Oh you thought I was done talking about Melbourne?
Yeah so did I.
But! there are a lot (a lot) of international chains that have found homes in both Melbourne (this city I visited now a whole year ago wow) and Vancouver! And I never got to post some of these photos I took, so I thought I’d coalesce them here. Welcome to the Photo-Op Series, where I post pictures from too long a time ago to be able to match them with a relevant review!
Still, my memory of the cakes from Tsujiri in Richmond are dear and delicious. Though I unfortunately have yet to taste their parfaits, it’s on my list to make my way back! Until then, my favourite Japanese dessert cafe in Vancouver will continue to be the tried and true Nana’s Green Tea in Kerrisdale.
Tsujiri also has another Richmond location inside OpenRoad Toyota as well as one in Burnaby at Metrotown!
The interior consists of these super cute wooden booths with tiny tables perfect for sharing a parfait with a friend! (but only one, maybe two if you squeeze)
Have you ever eaten a Bubble Tea Croissant? Or tried a Matcha Black Sesame Mochi Donut? Or tasted a Milk Tea Cream Puff?
And gotten them all from the same bakery?
Bubble Tea Croissant – $4.5 CAD
If you haven’t heard of Little Fox Bakehouse, I guarantee that you are missing out! The bakery is most well-known for their incredible Asian-flavour-inspired croissants, but their collection of baked goods ranges from mochi donuts to cream puffs to individual and full-sized cakes. They even do custom cakes and honestly, I’m pretty tempted to call them up for my next birthday. An espresso bar is also available to satisfy your caffeine fix.
Once you check out their selection, you won’t be able to pick just one goodie to bring home!
And *bonus*: many of the sweetness levels are Asian-mom approved!
LOCATION
This gem of a bakery lies in a pretty inconspicuous spot on the map, but you can’t miss it when you walk through the entrance into the President Plaza in Richmond, right across from Aberdeen Centre. Not only is it super close to the skytrain, there’s also free parking in the parkade.
Box of Croissants!! – $4-5.25 CAD each
CROISSANTS
Where Little Fox Bakehouse croissants really deserve all the praise they get is in the texture of the pastry itself. Each croissant has that crackly goodness that you never want to associate with your bones but sound like heaven for these baked goods. I’m also amazed that it seems like they’ve somehow perfected the ratio of pastry to filling?? The price is super reasonable within the Lower Mainland, with plain ones starting at $3.25 CAD and double baked capping off the other end at $5.25 each.
If you don’t know what separates a regular croissant from a double baked croissant, double baked originated from day-old pastries in bakeries. To try and resell it, bakers revived the croissants by cutting them in half, soaking the insides with syrup, and putting it back in the oven once more (so they also have about twice as much yeet hay, but it’s worth it). Double baked croissants also have this delicious additional top layer of frangipane — an almond-base filling.
Here are the croissants that I’ve tried (so far):
Apple Pie (Double Baked) – $5.25 CAD If you’re not too into sweets, the tartness from the apple really shines through!
Charcoal Black Sesame – $4.5 CAD This one just released a bit over a month ago! The inside black sesame cream filling actually has a black exterior to match, and along with stunning visual aesthetics, it tastes great!
Black Sesame Mochi (Double Baked): #1 favourite?? – $5.25 CAD I always pick-up two of these so that there’s enough to share with my family! And though both are incredible, this black sesame croissant differs from (and succeeds?) the aforementioned in three ways, and two are right in the title:
1. Mochi: soft and chewy mochi pairs so wonderfully with the crunchy, flaky croissant texture 2. Double Baked: as though double-baking a croissant wouldn’t immediately better it, the top layer of frangipane with this particular flavour is also laden with black sesame as well! 3. More Black Sesame?: Maybe it’s because of the extra black sesame on top, maybe it’s because the filling consists of a crushed black sesame paste rather a cream-based filling, but this croissant has a stronger black sesame taste! And the filling isn’t as sweet!
Double Baked Black Sesame Mochi Croissant – $5.25 CAD
Bubble Tea – $4.5 CAD What surprised and impressed me about this croissant was how on-point all the flavours and textures were. The pearls have the perfect amount of chewiness, I could really taste the milk tea flavour in the filling (though it is on the sweet side), and the croissant is still supremely flaky!
Dirty Chocolate – $4 CAD Do you ever eat a chocolate croissant feeling like the middle strip isn’t enough to satisfy your chocolate needs? No need to worry about that here! A very generous layer of dark chocolate blankets the entire top of the croissant so you’re sure to get a mouthful of both pastry and chocolaty coating in every bite.
