Bubble tea & shaved ice desserts
Bubble tea is less like tea than a liquid tapioca pudding. Shaved ice desserts are the original milk shakes, unreconstructed. From having been almost impossible to find 5 years ago, bubble tea spots have opened up all over the Washington area. Even branches of Teaism now serve it, though its bubbles feel squidgy as though they've been cooked too long or saved overnight. Here are some other sources:
Bubble Bubble Cafe, 4511 College Ave, College Park, MD, 301 209 2992
Bubble Tea Cafe, lower level near Target, Wheaton Plaza Regional Shopping Center, 1160 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD
Eden Center, Wilson Blvd at intersection of Route 50 and Route 7, VA
Jackey Cafe, 611 H St NW, 202 408 8115
Jumbo Jumbo Bubble Express, 765 E. Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301 545 1708
Le Matin de Paris, 7326 Little River Tpke # A, Annandale, VA, 703 914 0088
Li Ho, 501 H St NW, 202 289 2059
Maria's Bakery, 1701 Rockville Pike # B, Rockville, MD, 301 984 2228
Montgomery Mall, Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD
One Fish Two Fish, 2421 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 202 822 0977
Panda Cafe, 2138-and-a-half Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, 202 337 9119
Snap, 1062 Thomas Jefferson St NW, 202 965 SNAP
Tam's Szechuan and Bakery Restaurant, 748 6th St NW, 202 628 1668
Ten Ren Tea, Wintergreen Plaza, 825 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, 301 838 8680
Ten Ren Tea, 7418 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD, 301 864 8920
Wheaton Plaza Mall, 11160 Viers Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD
White Flint Mall, Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD
Wok & Roll, 604 H St NW, 202 347 4656
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Bubble Tea Cafe - 3 Sep 2008
Bubble tea may be an acquired taste for anyone not from South East Asia. But give yourself a treat: acquire it. On the lower level of the Wheaton Mall, not far from the entrance to Target, is a dynamic young Asian couple who whiz around like dervishes making all manner of cold or frozen drinks, from fruit smoothies to milk shakes. But their Bubble Teas are where the fun is. read more...
Jumbo Jumbo Bubble Express - one of my favorites - 21 Mar 2008
Irene Yen cooks her tapioca bubbles for bubble tea fresh every day. They need 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? read more...
Home brews - it's in the bag! - 18 Nov 2007
The British like their tea milky orange in color and very strong in taste. Where to find the prime ingredient for the classic cuppa, the best tea, in bags or loose. And the bickies on the side... read more...
Phô - 16 Nov 2007
One of the best meals-in-a-bowl is the Vietnamese soup Phô. Pronounced 'fur' or 'feu', like the French word for fire, it's satisfying, simple and healthy, a Vietnamese breakfast dish that makes a great lunch for Westerners. read more...
