Luyong: Panciteria that is good enough to be good

They say that change is good if it is for the better. I say, why change something for the better when it is already good? Beepers were good way back 1990's, but now that we have iPads and Blackberr-ies, beepers are not good enough anymore. Luyong, on the other hand, proves otherwise- that some things are better left the way they are.


Luyong is like a set from a classic movie where Nora and Tirso would usually meet during their afternoon breaks. With blue painted walls, echoing footsteps, concrete floor, pastel paintings of landscapes and horses, and that distinct chinese restaurant smell, everything around is "how it used to be".

We started with the Hototay soup. I've been hearing Hototay from movies, and the elderly, and some of my friends from the province, but I never really had one. My friend compared it with the Chinese egg drop soup, only with more meat. True enough, there was more meat than vegetables, and the meatball in particular, was really tasty. It made a good impression on a hototay foreigner, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

(TIP: When sharing the Hototay soup, grab the meatballs first. They disappear faster than you think.)

Then came the crab omelette (fooyong), chao fan rice, lechon kawali, and chopsuey, arranged in order of recommendation. The crab omelette was served with broth, (or so I thought it was) or maybe it was its sauce, but it wasn't heavy like normal sauces. Broth or sauce, it complemented the crab omelette.

The chao fan (solo P90), according to the menu was good for one to two persons. It was more than enough for three. Try mixing Hap Chan's chao fan with Aristocrat's Java rice, and you end up with Luyong's chao fan.  One good thing about it is that it never overpowers the other dishes despite its strong flavors.

The lechon kawali was served with a red sauce which wouldn't pass for a marinade, or edible. If my tastebuds are not mistaken, I'd say the sauce is spoiled. We asked for vinegar instead, and it was good. The serving was good for a P190 lechon kawali (compared to other restaurants).

We got a plain chopsuey, not the lechon chopsuey we ordered. And the chopsuey was okay. But not good enough to photo. ahahah!

***

Overall, Luyong was good. It's the kind of place you'd go to if you want to revisit your childhood favorites unscathed by modern flavors. If the Thesaurus dinosaur would find a similar word for Luyong, it would have been Panciteria, because that's what Luyong is. We Filipinos may not be proud of panciterias or our famous turo-turo, but these places dug the strong foundations of our food culture, and they deserve to be acknowledged from time to time.

Luyong did a good job at that, and that was good enough for me.

Price: around P150 per head

Food :                      ****
Ambiance:              *****

Service:                   ***

Cleanliness:           ***

Experience:            ****
Value for money : *****

Servings:                ****

Luyong is located along J.P. Rizal Ave., Marikina City, Metro Manila.

Red Swan Barbecue: ah, home!

A friend invited me to Red Swan for lunch, and he feels strongly about his invitation.

"baka Red Crab ibig mong sabihin?"

But no, he was Red Swan all the way. So I finally gave in and gave it a shot. After our lunch, I came back the following day with another friend, now with the same recommendations. Here's why:

Red Swan's location has its pros and cons. It's hidden in the crazy grid of streets along the Scout intersections in Quezon City. It's on Sct. Santiago and Sct. de Guia's intersection, a residential area. There's no way to commute, except via cab. It's a quiet street actually, private cars pass from time to time, a few tricycles, and that's it.

If you are trying to get away from the hustles and bustles of the Metro without missing the comforts of home, Red Swan might be a good choice.

When I got inside, it took some time before I fully appreciated the empty feeling inside the place. I'm almost certain it was a residential house turned restaurant. Who would do that?!? But as I sat for a few ten minutes while enjoying their free Wifi, I suddenly felt like I was home. The ambience was so homey, I could almost hear my dog barking outside. And then the food started to come.

We ordered okoy for starters. They are round and crispy, almost like kropek, but closer to chicharon in texture. Okay, for a while, I sounded hard-sell conyo. But that's the way to put it. Blah.

I'd say they were excessively oily (redundant me), but the suka they serve along with it made the okoy too difficult to resist.  I thought I could eat less and save some room for the main dish, but the dish was two minutes late. And I was so certain there were a few okoys left on that, now, greasy plate.