Matcha – $4.5 CAD In terms of appearance, this is probably the most understated one of the bunch since it looks pretty similar to your average (albeit much oversized) croissant. But it’s also one of my favourites!! Another one with cream filling (when they say fill, they mean fill), I think it’ll satisfy the needs of any matcha lover!
Pumpkin Pie (Double Baked) – $5.25 CAD Okay the filling literally tastes like pumpkin pie (sweet and spiced and everything fall) and it’s fantastic. If you’re tired of pumpkin spiced lattes but want to satisfy your fall food cravings on-the-go, please pick this one up!
Salted Egg Yolk Custard (Double Baked) – $5.25 CAD Although fusion pastries are becoming more popular, this one is definitely still a novelty! The filling is so rich and I was glad to get a bit of the dim sum I’ve been missing these past few months.
Individual cakes! – $6.5 CAD each Back Left: Chocolate Passionfruit Back Right: Black Tea Lychee Front Right: Tiramisu Chocolate Cup Middle: Matcha Strawberry
INDIVIDUAL CAKES
While Little Fox Bakehouse has an extensive croissant menu, they also carry a lovely selection of cakes! They’re a bit more expensive and sweeter than their bread brothers, but work great for dessert if your family’s like mine and doesn’t like committing to a single flavour. But really, does anyone else think croissants work just fine as dessert too?
Black Tea Lychee – $6.5 CAD Both the black tea and lychee flavours are super strong in this one! But what really rounds out the creamy mousse texture and lighter, sweeter tones is the the dark chocolate-covered cookie base. So. Good. I wish they just sold bags of them.
Chocolate Passionfruit – $6.5 CAD This is one of my favourite flavour combinations and also became the most loved among my family! Along with gorgeous presentation, the double dark chocolate in the cake and cookie base makes for such a rich flavour and definitely cuts the sweetness down.
Matcha Strawberry – $6.5 CAD On the sweeter side, but once more the cookie base helps to cut it down a bit. The colour is also incredible, and makes the mousse cake an immediate stand-out.
Mont Blanc Opera – $6.5 CAD As a denser cake, this Opera rendition has such a rich texture, but I wish it consisted of more chestnut layers like the classic towering Mont Blanc!
Tiramisu Chocolate Cup – $6.5 CAD Chocolate cups are inherently fun to eat and I love that they found a way to innovate this classic cake.
Black Tea Lychee Cake – $6.5 CAD
OTHER GOODS
So we’ve covered croissants. We’ve covered cakes. Surely, that’s all a bakery can have to offer, right?
Oh but wait! There’s more!
Mochi Donuts – $2.75 CAD I got the matcha with black sesame glaze, and while the flavours weren’t quite as vibrant as those in the croissants, I really loved the chewiness! If you aren’t familiar with mochi donuts, they attain this quality by using glutinous rice flour as opposed to wheat flour..
Cream Puffs – $2.5 CAD While I tried my hand at making cream puffs during my quarantine baking phase (which still isn’t really over ha), I couldn’t resist taking the easy route and picking up a milk tea flavoured cream puff! While the cream heightens the sweetness, it’s easy to understand what separates an amateur like me from the professionals with the incredible composition. A crunchy and sturdy top pairs with a thicker whipped cream and I’m sold after just one bite.
Shortbread Cookies – $3.25 CAD/2pcs I just had to try all the black sesame I could find, I know. Like the mochi donut, the black sesame flavour unfortunately wasn’t quite as strong as the croissants, but I’m still curious to try some of their other flavours/types of cookies!
WHAT I’LL BE BACK FOR
More croissants, of course! At least to start with. I love sweets, but there are some savoury croissants that I’m so interested in trying, like Pork Floss (reminds me of my childhood) and Red Bean Chestnut HK Pineapple Bun (also reminds me of my childhood, mmm).
I’d also love to test out more of their cream puff flavours (matcha, malt vitasoy, I’m looking at you), and cookies!
Something so exciting about a bakery like Little Fox Bakehouse is that you’ll never get bored with their menu, and the fact that there’s so many flavours always in motion is really a testament to how much fun the pastry chefs seem to be having and how inspired they must be to create. At the same time, you don’t feel like they’re trading quality for quantity. Instead, I think the excellent execution of fusing Asian flavours and French pastrytechniques speaks to the subtle art of presenting culture in food. Little Fox Bakehouse thrives with a menu that inspires, and I can’t wait for my next visit.
