bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Rachel Cheung

Thanks to the Asian diaspora, bubble tea, or boba, has become a global phenomenon.
The original milk tea drink features chewy tapioca “pearls” – also known as boba – but people these days are getting creative with the recipe and are taking it beyond the beverage.
Invented in Taiwan in the 1980s, unsurprisingly, it is also here where you find the most diverse range of boba treats.
We sampled five of them in Taipei.




1. Boba pizza
Internet users were divided when pictures of tapioca balls on a cheesy crust started popping up last year. But worry not, this is not fusion cuisine gone horribly wrong.


The TW Bobba Pizza (NT$160/US$5) at Italian restaurant franchise, Tino’s Pizza Cafe, is a dish you can get behind.
Intended as a dessert, it is sweet, not savoury. The toppings – boba mixed with fruits and milk tea mousse – are served cold on a crust that is fresh out of the oven.
Tino’s Pizza Cafe, various locations in Hong Kong and Taiwan including No.9 Guangfu North Road, Songshan District, Taipei.

2. Boba and cream wheel pie
Not far from Taipei’s Liaoning night market is a tiny shopfront which serves freshly-made wheel pies, or wheel cakes, as some call them. Uncle Wheel Pie gives the classic Taiwanese street food a modern spin.
While the pastry is commonly filled with red bean and cream, here you have the option of a boba and cream filling in a black charcoal bun (NT$18). Customers can also pick from an eclectic mix of ingredients including tuna and corn with cheese as well as potato salad.
Uncle Wheel Pie, 106 Liaoning Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei

3. Braised pork rice with boba
We tried this so you don’t have to. Bubble tea shop Babo8abo is known for its creative drinks that mix coloured tapioca pearls and milk with strawberry, matcha, peanut and sesame sauces.
History of bubble tea: how boba became a global phenomenon
But it has taken things too far by adding boba to Taiwanese braised pork rice. What a way to ruin a perfectly good savoury dish. The dish is too dry and the boba only adds to the difficulty of swallowing it. Word of advice – stick to the drink options.
Babo8abo, various locations including 464 , Zhongmei Street, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan, tel: +886 4 2328 0205

4. Boba shaved ice dessert
Since its launch, boba milk tea sensation (NT$200) has become one of Ice Monster’s bestselling dishes. Its creator experimented with more than a hundred tea combinations to find the perfect blend.
Unlike the popular drink, the Taiwanese shaved ice dessert is not excessively sweet and has a surprisingly strong taste of tea. It comes with a generous portion of tapioca balls cooked in black sugar syrup and home-made panna cotta that balances the flavours.
Ice Monster, various locations including 297, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei, Taiwan, tel +886 2 8771 3263

5. Boba soufflé
The bustling Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei’s Songshan district is one of the best places for Taiwanese street food, and Wu Liao’s made-to-order soufflé is a treat you cannot miss. The soufflé is pan fried, not baked, so you don’t have to wait too long to get your hands on it.
The boba, which is served on the side, adds a nice chewy texture to the fluffy and light dessert. The stall only opens late in the evening, so make sure you visit at night.
Wu Liao, Raohe Street Night Market, Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei. Instagram: @wuliao6666




Asia’s esports hotels woo gamers with dorm-like rooms, big monitors and instant noodles

Laos hostel staff detained after backpackers’ deaths from methanol poisoning

Insiders’ George Town: Penang’s capital beyond its atmospheric hotels and street art

Angry passengers slam Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific after Bangkok flight debacle

Asia travel

Beyond bubble tea: five creative boba treats sending Taiwanese fans wild

Boba and cream wheel pie at Uncle Wheel Pie. Photo: Rachel Cheung

Boba soufflÃ© at Wu Liao, on February 19, 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan.  19FEB19[11MAY2019 FEATURE FOOD]SCMP / Rachel CHEUNG

Boba shaved ice dessert at Ice Monster, on February 19, 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan.  19FEB19[11MAY2019 FEATURE FOOD]SCMP / Rachel CHEUNG

Braised pork rice with boba at Babo8abo on February 19, 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan.  19FEB19[11MAY2019 FEATURE FOOD]SCMP / Rachel CHEUNG

Boba pizza at Tino’s Pizza Cafe. Photo: Rachel Cheung

The best cities for Instagram photos, selfies, sexy poses – New York, London, Jakarta score, Hong Kong surprises

Selfie taking at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Tokyo images with hashtag #tokyofoodInstagram /  #tokyofood

Image provided by airport bus company Hoppa shows instagram categories by location.

Rio De JaneroInstagram / #weareinvicta

Hong KongInstagram / #Keiki.style

Image provided by airport bus company Hoppa shows a graph with the top 50 instagram locations.