The slow-cooked ribs was recommended by the waiter, and the truffle pasta was recommended by my friend. The ribs did not fail my expectation of what slow-cooked meat ought to be. Tender, juicy and grilled to perfection. It was served with rice and coleslaw. They serve it with three sauces to choose from, barbecue, mango puree, and some oil with chili. Barbecue being the perfect partner for the ribs, mango being mango, which I thought would have been best served with crushed ice, and the chili oil which complemented the steaming rice.

The food was presented well and my eyes were pretty much full already before I could actually eat them.   The truffle pasta was surprisingly cheap said my friend. According to him, truffle mushrooms are really expensive. But when we read about the details of the pasta on the menu, it says truffle essence, and three other mushrooms. Truffle essence or truffle mushrooms, the pasta was really good. Vegetarians would go crazy over this healthy pasta without sacrificing the need for meat. For someone who doesn't appreciate meat-less pasta, I'd give their truffle pasta an exception, and a two-thumbs-up recommendation.

The next day I went to visit, I ordered their slow-cooked chicken barbecue. I noticed most of their meals are slow cooked, maybe they should change their chef to someone who can cook faster.
(audience laughs)

(crickets chirping)

From the wonderful slow cooked ribs experience the previous day, I'd have to say that the chicken was a letdown. I guess slow-cooking chicken makes it dry and surprisingly bland.

Good thing I tried their grilled ensaymadas which they are apparently very proud of. They add an interesting twist to it that makes them quite a treat to the palates. I think they have over a dozen flavors to choose from, from an awkward bacon topping, to dark Toblerone, to fruits etc.

I got the dark Toblerone and was very pleased, I almost forgot how sad the chicken meal I had was. The grilled ensaymada was warm, with the right amount of sweetness, crunch (rice crispies coated in chocolate), and cheese. I have yet to try their other flavors, which all look amazing in prints! Check out their Facebook account for the photos. Key in Red Swan on your FB search tab. Trust me, they look just as pretty when served.

I stole this photo from their Facebook account. Yummy no?

Aside from the ground floor dining area, they have three more rooms upstairs, of various sizes, which they use for small to medium functions. The smallest room could hold up to 10 persons, while the biggest holds 20 or more. Customers can rent the rooms from P2,000 to P5,000, consumable. Not a bad deal at all. Don't forget to check out these rooms when you come visit, or rent a room or two on your next party.

If you want a private, cozy, boutique type of place that serves fine dishes, well, I strongly recommend Red Swan. They serve lunch and operates until 10PM. They serve beer too! Ah, home.

Price starts at P120- P300

Food :         ****
Ambiance: ****

Service:     ****

Servings:   ****

• Red Swan: 36 Scout Santiago Street Corner Scout De Guia Street, Quezon City

 

Country Chicken: happiness in a box

Chinese restaurants have a bad reputation for putting too much MSG in their food, or for having a dirty kitchen, and yet people still patronize them. Since these facts stay intact over the years, we have accepted them to be part of the whole Chinese dining experience and learned to love it for as long as I can remember.

In the very busy intersection of Araneta Avenue in Quezon Ave., houses one of the Country Chicken branches in the Metro. They serve your typical chinese favorites like chopsuey, hot and sour soup, pancit and many others. But what kept me coming back is their, well, (you guessed it) chicken.

Our family has grown fond of Country Chicken's roasted chicken over the years. Birthdays, Christmas, or ordinary days are turned special because of this special treat. If I had to compare its taste with your local lechon manok like Baliwag, Andok's Chooks and Sr. Pedro, I'd say CC's chicken is twice as juicy and twice as flavorful.

I'd have to give most of the credit to their sauce. It's close to hoisin, but not quite. It has a distinct smell of star anise to it, but I'm really not sure. Its perfect blend of sweet and tang compliments the flavorful aroma of the chicken. That when put together, creates a burst of dragon fireworks inside your tummy only a real Chinese restaurant can offer. I try to put the right words to describe the sauce, but I end up with fireworks and star anise. Great. T.T

***

If you're thinking that their chicken is close to that of Savory's since they're both chinese restaurants, it's not. CC has perfected the right amount of toast to the chicken skin which is close to being burnt, but avoids the bitter taste to it. While people pretending to be healthy stay away from chicken skin, well they have yet to try CC's version. This might be the ultimate test against their willpower, and the strength of a really good food.

