A late night tea place ideal after a meaty barbeque meal at Tori Tori Kushiyaki Snack Bar next…read moredoor. My friends decode on this place since it was opened and somewhat inviting with its bright white interior, as most tea places set out to be. We all ordered the large sizes, as the 10 peso difference is intentionally inviting, creating a sense of value. I had the Okinawa Milk Tea (100 PHP) 50% sweetness level from brown sugar. Filled with generous amount of pearls and a satisfying balance of milk and tea, but not as defined as I would like. Classic Taiwan Milk Tea (100 PHP) similar in looks, but has a watered down taste to the mix. Matcha Milk Tea (100 PHP) Aside from being Green, it's fairly standard. Overall, a fairly basic milk tea place that needs to improve to live up to their claim of being the #1 Milktea shop in Taiwan. Restroom needs to be cleaned and drained as the floor was damp and just not sanitary, WiFi is present, but has no connection, and the general cleanliness and presentability should reflect their status, which should be clean and well-kept.

ShareTea is the no. 1 milktea place in Taiwan. It's just a small place along Wilson st. that we…read moredropped by just after dinner. With a cluster of milktea place in the area, all of us agreed to try this one. The time that we arrived, they ran out of their fried chicken. Then the cashier suggested the Taiwan or the Okinawa Milktea, because its their bestseller. I had the Taiwan Milktea with 50% sugar. It was the worst milktea i've ever had. It was too watery. The tea wasn't fragrant like other milktea place has. It was like drinking a sweetened murky water. Then I tried my friends Okinawa. It was at the opposite side of the world. It has a nice, sweet, nutty flavor even at 50% sugar. It was richer than mine. It was just a major disappointment to be the no. 1 milktea in Taiwan and to taste this way. #TheFoodCrawlers #OngsFoodprints #TheLostDiego

Cha Zan is a small, discreet Taiwanese Bubble Tea place along Buendia, and I've learned so much…read moreabout the work that goes into running a small tea place when its previous owner used to hire me to do graphic design here. What amazed me about the previous owners of Cha Zan is how dedicated they were in providing the best quality of ingredients. Their ingredients are all shipped from Taiwan, so it's probably as good as the original Taiwanese versions. Their selection of toppings are great, but what I love about Cha Zan is their fruit teas that come in so many flavors. Since I'm vegan and don't consume dairy, I was so happy that I'm still able to enjoy bobba tea even without dairy. Their location isn't as noticeable, but do look for Grand Soho and it's just on the ground floor. They do deliver to nearby areas such as offices in Makati (around Ayala, Salcedo Village, Buendia areas).

Apparently FRNK is supposed to be a super good Japanese milk tea spot. I tried the cereal milk one,…read morewhich I was really excited about. They list the calories for all drinks, except for the cereal milk one. It says "worth the calories." Let me tell you, it was not worth the calories. The only reason I'm giving a 3 and not a 2 is because the cookie it came with was pretty good. The drink itself didn't have a good flavor. Kinda tasted like straight up milk w/ a little sugar. Not the cereal milk I know and love. And it was super icy. Like not enough milk for the ice. The drink itself had chunks of the cookies in it, which I was digging for. But I ended up getting a lot of ice. I think this place is super cute and hip, but I can't say I'd recommend this place based on the "bestseller" drink I just had.

AMBIENCE At the time of our visit, their branch could fit…read morearound 20 customers and they have a tiny corner with bleacher-type seats and tiny shelves to place drinks. It's nice that they show the calorie count for every size and flavor of their beverages. BEVERAGES Dirty Maccha (Hand-whisked Uji Kyoto Maccha, Kokoa, Blue Tea Mochi, Fresh Milk T 240 cal) was typically good and their matcha's legit. Ichigo (Hand-whisked Uji Kyoto Maccha, Homemade Strawberry Jam, Basil Drops, Fresh Milk T 255 cal) was more interesting. Strawberry was mighty tasty and it overpowered the matcha. Both beverages were really interesting to look at right before shaking them. SERVICE Steady line flow.

The service was excellent, although a bit slow in taking orders, might be just the particular staff…read morebut the way they made the green tea 'cream' frap was a dream, according to my 14 yr old, which means the sugar is bang on point with her addiction to syrup. Sometimes I give in, this time more acceptable as it is a fam vacay after all. Who am I kidding? There must be a better reason to my quick 'yes'... ..the venti frap came up to PHP 200 which is around $5 which made the sugar gulping seem more acceptable as it's priced at a more humble and visual endearing numeral while senses simulated for one to think that you are winning....not on the calorie counting part though, so I stuck with a venti black, denoting a sound boost of get-up-and-go through my veins while we carry on with our journey in this beautiful city of mine. The place looks like any other Starbucks back in the 6 but the feeling of Christmas is obviously playing in the air, noted with chocolate aroma filling our lungs to exclusively welcome red and green without the bow until Christmas Eve.

