Jumbo Jumbo Bubble Express*
Irene Yen cooks her tapioca bubbles for bubble tea fresh every day. It takes a gentle simmer for an hour and a half. "They can't be overcooked or they will lose their chewiness," she says. Any that aren't used during that day's service she throws out. "They don't keep overnight."
Her bubble tea in Rockville is so popular, she rarely needs to waste any of the tapioca beads that need a tube as wide as a plumber might use to suck them up. Who, you wonder, ever came up with such a weird and wonderful drink? The bubbles come fresh from Taiwan in vacuum packs. The drink is as regular there as a Starbucks coffee is here. This bubble cafe has been open for a year, with the plain House Black ice-flavored tea the most popular on the menu. But you can flavor them with anything from Honey to Lemon & Oval Kumquat, Blueberry, Peach, Sour Apple and Passion Fruit. And she makes Ice Smoothies, equally exotically flavored with Red Bean, Lychee, Honeydew, Mango and more.
Jumbo Jumbo is also a restaurant serving a full menu of popular Chinese dishes like Kung Pao or Szechuan Chicken, Mongolian Beef with Scallions and Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce. But there are some less familiar dishes like Taiwan Chicken with Spiced Salt & Basil, Yu-Ling Roast Duck, and Shredded Pork with Szechuan Pickle Noodle Soup.
Jumbo Jumbo Bubble Express, 765 E. Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301 545 1708.
* means this is one of My Favorite Markets
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