IG picture of Hong Kong trekking

SantiagoInstagram / #leotourviajes

Selfie taking in the Jakarta. The Indonesian capital, a fast-rising tourist destination, is ranked the most Instagrammable city in Asia for 2019. Photo: Shutterstock

Breakfast bars in Taiwan: more American than New York diners, but battling to go upmarket as big franchises move in

Fast and simple is how Taiwanese commuters have always liked their Western-style breakfasts, but amid intense competition, breakfast bars face pressure to serve more nutritious food in cleaner, more welcoming surroundings

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- Taiwan, Dansui, New Taipei City: An employee of Qburger, the chain of island-wide breakfast cafes, displays their no.1 best-selling sandwich 20 December, 2017. [FEATURES MARCH] Credit: Chris Stowers

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- TAIWAN, Dansui, New Taipei City: Detail of cheap sandwishes on offer at an independent breakfast bar in Taipei's Dansui District. 20 December, 2017. [FEATURES MARCH] Credit: Chris Stowers

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- Taiwan, New Taipei City: Cheng Rui-bin, CEO of Qburger chain of island-wide breakfast cafes. 19 December, 2017. [FEATURES MARCH] Credit: Chris Stowers

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- TAIWAN, Dansui, New Taipei City: Sign board of a popular breakfast bar in Taipei's Dansui District. 20th December, 2017. 20 December, 2017. [FEATURES MARCH] Credit: Chris Stowers

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- TAIWAN, Dansui, New Taipei City: A popular independent breakfast bar in Taipei's Dansui District. 20th December, 2017, 22 December, 2017. [FEATURES MARCH] Credit: Chris Stowers

--ONE TIME USE ONLY-- TAIWAN, Dansui, New Taipei City: Sign board of a popular breakfast bar in Taipei's Dansui District. 20 December, 2017. [FEATURES MARCH] Credit: Chris Stowers

A customer receives his food order from a staff member at Liang Chen Chi Shih breakfast bar in Taipei. Photo: Chris Stowers

How Hong Kong-style milk tea became part of local culture

Hong Kong-style milk tea is served with evaporated milk. Photo: Dickson Lee

Donald Tse Chung-tak (in black, center) trains high school students as part of the Career Mentorship Programme in 2017. FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) partnered with Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong, Youth Career Development Service and provided training to 20 Form 5 students from CCC Ming Kei College on Hong Kong-style milk tea making technique Photo : Black&white [2017 FEATURE]

Tan Ping-hung, executive director of Ngan Lung Catering Group, poses for a picture at Ngan Lung Catering Group (Cha Chaan Teng) in Mei Foo. 16OCT17 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Hong Kong food writer Emily Tong Lai-fong enjoys a Hong Kong-style milk tea at Wai Kee Noodle Cafe in Shan Shui Po, Hong Kong.16OCT17 SCMP/ Alkira Reinfrank [FEATURES]

Wai Kee Noodle Cafe in Shan Shui Po has been operating since the 1950s. It opened as a Dai Pai Dong, but owners moved it into three stores side-by side where it now stands on on Fuk Wing street, Hong Kong. 16OCT17 SCMP/ Alkira Reinfrank [FEATURES]

Milk tea master making of 'mile tea' at Ngan Lung Catering Group (Cha Chaan Teng) in Mei Foo. 16OCT17 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Donald Tse Chung-tak (here on the right) trains high school students as part of the Career Mentorship Programme in 2017. FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) partnered with Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong, Youth Career Development Service and provided training to 20 Form 5 students from CCC Ming Kei College on Hong Kong-style milk tea making technique Photo : Black&white [2017 FEATURE]

Donald Tse, winner of "Kam Cha King", poses for a picture at Ngan Lung Catering Group (Cha Chaan Teng) in Mei Foo. 16OCT17 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Lot of Black and Withe milk is seen at Ngan Lung Catering Group (Cha Chaan Teng) in Mei Foo. 16OCT17 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Travel & Leisure

Lists


Bubble tea is more than just a drink, it is a way of life for many people, with the sweet milk tea now a global phenomenon
In Taiwan, vendors are getting creative with how they incorporate the tapioca ‘pearls’, known as boba, into new dishes



Bubble tea is more than just a drink, it is a way of life for many people around the world. In Taiwan, vendors are getting creative with how they incorporate the tapioca ‘pearls’, known as boba, into new dishes.


Food and Drinks

Taiwan

Beyond bubble tea: five creative boba treats sending Taiwanese fans wild

Bubble tea is more than just a drink, it is a way of life for many people, with the sweet milk tea now a global phenomenon In Taiwan, vendors are getting creative with how they incorporate the tapioca ‘pearls’, known as boba, into new dishes

Bubble tea is more than just a drink, it is a way of life for many people, with the sweet milk tea now a global phenomenon

In Taiwan, vendors are getting creative with how they incorporate the tapioca ‘pearls’, known as boba, into new dishes