A whole chicken would cost P280. And they place it inside these cute boxes together with two sachets of their sauce. Additional sauce would cost another P20 extra. That's why I prefer dining in, they don't charge for the extra sauce. That's a tip in case you didn't notice. But the whole chicken experience is best shared with family, and best eaten at home (since you'd want to eat their chicken to the bones, using your bare hands).

If you feel like eating alone, don't worry. They came up with these set meals which include their signature chicken. An order of rice, and a quarter cut chicken costs P100, while one piece chicken (half-a-quarter) with rice costs P64 only. I'd recommend their hot and sour soup, fish and tofu and chopsuey as well.

Still thinking what to serve on your next family reunion? A box of Country Chicken will do.

Their branches:
112-A Quezon Avenue 1100 Quezon City Metro Manila
207 Wilson Street Greenhills 1530 San Juan Metro Manila
15 Jose Abad Santos Drive Little Baguio 1500 San Juan Metro Manila
E. Rodriguez Senior Avenue Quezon City Metro Manila
441 N. S. Amorato Senior Avenue Retiro Quezon City Metro Manila
4895 Valenzuela Extension Corner V. Mapa Street Santa Mesa Manila Metro Manila
1329 G. Masangkay Street Manila Metro Manila


or call:+63(2)7405613 and +63(2)7328891 for deliveries.



Food :         *****
Ambiance: ***

Service:     ***

Servings:   ****

Mang Larry's Isawan: U.P.'s tourist attraction

Mang Larry's isawan is commonly referred to as "yung isawan sa U.P.". It's so popular that the isawan easily made it to Wikipedia's definition of what an "isaw" is.

from Wikipedia:

Isaw is a street food from the Philippines, made from barbecued pig or chicken intestines. The intestines are cleaned, turned inside out, and cleaned again, repeating the process several times. They are then either boiled, then grilled, or immediately grilled on sticks. They are usually dipped in kurat (Filipino term for especially made vinegar with onions and other flavour enhancers) then eaten. They are usually sold by vendors on the street corners in afternoons.

While popular throughout the Philippines, Isaw has taken on an iconic status as a campus staple at the University of the Philippines Diliman. The UP Isawan (Isaw stall) is used as a regular setting comic book artist Manix Abrera, in his daily KikoMachine comic strip on the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

See? 

I'm sure every university has an isawan across the street, along their sidewalks, beside internet shops, etc. But Mang Larry here, is comfortably situated inside the University of the Philippines' campus under Cart #11, under the shade of trees, at the corner of an empty lot. 

Street food such as fishballs, and kikiam have a reputation for being dirty, a free access pass to hepatitis. Because of its affordable price, street foods cater mostly, if not all class C, D and E. Urban legend says that whenever these classes eat street food, the stick (which functions as a fork when eating street food) is consistently dipped inside the sauce (sweet, spicy, or vinegar) canister, which we could all agree is unhygienic. It's like eating straight from the serving plates using your chopsticks, but this time, everyone on the street participates. 

Since street food are sold along the streets, pollution from car engines, factories, constructions etc contribute to the germs that feast on the street food along with us. So it wouldn't be surprising if we end up in the hospital after a week of street food, and street fruit shake, and beer, and chicharon, and balot, and...moving on.

Mang Larry's stand veers away from all these factors. Aside from the parochial location (trees, grass, and if you listen very carefully, you can hear chickens too), Mang Larry provides each customer his/her very own cup for their choice of sauce. Thus, narrowing down the cause of hepatitis to the improper food preparation. 

