Is Honolulu Coffee Worth the Price? A Cafe Guide
I stopped by Honolulu Coffee today, the one located at 888 Nelson Street, tucked right...
Drinks
Truedan (JenJuDan) Bubble Tea
Truedan is a bubble tea shop, and to call themselves the master of brown sugar drinks is an overstatement. We go to Truedan for the 0.85cm bite-size bubble that they are proud of. These bubbles' selling point is the sweetness throughout, but I find them a little monotonous. The overpowering sweetness makes me thirsty after each sip, and I find the taste quite boring after the 3rd sip. It is fortunate that the store is flexible on the sweetness level because the normal sweetness is just too much. At $6.50 per cup, we do not recommend Truedan.
Minus Cake Boutique
Minus Cake Boutique makes really good cakes and drinks. Having a cake on top of the drink is a new concept we have not seen before. The combo makes cakes and drink cheaper by $0.50, but it is still very expensive. We would really recommend Minus Cake Boutique, but it is more of a place for special occasion rather than our default go-to cake shop.
toptable2u high-end restaurants delivery for your COVID-19 dine-in
We had a very good overall experience with TopTabl2U. Regardless of the heavy slash in price, the execution from ordering, delivery, and cooking instructions are all very simple and professionally done. Our delivery person was polite and punctual. He called me 5 minutes before arrival so I know what to expect. There was no unpleasant surprise and I assume this small detail reduces the potential delay for each of his delivery. The pre-processed ingredients are tasty and eliminated much of the time for cooking, which gives me confident and make my cooking experience quite pleasant. We would recommend TopTable2U to anyone who is unable to go to restaurants due to either COVID-19 or having young children at home.
L’OTUS Cake Boutique Burnaby
We have not had the chance to try their original location in Richmond, but L'OTUS Cake Boutique in Burnaby is such a pleasant surprise for us. Yes, the price is a little higher, but it's really worth the visit with all things considered. The atmosphere, service, and food quality are all at a superb level. We highly recommend L'OTUS Cake Boutique for anyone who hasn't tried it.
Mr Mustache Tea and Dessert in Burnaby
It was a little disappointing to see Mr. Mastache is making mistakes on the pearls, which is the most rudimentary part of a bubble tea shop. However, the quality of the cakes still cannot be ignored. The interior space feels very cozy, and the staffs are friendly. Mr. Mastache is not a low-cost spectrum among the bubble tea stores we have in Vancouver. I particularly like the fact that they are not part of any franchise, and they can really be a life-saver when someone needs to get a small-portioned cute little cake.
Song Tea Bubble Tea Franchise in Richmond
Song Tea did not meet my expectations. I assumed the popularity was gained through the quality of products, while in fact, it's just a trendy brand using cleverly named drinks to attract young people. Being a drink for $5.25, customers would definitely be expecting fresh milk and perhaps asking if small pearls are okay with the customer. For what it's worth, Song Tea failed in all aspects of our reviews. None of the atmosphere, service, food quality and the cost are worth the visit. I assume this place will soon go out of business.
Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hot Pot Burnaby
I think Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hot Pot carried their business culture to their new Burnaby location quite well. However, the solution to get 2 groups of two people sitting in a 4 person table was very poorly done. Gokudo Shabu Shabu is still the cheap alternative to a self cook hot pot, hence the constant line up in front. I would still come here for hot pot, but you are picky about your dining experience then Gokudo Shabu Shabu is not for you.
Ben Gong’s Tea in Burnaby
Ben Gong's Tea offers one of the best bubble tea you can get in Vancouver. Their revolutionary tea jelly cubes have balanced flavour between tea and sweetness. It adds a shot of tea's taste to the drink and offers an alternative for customers who don't want to have chewy textures in their drinks. The store has interesting decoration including an artificial tree and the staff strive to offer excellent service. With the use of fresh milk and carefully picked tea, the price for $5.45 (large) and $4.99 (small) is the lowest we have seen in the lower mainland. I would definitely recommend giving Ben Gong's Tea a try.