TeaTap Cafe
I’m back on the milk tea bandwagon after leaving it for a few months, although I’m not as addicted to it as I was before (hello everyday milk tea, hello pounds).
One of the few places offering milk tea that I decided to try this time around is TeaTap Cafe on P. Guevarra St., cor., Wilson St. in San Juan. The fiance indulged my craving by agreeing to go with me, even though it was his birthday.
The place is inviting with easy-on-the-eyes furniture, decor and architecture, with enough room for quite a bunch of people unlike most milk tea places. One downside though is that it might be difficult to get to if you’re not familiar with San Juan streets and once you get there, there aren’t a lot of parking spaces if you’re getting there by car. I’m also not sure if there are easy ways to commute to the place except by taxi.
Once inside, you’ll be greeted by this wonderfully cute cat and welcome board.
They have a lot of flavors to choose from, as well as a variety of drinks. Their menu includes fresh brewed tea, the grass jelly series, fruit teas, the yakult series, the mousse series and of course, milk tea. They also have food to eat and their bestseller in that category is the carbonara, which became my choice for a late lunch.
And since we went there for milk tea, we got their best as well: the Formosa Roast Black (P100 for large) and the Hokkaido Black Milk Tea (P105 for large).
We’re not big fans of overly sweet things and we always get milk tea with just 50% sweetness and pearl sago. The fiance tried their Perilla too. We didn’t quite understand what it was but it looked like tiny seeds that had something crunchy on the inside. It was hard to bite into them though because they were slippery on the outside. Still, it added a different and pleasant texture and flavor to the Hokkaido blend. It’s a definite must-try if you’ve never had them before.
The carbonara was also good, mostly because the pasta was super al dente. Nothing’s worse than soggy and mushy pasta! I would have preferred for the sauce to be thicker because mine was a bit watery and for the bacon/ham to be crispier but overall, the taste was good enough, with just the right amount of cheese.
They were also selling notebooks and other knick-knacks there but I didn’t buy any. It’s a good thing too because that same afternoon, I found the exact same ones in Toy Kingdom and Fully Booked and found out that the ones in TeaTap are priced twice more than the ones in the other stores.
But going back to their milk tea, the ones we tried were really good, as you can see from the empty cup on the right (that’s mine). Don’t worry about the one on the left because we quickly finished that one off too!
I really liked how smooth and creamy the Formosa Roast was. It had a balanced taste, with tea and milk blending together really well. While we were there though, I saw a bunch of students from a nearby culinary school buy their mousse drinks, and that got me interested. I want to try their other drinks out in the future.
I definitely wouldn’t mind going back, especially if it’s with people I enjoy the company of but I still hope they open a branch that’s nearer my place soon.
(Source: lorraelena)
![recipe-file:
Easy Beer Mac and Cheese
[inspired by my cousin, who mentioned beer mac on vacation last month]
serves 4-6
2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow noodles
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
8 ounces milk
8 ounces beer (I used an amber beer – it was what I had on hand)
8 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese
4 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of black pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
10 large basil leaves, chopped for garnish
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare water for pasta and boil according to directions, shaving 1-2 minutes off of cooking time since pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and add butter. Once melted and sizzling, whisk in flour to create a roux and cook until bubbly and golden in color, about 2 minutes. Add milk and beer into saucepan whisking constantly, then add cheeses and stir until melted. Turn heat down to medium and continue to stir, cooking for 5-6 minutes while mixture thickens. It will most likely NOT thicken like regular mac and cheese because of the beer, but you want it to thicken a little bit. Stir in pepper, paprika and nutmeg.
Add noodles (once cooked and drained) to a casserole dish, then pour cheese over top, mixing gently to combine. Top with panko bread crumbs and an additional sprinkle of cheese if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then top with fresh basil.
THIS IS A PIECE OF HEAVEN. I can’t wait to try this out.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lqgfktXiQo1qdwqjdo1_500.jpg)