***

When we got to U.P., a line of at least twelve people was waiting for us. Three ihawans are manned by five men, a lady by the cashier, another guy by the display counter, and one more guy by the sauce tumblers. And they were all busy. These are Mang Larry's menu:

isaw manok (chicken intestine) P3

isaw baboy (pork intestine) P3

atay (pork liver) P6

buchi (chicken intestine) P3

pork bbq P10

tenga (pork ears) P6

isaw baboy special (special pork intestine) P6

goto (pork tissue) P3

balunan (chicken gizzard) P6

Aside from these delicacies, they also sell softdrinks and water. 

Compared to other isawans, Mang Larry's food come in very small servings, hence the very cheap price. So it wouldn't be surprising to see one person order more than ten sticks (me). 

Service was surprisingly fast, considering the number of people, and the number of food they order. What I like about Mang Larry's isaw is that he uses brown paper bags for your order. Aside from it being environmentally friendly, the paper bag absorbs the excess oil from the food.

***

Overall, the taste was forgettable, but the experience wasn't. And for that experience alone, I think I would come back to Mang Larry. I've had better isaw's and barbeque's, but I had more fun eating them the Mang Larry style. Sitting on the street, one stick on my right hand, and the sauce cup on the other. 

For twelve sticks, and a softdrink, I paid P99 and went home 99% happy. 1% goes to the bland marinade, and sometimes, overcooked isaw. =(

UST's flood to Thomasians is similar to Mang Larry's isaw to UP students. It's like an initiation rite to the university you go to. It's something you have to experience in order to prove your Tiger blood, or your UP blood (I don't know how to adress U.P. students, scholars ba? Sorry.) Congratulations Mang Larry! 

Food:         **
Ambiance: *****

Service:     *****

Servings:   ***

Mang Larry's Isawan: Cart #11, UP Diliman, Quezon City

Woorijib Korean Restaurant: authentic Korean food fit for Pinoys

While cruising the streets along Kalayaan Avenue to satisfy my kimchi craving, a not-so-attractive korean restaurant named Woorijib caught my attention. at 9:45 pm, the place was almost empty except for one couple eating their hearts out.

I judge Korean restaurants by the number of Koreans eating inside. But then again, they were about to close, and we barely made it to their last order call. Their waiter knows everything on their menu, compared to Chung Mi Rae along Timog where all I got was "masarap po yan", or "okay naman po ang lasa" from the waiter. Woorijib's waiter explained everything on the menu and words made it to my palates.

But more than that, they were serving pork strips buffet (Samgyeopsal) for P299.

This buffet includes unlimited side dishes, unlimited seafood miso soup, unlimited rice and of course, unlimited pork strips. The price range on their menu would play around P250 to P350. S0 I guess the P300 Samgyeopsal buffet wouldn't be a bad decision at all.

The waiter began setting up the stove beside our table, as several side dishes came. They had kimchi, sweet potato wedges, cucumber salad, bean sprouts, tofu, potato salad, and a green vegetable I assumed wasn't kangkong. They were all very tasty, and I can have as much as I want. 

Another entree came in a sizzling hot bowl. A miso soup with seafood bits inside. It was a relief to see my seafood allergies did not kick in that night. It would have been disappointing to not feast on this tasty seafood miso soup. The chopsticks and spoon were presented like this, hygienic and well, uhhhm...presentable. 

The waiter then came with a huge plate of raw pork strips. He started grilling them while making small talks about the restaurant. 

Aside from the Samgyeopsal, they also serve beef strips buffet for P499 per head. One serving of the pork strips will cost P250, minus the rice and soup. But that night, we were able to consume five servings at the very least. Not bad at all for a P300 buffet. 

The strips were served with sesame oil and soya paste. Koreans eat them in this order:

1. Dip the pork strip in sesame oil

2. wrap it inside sesame leaves or lettuce (which were also unlimited)

3. Dip it in soya paste

4. Eat!

I thought they were going to taste like bacon, but it wasn't even close. It was crunchy, and surprisingly tasty even without any seasoning. I guess pork meat have that distinct flavor which chicken and fish do not. They didn't use oil in grilling them either. They let the pork fat generate the oil needed to cook the pork strips. A dripping saucer was placed beside the grill for the excess oil. 

