileys or the drinkers are so happy while they are enjoying their drinks. I ordered a regular Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese since I heard that this is the reason why Happy Lemon is so famous. When my name was called, I got my drink and I excitedly put my straw and mixed my drink. Again, to my disappointment, I almost my puked my drink. I really didn't like it. The tea is overwhelmingly fragrant, the cheese tastes weird and the salt made it weirder. I didn't even finish my drink, I think I just had two sips and that's it. I just said I would try more conservative flavors next time like a simple milk tea perhaps. So, during a shopping trip at Greenhills, I went to the Promenade and went to Happy Lemon's branch there. I had Cocoa Milk Tea with Puffed Cream. I can say that this is better than the last but still the flavor of the tea is overwhelming. I noticed that their large cup is smaller than the rest. Next time, I would try their Lemon series.

At the time of writing, MoonLeaf is the runaway winner for me for this Milk tea battle. I am hoping for a nearer branch here at the South though.

RANKING as of Feb 2, 2012*

1. Moonleaf

2. Serenitea

3. Chatime

4. Gong Cha

5. Happy Lemon

*ranking may change subjectively :))