I used to come to this Starbucks a lot!…read more No bystanders like the one by gateway. Which is pretty freakin awesome! I think it's because people goes to gateway for that lol is where the conyos are at LOL! Every drink I ordered is always fast! Service is awesome. They keep everything neat as possible. Every time I come here or pass by I always see them clean.

This is one of the most relaxing milk tea places I've seen in a while. The I think the decor and…read morethe ambiance definitely contribute to that. It isn't too large so there aren't too many of you in there all at once and it isn't too small that you're all crammed in there. Every time I step in, it's a treat to my aesthetic senses because really. It's so hard to find a place that isn't crawling with people having a really loud conversation in public. Twittea is chill and I love them for it. It's definitely a relaxing place to spazz and have some tea. And they have a pretty good menu, too. From sandwiches (Pesto and Mozarella. Yes. Excellent.) to pasta and pastry, there's definitely something that's bound to go with whatever tea you've decided to have. Their tea also has this nice fresh crispness to it. The flavors don't get in the way of the tea so you have a pleasant brightness with their tea. That's the only way I could describe it. A cute note: when you order their tea to go, they put it in a plastic cup but if you order tea and have it in the cafe, they put it in a mason jar. Nice touch.

This coffee stall is located at the lower ground floor of Robinsons Magnolia right next to Bread…read moreTalk. I got the Black Nitro Cold Brew (Php 100) ($1.87), and it was just ok. I love buying Nitro Cold Brew coffee a lot, but the one I got here was very watered down. For me, the taste was average. If you guys decide to get their coffee, try asking for less ice! The service was good tho! They were very helpful!

Moonleaf was probably one of the "newer" milk tea places that opened in the Teacher's Village…read morearea. This was during the rise of the milk tea place so naturally, I had to go try it out. Years later, I still find myself heading there if I want something creamier than usual. Let me be honest here. I don't really go to milk tea places for the milk tea. I usually go for the tea. My order is usually a flavored green tea if anything. I blame a sensitive stomach and somewhat lactose intolerance. Yet Moonleaf actually gets me to order milk tea. Hear that, Moonleaf? I brave lactose intolerance for you! -Ahem- There's something in the way Moonleaf blends their milk and tea that makes it taste so good. I can't explain it but it's a certain mellowness that I haven't experienced with other branches. My personal favorite is the honey milk tea. The sweetness from the honey coupled with milk is wonderful is you want something relaxing and soothing after a long day.

I am personally going to swear by the original Moonleaf Tea Shop in Maginhawa as the first milk /…read morebubble tea shop in the metro, and certainly one of (if not THE) first to kickstart the milk tea craze all those years ago (which may have ended with the food poisoning and people dying incident). This is the favorite tambayan place for a lot of UP students because (1) it was the closest drinks place to the campus, and (2) they were the first to partner with a UP org to release UP planners. There were a lot of firsts in this place, and I'm glad I was there to see most of them.

This Starbucks has two floors. Two big tables and 2 small tables downstairs. Upstairs has two parts…read moreone area that has couch chairs, high tables, 2 big tables and a couple small tables as well as an outdoor part. When it gets full the guards open the second part which is all tables and some couches. Great studying place! When it's not too busy...but it can get really busy so bring your headphones. The drinks and food are the usual. Nothing special. The staff is really kind. One started a conversation with me by asking about my notebook. Weird but ok. They are used to getting a lot of students here. I know some students have studied here all day. It's ok to do this. But if you plan to leave for a bit make sure someone watches your stuff. There was a time the guard started to time how long a person left their stuff alone because people were waiting to sit somewhere. I think if you didn't come back after a certain time your stuff would be moved. Haven't seen it done yet. Oh the excitement at Starbucks haha. Anyways great place to study if you don't mind the noise. Might even see an artista or two while you are here :) I've seen a couple.

Starbucks Reserve Morato is one of my faborite branch. Partners are friendly and at the same time…read moreknowledgeable with the reserve coffee I usually order. It might get packed with nursing and law students during the review season, but the place is cold and comfortable, with alot of couches as well. We had our Papua New Guinea Luoka. The aroma is very fruity with a hint of nuttiness. More like dried fruits. The taste has a nice smooth lemon citrus feel with a nice bitter cocoa finish. It has a medium body to it. We usually come here atleast 2-3x a month to get to try their different coffee origins. #TheFoodCrawlers #SplatMNL #OngsFoodprints