Restaurant Review | Tokyo Bubble Tea

Tokyo Bubble Tea
Basement, Bldg A, SM Megamall (near the Food Court)
Special Note: Reviews, rating, etc only for Tokyo Bubble Tea's beverage offerings.
Type of Cuisine: Japanese
Average cost per person: Php 85 (US$2.13)
Overall Rating:

The foodista with the most specific of cravings is probably Joey, and this time, on one of our days out, she had yet another rather particular craving. Dragging us to our feet after lunch at Rai Rai Ken, she took us to Tokyo Bubble Tea.

The first thing that strikes you is the look of the place: bright, happy colours leaping out at you and the big wall mural(?) that says "I want my bubbles!!!" It's a very inviting place. The service was great, with the waitresses being very helpful, friendly and accommodating. And, although we can't speak for their non-beverage offerings just yet, we can definitely say that their milk teas, shakes, etc are all extremely satisfying.

Honourable mention goes to their tapioca pearls or, as they refer to it, their bubbles. They are, by far, the best tapioca pearls we've all ever had. They're chewy, soft and fantastic. They rather make you wish that you had a bowlful of them and you'd be perfectly content just munching on them alone. When ordering your drink, we highly recommend that you get your beverage of choice with an add-on of either extra pearls (Php 10, US$0.25), or pudding (Php 15, US$0.38).

Tokyo Bubble Tea is now the go-to place for the foodistas' bubble tea/sweet, cold beverage fix :)

Royal Milk Tea (Medium: Php 70, US$1.75, Large: Php 80, US$2)
This is Joey's favourite (non-water, non-green tea) beverage and the reason for her wanting to go to Tokyo Bubble Tea. It's not very sweet, like milk tea ought not to be. The drink, coupled with the pleasant taste and sensation derived from the tapioca pearls (or "bubbles"), is refreshing and wonderful. (Photo by Joey)

Kiwi Green Tea (Medium: Php 58, US$1.45, Large: Php 68, US$1.70)
This is said to be one of their best sellers. The kiwi doesn't overpower the green tea and, definitely, the way to enjoy this drink would be with extra bubbles. (Photo by Joey.)



Coconut Milk Tea (Medium: Php 75, US$1.88, Large: Php 85, US$2.13)
The drink had the smooth taste and texture of coconut. The experience was enhanced by the add-on silky sweet pudding. (Photo by Joey.)




Almond Milk Tea (Medium: Php 75, US$1.88, Large: Php 85, US$2.13)
The almond milk tea was infused with almond essence which seemed to overpower the milk tea taste, and seemed to make it more like an almond drink than a milk tea drink. It was just as creamy and smooth, though. It also had little almond bits, which made the drink more interesting. Anyway, It was not so bad and was quite palatable, but those looking for a truly -milk tea- experience should not get this one. However, for those feeling adventurous and wanting a twist in their milk tea experience (a really really big twist), the almond milk tea is a something to try. (Photo by Joey)

Strawberry Milk Tea (Medium: Php 85, US$2.13, Large: Php 95, US$2.38)
It has bits of actual strawberry in it, which made it that much better. It was strawberry + milk tea without one taste overpowering the other. (Photo by Mark)


Taro Milk Tea (Medium: Php 75, US$1.88, Large: Php 85, US$2.13)
For Taro lovers, this sweet milk tea is a must-try. The extra pudding, which only cost an additional 15 pesos, made the drink better and more satisfying. (Photo by Mark)



Mocha Milkshake (Medium: Php 135, US$3.38, Large: Php 145, US$3.63)
This was pretty much exactly how it sounds like. You ask for a mocha milkshake, you get a mocha milkshake – A milkshake that tastes like mocha. Nothing more, nothing less. It did taste quite nice though, so this is definitely something that you should consider getting if you want something besides milk tea. (Unfortunately, no photo of this beverage was taken.)

Reviewed by Bong, Hannah, Harrell, Joey, Mark, and Pats.
Special thanks to Cy for review of the almond milk tea.
Photography by Joey and Mark.
See more photos on Mark's multiply and Joey's flickr.