I ordered online the first time I tried this bakery and it was really convenient! Such an easy way to guarantee that my family and I got to try everything we wanted. Just be sure to order by 12pm the day before you want to pick up and you’re free to show up anytime during their opening hours. They’ll have everything ready for you in boxes to take home!
Dine in is currently closed, but if you live in Richmond, Little Fox Bakehouse will deliver everything straight to your house for free for orders over $40.
Yes, all the rumours you definitely heard are true. I went to Humble Raystwo whole times! (hence Two Shots.. ha.)
*this is the last of the Melbourne Series, but I hope you’ve had fun reading about foods on the complete opposite side of the world from where I live! I’ll miss your food scene, Melbourne, but I hope to be back soon!*
I heard that in order to be a “proper/good/whatever other synonym” food reviewer, you should go to the food place or restaurant a few times before you ink your words down and post them forever more on the internet. But! that’s not why I went to Humble Rays on ~multiple occasions~ because who has that kind of time when they’re trying to eat a new city in just a few weeks? The wide spread of food/energy/aesthetics were just s-o good that my family and I had to come back the next day (our last! otherwise we probably would’ve visited *quite* a few more times).
The line outside Humble Ray’s door is a testament to the fact that this is the brunch place to be. Luckily, the service was pretty efficient and even though the servers said the wait would be about half an hour, we got in within 20 minutes (around 10:50am). Not too bad if you have some friends or family to keep you company, and considering the amount of people there were. I do think the closer to lunch time it gets though, the longer the line will be, but that’s more speculation based on my own brunch experiences than anything.
Coco Waffle – $17.5 AUD
I didn’t really know what to expect from the menu beyond *brunch* and *dessert* so it was a pleasant surprise to see some of their foods and drinks seem to have East Asian influences (Melbourne’s proximity to Asia just be like that I guess), such as congee, black rice pudding, bubble/egg waffles, and bingsu! Like other specialty brunch places theirs is a more curated menu, but choices still span the great wide range of dairy free/gluten free/nut free/vegetarian/vegan options! Find their full menu here.
Interior Things
the interiors!
The space was larger than I thought; the picture above only shows the front half the room, and every table was full at a time, so you know they weren’t keeping all the people waiting outside for the fun of it. They have a beautiful pastel colour scheme as is dictated by the wall murals, cute merchandise you can buy at the front, and of courseplants as the modern cafe aesthetic calls for.
Service
The staff asked us how long the rest of our party would be before they seated us, probably because they don’t want to give up a whole table to a group that isn’t going to order anything for-ever because not everyone is here yet. We had two people arriving 10-ish minutes after we were seated,but when we said as much they were pretty chill with it and still gave us a table.
Salmon Super Salad $19.5 AUD
We also had a bit of a mishap regarding a bouquet of flowers and a falling vase that spilt a bunch of water onto the ground. Really unfortunate for us, for the cafe, the other patrons, but the staff was really nice and professional about it, grabbed a mop and took care of the watery mess right away, and didn’t treat us any different (re: rudely) after. I guess you can really get a feel for the energy of a cafe when you test them like that. All the better to review them for at least. Wouldn’t recommend this method though ha.
The second day, one of the servers actually recognized my dad from the day before, since she’d handled his taking care of the bill. She smiled and was super thankful to us for coming back and I loved that. It’s how communities are built, isn’t it?
Drinks!
The first day, I ordered a matcha latte, because the server came before I could make an actual decision and instead made me say words on the spot. A matcha latte is usually my coffeeshop go-to because ya girl doesn’t like the taste of caffeine. But right after I ordered my drink, my eyes fell on the title underneath: Hojicha Latte. Immediate regret because matcha lattes are so common now you can get it at practically any coffeeshop but I think this was the first time I’d seen a hojicha latte on a menu. (Yay Asian influences!)
Matcha Latte – $5 AUD
Hojicha Latte – $5 AUD
So even happier I was when we got to go back the second day. I ordered my hojicha latte. Had a time and a half because it was fantastic. It’s got a really prominent hojicha flavour and its dairy content (they also offer soy/almond milk alternatives for $0.5 AUD) makes it a fabulous toasty winter alternative to a summertime hojicha soft serve.
The matcha latte was also solid, though. I liked that it was especially frothy and not too sweet, great if you’re going to be pairing it with a dessert.
foooooooddd!!
