My Newest Addiction :D

40+ days of no milk tea. It's been one of my "sacrifices" for Lent for the past few years. In case you missed a previous post, I am a milk tea addict.

It used to be that we had to make sure we would be able to get our milk tea fix for the week. Our (me and my sister) favorite has always been Happy Lemon's Pearl Milk Tea. Though comparatively speaking, the PMTs here (as we fondly call it) are no match for the ones we had in Hongkong. The local version seems "watered down" and lacks the richness that the Hongkong version has. Since it's the closest to what we've been looking for, we have to settle for it.

These days, it's like we're being taunted. It's almost ironic that we've been going to places where there is a Happy Lemon, when we can't have our milk tea fix! *sigh*

Anyway, since I haven't been able to get my usual fix, I needed to find a suitable substitute. It would be for the days when I need a pick-me-up. I've tried many drinks, from Gluteany's Lemon Yakult, to different types of teas in different places. As of my last count, there are now 11 tea places in and around the Banawe area alone. There's only 1 place so far that we haven't tried. So you could say that I've done my research.

One drink that I've come to like is Gluteany's RSC (Rock Salt & Cheese) with Black Tea. My first taste of RSC is from Happy Lemon, but I find that the RSC Cocoa Mix is just too rich and a bit too sinful as well. Plus, the last two times I had them, I wasn't happy with the drinks. Consistency has always been Happy Lemon's problem for me, and this time, it's the same thing. Their other options (Green Tea & Coffee) don't sound to appealing to me either. Gluteany's RSC, on the other hand, lacks the sweetness that Happy Lemon's RSC had. It's like they forgot to add in the sweetener to the mix. The 3rd time I tried an RSC-type of drink was in Gong Cha. I've tried Gong Cha before, but I only tried their milk teas. I didn't really know they had that type of drink. But theirs is called Milk Cream instead of RSC. So one time, I finally got to try their version. Gong Cha Milk Black Tea. I liked it immediately. But Gong Cha isn't as near. So the chance to get my fix wasn't as often as I would like. When needed, I settled for Gluteany, but it became clearer to me how much more I wanted Gong Cha's than theirs.

So in the past two weeks, I've been craving for Gong Cha. I had one two times last week. And once, so far, this week. I'm assuming the craving would die down as soon as Lent is over. When I could have milk teas again. I wonder, if given the choice, which would I pick?

at first glance

i'm not a fashionista. but i do appreciate fashion. 

the moment i stepped into the latest sensation that is forever 21, i felt like i was in a different country! i actually felt like i was back in the states! 

first: the size

can i just say, i was absolutely surprised at how big the whole store was. and it felt like there were racks upon racks of clothing left and right. and just when you thought you've managed to see everything, of course you'd be wrong. you missed something, a lot of somethings!

assortment

a basic line, loads of accessories, socks, wallets, fashion line which consisted of fashion forward items, dressier ones, some even bordering on punk, shoes, sandals and of course bags. it seems like a one-stop shop for every girl! and if a girl happens to bring along a date, specifically a guy, then he should be happy to know that there is a small section for them too!

price

one more surprise. i was actually expecting their items to be a lot more expensive. so imagine my reaction when i was browsing through some items and found out that they were actually quite reasonable. i wouldn't say they're cheap. but they aren't pricey either! i was eyeing a pair of flat gladiator sandals, the pair only costs 600 bucks! too bad it was a size too small! and i was told that it was the last pair. better luck next time i suppose?

all in all, i'd say forever 21 is definitely what the modern pinay needs. a fashion forward haven that won't break your bank! 

PS: they currently have three (3) branches now; SM Megamall, SM Makati and SM Cebu

PPS: thisentry was supposed to be posted more than a year and a half ago. it was supposed to be edited but then i forgot about it altogether! haha

Why Bubble Tea Lost Me As A Customer

I'm an eager trier. A foodie, in other words. While my palette isn't exactly very experienced or worldly, I'm often willing to try something new. So one time, I went ahead and tried Bubble Tea.

Their Royal Milk Tea actually tasted good for me. Not at all what I'm used to, it has a more milky texture but I didn't find their mixture "nakakaumay". I also love the mix of the medium and small sized pearls. At 80 pesos for their Large-sized drink (16oz), it was a bit pricier than the 40 pesos Ersao PMT which I'm used to, but I didn't mind.

A few months after my first taste of Bubble Tea, they announced a price increase. I was expecting maybe at the most, a 20-peso price increase, so I was shocked to learn that a 50% price increase was implemented! From 80 pesos, the royal milk tea is now 125 pesos! Which in my opinion, is way too much! After the price increase, I lost interest.

Weeks later, Awesome.ph had a deal. Pay only 99 pesos for 300 worth of GC. It was worth a try. Their food seemed good so I thought what the heck. So me and my sister bought 1 each.

The first GC, we used for drinks. The 2nd one, we used for dinner at a different time.

I ordered Yakiniku Beef Rice and my sister ordered Roasted Garlic Mushroom Cream Spaghetti. I also ordered Takoyaki.


Yakiniku Beef Rice
It wasn't bad actually. Just a little too sweet for me. Portions were enough too. 


Roasted Garlic Mushroom Cream Spaghetti
Not bad either. But a bit on the nakakaumay side. Which can be expected from cream-based pastas.


Takoyaki
This tasted weird for me. And it was quite pricey too.


Overall, the eating experience itself wasn't bad. But the day after our dinner, I got sick. I kept feeling like I wanted to throw up. And I did, many times that night. My sister got an upset stomach too. So we concluded that it was probably because of the Bubble Tea dinner. Soon after, a friend and her husband told us that they ate at a different branch and they felt that the food served wasn't fresh! Tsk tsk tsk...


The two (2) surest ways to lose my business are:
1. bad service
2. bad food that makes me sick, literally!


So, Goodbye Bubble Tea!