Asians like to eat family-style so you can usually try a bit of everything and never feel caged with the repetition of a singular bite of one food over and over until infinity, and I think one of the reasons why I’m such a fan of so many of the eats at Humble Rays beyond plain taste quality is that each dish is super well-rounded since there are so many components to mix and match.
Let me just say now, this place had some of the most b e a u t i f u lplating I ever did see.. in my entire life. These plates practically begged me to take pictures of them. And the wall o’ windows provided excellent natural lighting. Brunch pictures for the win.
Day 1
Crab Meat Scramble – $19.5 AUD in the back and blurry: Roasted Pumpkin – $18.5 AUD
My mom chose the^^ above, and she must’ve liked it because she posted about it on instagram. crab scrambled eggs + croissant= mom approved.
I personally think they did a really decent job dressing up the aesthetics of a croissant and scrambled eggs. And I’m a fan of that colour coming in from the greens.
Egg Benny– $19.5 AUD
The Egg Benny was my order (and my sister’s) and oh my god what. a. win!! I love a good hollandaise sauce and the only problem with this one was that there wasn’t enough! The bits of miso/potato korokke worked dually with adding extra crunchy texture in taste — which I loved (regardless of yeet hay) — as well as texture in terms of its visual aesthetics! But despite the dish’s name promoting its classic breakfast component, the absolute star was the pork belly(!!),two thick slices of my ideal life, way larger than I was expecting, super fatty (a little too fatty in my sister’s opinion but easy enough to slice off in mine) and sweet and rich with flavour. I can’t believe I’ve never seen this combination before, and even though pork belly + eggs benedict definitely has the potential to make for a hefty dish, you also have this gorgeous natural colour coming in from the salad greens (+ purples) which I think helps balance the whole meal with that healthTM.
I don’t have much to say about this dish other than look at how cute the little pancakes be! Yes, those are, in fact pancakes, and pancakes in a savoury context? Wow, how progressive. You’ve heard of chicken and waffles, now get ready for… bacon and pancakes? Wait…
ah.
But it wasn’t just pancakes x savoury, because there’s also nutella x banana x caramel sauce to add to your classic pancake breakfast ensemble. I think this combination is great because during brunch I always have a hard time deciding between whether I want dessert or something of *actual substance* but here you don’t have to choose!
Salmon Super Salad – $19.5 AUD
This salmon was so much better than I was expecting, maybe because I had preconceptions based on the fact that it’s part of a *salad* so the rest of the dish is *cold* and I’ve never really been a big fan of cooked fish in salad because that usually means canned. But if a restaurant served this salmon to me for a nice dinner, I’d be mighty pleased. The fish had a really beautiful texture, crunchier on the outside and smooth and soft inside and not overcooked. The other champion of this dish was the sweet potato & cashew relish that added some nice tartness. And it’s just overall beautiful just look at all the colours oh my gooosh.
Also! None of the components were very heavy because it’s got a lot of vegetables and the quinoa but this dish is like the epitome of healthy food doesn’t have to taste like Health Food TM.
Coco Waffle
$17.5 AUD
speaking of colours… this charcoal egg waffle is so much edgier (eggier? ha. no? okay) than the rest of my life but also oh so sweet because dessert be like that and I l o v e d it.
The colour didn’t really change the taste much from your average egg waffle so I think its purpose is more aesthetic-based, but the black sesame ice cream was definitely the standout of the dish since it wasn’t too sweet, had a super prominent and rich black sesame flavour, and helped balance out the other components of the dish, such as the sesame & chestnut cream, cubes of coconut, and yolk angel hair floss, which I’d never tried before this but I think comes from Portuguese cuisine. It kind of looks like seaweed (and has a similar consistency to it) since they dyed it green but according to the internet, it’s egg yolk drawn into strands and boiled in sugar syrup. It’s super sweet but the coolness of the ice cream helped cut that down so I quite enjoyed it as part of the ensemble. I also love the addition of flower petals even though they taste like nothing because combined with the angel floss it looks like spring blossoming from a winter night.
psa the whole dish felt kind of heavy since there were a lot of rich flavours working together (ice cream x cream x sugar strands) so even though I ate this by myself, I’d recommend sharing the egg waffle love with a friend! And then you can also order another lighter dish to share!
Black Rice Pudding – $15.5 AUD
Is this black rice pudding not the greatest symphony of colours you ever did lay your eyes upon? Because I’m pretty sure this is what I imagine hope to look like in food form. I know I’ve been all about the colours for the Day 2 dishes but — this one wins.
Though if you really want to look at it metaphorically.. I’m just saying there’s a whole bunch of darkness underneath the rainbow fruit friends because its central organ is the black rice pudding so… layers.depth. In all seriousness, since rice pudding can be a heavier dessert, I think the fruits really help lighten and liven up its darker counterpart also in taste along with visuals.
When all’s said and done…
There are apartment buildings all around Humble Rays and I can’t even imagine the temptation of walking by this cafe every time I want to leave the house. It’s probably for the benefit of my wallet and possibly health that I live an ocean away in the complete opposite hemisphere from Humble Rays..
I gotta say I love brunch. It basically gives you free range to eat whatever kind of food you want. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack, whatever your heart desires, brunch is there for you. A most reliable friend. And a great time to share with friends! (Or in my case, in this case, family!)
P-lease check this place out if you’re anywhere within proximity of the city of Melbourne because I cannot and let me live vicariously through your own experiences!
So. in between these two apartment buildings on Swanston St, there’s a sort of half-indoor courtyard on the ground floor. Therein lies the cute little cake shop that goes by the name of Millé & B. Hard to find since it’s so hidden just by looking at the street, but super worth it if you do!
We are located in the ‘Winter Garden’ -accessible to public. (Entrance via 551 Swanston St or up the stairs located on the left of 28 Bouverie St)
FAQ, From the Millé & B website
We love a good cake cafe. And this location is actually Millé & B’s first brick and mortar shop, whereas the company began and still continues as an online business, selling their full-sized cakes that way.
I wish I could’ve tried all the cakes because there were maybe 6, 7? choices total, all with gorgeous colouring and design. The shop sells a combination of their signature “thousand-layers” crepe cakes the company got their start with and Japanese shortcakes with flavours inspired by seasonal fruits. There are also a variety drink and cookie options.
From my visit, I picked up these two (and I couldn’t be happier):
Left: Lychee Longan Japanese Shortcake Right: Matcha & Adzuki Mille Crepe Cake
If my memory serves me correctly *crosses fingers and prays*, I believeeach cake was about 8.5 A$, which might come across as expensive but it’s seriously so worth it to try at least once. (And once is all you need to get hooked.)
sometimes one bite is more than enough to know you want more of the thing you just got a taste of
It Only Takes A Taste, Waitress the Musical
Seriously, not only are these cakes absolute stunning, they taste spectacular too!
Matcha & Adzuki Mille Crepe Cake
Matcha and red bean is one of my ideal flavour combinations, so you bet I had to pick this one up, especially in all its crepe cake glory.
One thing I really liked about the cake is that it’s not too sweet, which I think can easily happen with crepe cakes because of all the cream. It was also relatively light considering all the cream, which can be another pitfall with such a cake.
The cake is definitely more matcha centred than red bean, since really the only red bean is on top, whereas the cream and crepes themselves are green with matcha. However, I did see in pictures on Millé & B’s website that have red bean actually integrated within the white cream layers of the cake, so maybe that’s something that occurs when you order a full-size cake. There’s also two little mochi(? I think?) bits also on top that I think compliment the texture and overall aesthetic really well.
Lychee Longan Japanese Shortcake
it’s so hard to choose a favourite, but I thiiink this might be it? Maybe?? It’s a l i t t l e bit lighter (not just in colour ha), and a l i t t l e bit less sweet, both of which I think are understandable due to the nature of the cakes themselves – this one just has less cream so. And maybe I’m biased towards having not just fruit, but lychee and longan (dragon’s eye) which tasted so good, perfect sweetness and fresh! Like One Cake, there’s a decent amount (like so many pieces!) of fruit lying in the cream layers of the cake, once more minimizing the actual amount of cream. We love that slightly less fat content for the *health*.
Can I also just mention how I really appreciate how clean cut this cake is though, since the One Cake slices can look a little bit messy around the edges, but I mean look at how sharp those fruit slices look.
Though I gotta say, in terms of the cake’s topping decorations, while I think this shortcake looks more pleasing (we love a variety of colours, and flowers! and more fruit!), I prefer the taste of the red bean x matcha powder x mochi bits. Edible flowers aren’t really my thing taste-wise (they don’t taste like anything!) and the extra thick extra cream on top is definitely not necessary to add more sweetness.
I do really like those other cake bits on top of the shortcake though; I think they were matcha flavoured (*green*), and they tasted amazing, a slightly richer texture than the rest of the cake, almost bordering on brownie-consistency. ahh, brownies..
anyways
in grand conclusion…
We already know this cake is beautiful, but let me just say I had a great little photoshoot with these two cakes, which you can probably tell by the amount of photos I have surrounding just two food items.
Also, maybe it should be noted that I bought these to-go (which is why I could have such an intense photo shoot with them ha at home) and stored them in the fridge for like 5-8 hours before eating them that night. Just to say the beautiful aesthetics and taste still hold without needing to eat them right away, as they should, or as one hopes they would.
I love these cakes so much too bad they don’t ship internationally ha. But they do offer delivery of full-sized cakes 5km within the CBD in Melbourne, and you can take a look at their menu online, or even design and order your own custom cake.
P l e a s e stop by this shop if you’re in Melbourne and craving quality cake. Who knows when I’ll next visit but I hope to come back one day to try the rest of the flavours, or at least live vicariously through anyone who goes on my recommendation.
Lastly, a question: is it cream or creme when talking about the… cre(a)m(e) in cakes? Or are they just interchangeable?
We have Milkcow in Vancouver, but I’ve never been (though I intend to soon! because summer! and ice cream!). And I kept passing by a Milkcow stand when I was in Melbourne, so I thought I’d take a peek at their menu, and lo and behold, there it was:
Dirty. Boba. Soft. Serve!!
As far as I know, “dirty” in bubble tea language usually means brown sugar (or, a new up and coming regular, oreo!), which is one of those trigger words for me now that will immediately pique my interest because the brown sugar boba trend is very real and very much a part of my foodie life.
A Detour From Our Scheduled Programming
I tried this amazing black tea/hojicha soft serve that also had pearls in it when I was in New York last month (see picture below) and that was one of the best things I’d eaten in my life like ever and I’ve been wanting to eat more soft-serve/boba combinations so I was very very excited to see this addition to Milkcow’s menu.
black tea + hojicha swirl soft serve with “bubbles” from Bar Pa Tea in New York City – $6 USD
Comments Questions Concerns?
This dirty boba soft serve was unfortunately not quite as fantastic as the one I had in New York, but one of them had to come out on top.
The soft serve was regular, like your average IKEA cone, which is definitely not an insult(!), because IKEA soft serve is great. But the kick with the IKEA soft serve is that it’s only $1 CAD. This one was 6.5x more expensive. Probably because of the pearls. And the fact that it’s not IKEA. But continuing on..
Dirty Boba Soft Serve. (about 6.5 A$)
In comparison to the Bar Pa Tea soft serve, the ice cream looks a little lacking, almost. Like it doesn’t quite fill the cup as much as it could.
And maybe I should’ve realized this earlier, but brown sugar pearls are really sweet. Like no kidding, but soft serve is also quite sweet on its own, as ice creams go. My point is the combination of the two… is really sweet. I mean I like 100% sugar just fine in my bubble tea (though I usually go for 50 because health?) but this was really. sweet. So unless you have a major sweet tooth, I’d proceed with caution. Beyond that, it’s a pretty decent brown sugar syrup.
The pearls were also on the small side, and because of that they were a bit harder to chew too. That’s understandable considering this is an ice cream shop and not a bubble tea shop, so they’re really only making pearls for this one ice cream they got. However, judging solely on the quality of the pearls, not my favourite.
I will say there was a decent pearl to ice cream ratio. And depending on where you get it (like Tiger Sugar – $7-ish CAD vs Coco – $5.5 CAD), it can cost less than your favourite brown sugar bubble tea. But maybe you pay in other ways?
In the end, I don’t think I’ll be scrambling to try this particular flavour should Milkcow Vancouver ever invite it to the West Coast party. There definitely wasn’t anything really wrong with each component, more so my overall impression was more lacklustre than I’d hoped, though maybe that’s my fault for having high expectations. Still, I do think the soft serve x pearls is a really fun trend going around and I can’t wait to see (eat) more.
And I am of course still interested to see what else Milkcow has to offer with its more classic flavours. In particular I want to try that watermelon soft serve thing they serve in the summer, with the soft serve in the watermelon. So even though I wasn’t the most impressed with the dirty soft serve, Milkcow still has food items that excite me that I want to try. So I’ll definitely be back.
The Tea? Some News!
Also! Milkcow Toronto has just started serving this brown sugar boba soft serve concoction, so my East Coast Canadian friends (wow what a niche group that must be), maybe stop on by and see for yourself: is the brown sugar trend past its peak already *insert some joke about brown sugar just being bs here*, or is this just the next step in an ultimate grand brown sugar ploy? Either way, I’m probably already hooked.
guess I’m really just out here talking about a different country’s food things in my second post.
hello!
Recently, I had the chance to wait 30 minutes in line before getting to try Tiger Sugar at its first North American location in Flushing, New York City. The shop opened at the beginning of May 2019, but the brand has long been popularized since its inception in Taiwan, beginning a widespread of franchises throughout Asia, and now into the western hemisphere. Specializing in brown sugar pearls, its name reflects the brown sugar “tiger stripes” that line the inside of each bubble tea cup.
My first impression of Tiger Sugar was a “oh look at that long line over there what’s that” kind of moment. which turned into a “wait look it’s that bubble tea place I saw on instagram” kind of moment. It was helpful since I didn’t even have to look for it coming out of the subway station.
So let’s get into it! And read to the end if you want some tips about where Tiger Sugar’s going next!
A good many other random passersby having a “what’s this” moment
The (Bubble) Tea!
Order: Brown Sugar Boba Milk, $5.50 USD (before tax)
The pearls. are. super. soft.
!!
Brown Sugar Boba Milk
After the conversion to CAD dollars, a Tiger Sugar probably costs about the same as a brown sugar milk tea from Yi Fang in Vancouver, but it’s smaller, definitely, and there’s a fair amount of ice (I don’t think they give you options). Still, on the singular quality of the pearls — they’re sooo soft — I would not spill this bubble tea. Each drop costs too much and tastes too good.
I would not spill this bubble tea
me, just now
I’ve tried my fair share of brown sugar pearls, but I think this one definitely survived the hype, even with the long line adding more weight to my already heavy expectations. The milk tea also tasted really fresh and I actually really like the look of the “tiger stripes” more than your average Yi Fang boba that’s just split midway into brown sugar pearls, and not. And I think the ice does help cut down the sweetness a bit.
*How-to*
Tiger Sugar the company recommends you shake the tea 15 times before drinking (though I’m not sure if that’s all teas, or just their brown sugar ones), but I personally always love taking that first sip of brown sugar pearls at their most saturated right when you poke the straw in… and then mixing with the rest of the milk tea afterwards so as not to seem like a c o m p l e t e heathen.
The Environment
This isn’t your typical bubble tea cafe since the shop isn’t really an actual store so much as a booth, so everyone has to line up on the sidewalk and basically be a big nuisance to all the other pedestrians. The line’s split up so that there’s a walking path, but in turn a lot of people don’t even realize there’s a second part to the line (busy New York streets be like that) and have to be redirected by workers when they walk right up to the front of the shop.
You’re on the street the entire time so it’s noisy, and crowded, and you’ll probably want to leave as soon as you get your drink. But I also like seeing when random (not bubble tea fanatic) pedestrians walk by and stop to take pictures or videos of the line, or look at the store front trying to infer what all the hype’s about. makes me feel like I’m part of something important haha.
Line Time
The line took about a half hour, maybe 40 minutes at most, not including everything that comes after ordering, but I mean you’re in NYC so you can always just marvel at the fact that you’re in New York City like the tourist you are (I am) and waste some time that way.
The Menu
My encounter with the menu was brief and superficial at best.
The unfortunate part about the split line is the fact that once you get to the first part under the canopy of the store and the menu is actually in view, there’s only maybe one or two people in front of you. Which means you have to make your decision, fast. Which is really unfortunate for an indecisive person such as myself.
I was literally hovering behind the two girls in front of me to sneak my peeks at the menu because I was stressed to be forced to make an immediate decision right when I reached the window.
Your insider look at the Tiger Sugar Flushing menu so that you may not have to suffer as I did
My only question is: what’s the difference between boba and pearls? Because I always thought they were synonymous, but on the menu they’re segregated into a “Boba Series” and a “Pearl Series”. After a bit of research and consulting some other sources, I think pearls are a bit smaller? I’ll probably try the pearl milk next. Let me know if you know!
The new(s) tea!
The exciting news is that Tiger Sugar is opening their first Canadian franchise in Toronto in mid-July, with a location in Vancouver soon to follow! Exact dates have yet to be announced, but I’ll definitely be heading over when the time comes.
* Spilling the Bubble Tea is a series in which I will not necessarily have anything really all that scandalous to say, but will bring focus to bubble tea shops and cafes I visit throughout my grand foodie lifetime
I’ve been to One Cake a few times now, and their cakes are really. so. good. The taste is consistently quality and the cafe itself is so cute. One Cake specializes in Japanese chiffon cakes, which are light and airy sponge cakes.
They have 8 flavours: strawberry, mango, durian, chestnut, matcha red bean, black sesame, Oreo and their signature lychee rose. They also do birthday cakes.
mango chiffon cake (lychee rose chiffon cake in the back)
The fruit centred cakes (strawberry, mango, lychee) don’t actually differ in cake and frosting cream, both of which are vanilla, whereas durian, chestnut, matcha red bean, black sesame, and Oreo are more niche(?) in their actual cake and cream flavourings.
Prices range from about $8-$8.50 which may seem a bit pricey, but you get a decent amount of cake, and a decent amount of real fruit in the cake at that.
So let’s get into why I eat here:
C A K E !
cakes I’ve tried: lychee rose, matcha red bean, mango (in that order, if it matters)
In my opinion, there’s a decent ratio of cake to cream, where there’s actually not t o o much frosting because those layers have the fruit, and like, much fruit at that, though I can’t for sure say the same about the non-fruit cakes. But they are also decently sweet, so I’d more so recommend this to people with sweet tooths (sweet teeth?).
Lychee Rose
I think this is my favourite that I’ve tried so far, so it makes sense that it’s their signature. I also just really like lychee, so it’s super exciting to see it in cake form since you don’t usually find those kinds of flavours (asian fruit flavours) in your average cake shop. And they really fill the cream layers with the fruit so it feels like the dollars are worth it
Matcha Red Bean
As a member of the red bean fandom (is that a thing? probably not) I’d say this could definitely use more actual red bean in the red bean layer. Then you’d also cut down on some of the frosting too. But the matcha was on point for me. It’s a bit on the sweeter side (I’d guess because cream is just naturally sweeter), but I don’t mind.
Mango
Since the mango cake doesn’t differ much from the lychee rose beyond, you know, the mangoes, I gotta favour the lychee rose. Not just because it’s a rarer treat, but also because the mango has extra frosting on top, which to me creates a bit of an extra imbalance between cake and cream when you’re nearing the end.
chairs!
maybe it’s strange to rave about furniture for a cafe review, but I mean if you’re going to spend extended periods of time in a space, and you’re going to be sitting down during that time, comfortable chairs are a must, aren’t they?
let me just say, these chairs are both aesthetically pleasing (p i n k) and comfortable! makes me feel like I’m living my best life
staff
the staff is really nice, really polite. They don’t do too much attending even if you’re sitting in, but I prefer to be left alone because introverts be like that. The first time I went, the worker asked if I’d been before, and when I said I hadn’t, she introduced me to each of the flavours. They didn’t do that the second time though, maybe because their brand is more established now vs when they just opened?
they do offer water if you’re sitting in, and warm water at that, which is really nice. You can also order/pay for tea, but I’m more of a water type of gal so that’s perfect for me because spending less + health.
cute cutlery and kitchenware, and the pink is real
foot traffic (and actual traffic)
the times I’ve gotten my cakes to stay, there were barely any others sitting at the other tables (as you can see above). I think a lot of people 1. order to go, so there might sometimes be a bit of a line to order, and 2. eat their cake later in the nighttime, whereas I’ve gone earlier in the evening (6-7pm ish) so there’s that.
parking isn’t t o o bad, but it does get pretty busy especially during meal times since Union Square Shopping Centre is home to a lot of other food places as well (Pearl Castle, Yi Fang, Richmond Sushi, Meet Fresh, etc). In terms of transit you can take the skytrain and get off at Aberdeen and walk about 10 minutes, or take the 403 I believe
the overall * a e s t h e t i c *
the cafe is still relatively new (they opened around Feb/Mar 2019) so it’s clean and contemporary, with a marble x pastel pink + gold + white colour scheme and high ceilings (which really does something for the overall look but I don’t know what. something good though).
even the bathroom gives off pinterest feels, and it’s got a nice, big round mirror to see all your flaws in (ha… ha.)
for some reason the place gives off the vibe as somewhere I’d go with friends to chat rather than do work in. For some reason I feel like they’d frown upon me pulling out my laptop, but I can’t actually say from experience. I think they do have free wifi though, so maybe it’s just a lack of anonymity, since there aren’t a whole lot of others staying and eating (or working) so you can feel pretty exposed.
All in all, One Cake is a super cute cafe that I like to bring friends to enjoy that nice cafe life. I’ll definitely be returning, because you best believe with 8 flavours I’m coming back to try them all.
CYI eat 