The place could do a little better. For a Korean restaurant, Woorijib looks a bit mediterranean-spanish. It has a very high ceiling too. Inside was a bit humid probably because of the in-your-face cooking steam, and the big area of the restaurant. A new airconditioner unit might do the trick, or a better ventilation fan, I don't know. I could imagine this place being filled with people, -humid feast. The service crew were kind enough to assign a fan to our table. We were the only customers left then. ahhaah!

They have a parking area in front which could accomodate at least 6 cars.

Overall, the experience was amazing, thanks to the good food quality (and quantity) as well as the warm service of the crew. 

Will I go back to Woorijib? Definitely! 

Price: P250-P500 per head


Food:         *****
Ambiance: ****

Service:     *****

Servings:   *****

Woorijib Korean Restaurant is located at Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila , Diliman.

TEAlicious: Battle for the Best Milk Tea in the Metro

Milk tea is the new yogurt ice cream in Manila. I've seen long queues inside and even outside some of the famous tea places in Manila. But how are teas, or milk tea in particular, different from each other?


From Wikipedia:

• Doodh Pati Chai, literally milk tea, also known as pakki chai.
• Bubble tea, also known as pearl milk tea or boba milk tea, with chewy tapioca balls
• Hong Kong-style milk tea, black tea sweetened with evaporated milk
• Teh tarik, the de facto national drink of Malaysia and Singapore, tea and condensed milk

I have been a fan of milk tea since 2nd year college. Simple Line (previously known as Simple Life) was introduced to me by a friend, and I never stopped patronizing milk teas since. 

Now that people are more conscious about their health, more coffee drinkers are now switching from coffee beans to tea leaves. 

Here's an article from www.selfhelpzone.com

Consider these 5 reasons to switch to tea (if possible):

1. The caffeine content of coffee is known to be higher than tea; coffee having as much as doubled that of tea. Excessive caffeine intake is known to interfere with sleep, increase heart rate and blood sugar levels and act as a diuretic.

Also one can develop caffeine dependency so that withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, sleepiness and flu like symptoms could be seen if one cannot get their daily dose.

2. There are more anti oxidants in tea than coffee. These anti oxidants are associated with numerous health benefits such as a healthier heart, cancer fighting properties, fighting free radicals and so on. In particular, green tea is known to be associated with a host of other benefits such as facilitating or at least helping with weight loss, keeping wrinkles and other signs of aging at bay and so on.

3. A compound called Theanine found in tea can help you feel alert and refreshed but has none of the unpleasant side effects that caffeine can have. Excessive caffeine can make you jittery and cause other unwanted side effects.

4. Tea can be more versatile. You can flavor your tea with lemon, ginger, honey and a host of other flavors making it possible to have a lot of yummy variations to your cup of tea. This is less possible with coffee. Also you can infuse your tea with a number of other herbs many of which may have health giving and curative properties. Further the fact that there is black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong tea also offers tea drinkers a wide choice to choose from.

5. Tea has other uses as well – tea can be natural antiseptic, used tea bags could help reduce swelling of the eyes, and used tea leaves can even become effective fertilizer for your plants.

***

Ready to switch?

***

Regardless of these considerations, I switched to milk tea because I find it more delicious, good for the health and cheaper too!

I've been to the famous milk tea places in the Metro, and here are my reviews in order. (corresponding reviews apply only to specific flavors I ordered)

1.) SereniTea

♚ Little Baguio, San Juan ♚ Aguirre Ave. BF Homes Paranaque ♚ N Roxas St. Banawe, Quezon City ♚ Cinema Area, Alabang Town Center ♚ Adriatico Wing, Robinsons Place Manila

SereniTea has a wide range of tea flavors to choose from. What I like about them is their consistency in their tea mixes. By consistency, I mean standard recipe. I tried SereniTea in Banawe, San Juan and Paranaque, and they all proved consistent. Another good thing about SereniTea is that they allow you to choose your sugar percentage from 0% to 100%. A plus for those conscious about their body sugar, and yeah, the diabetics too!

They also allow you to mix two sinkers in one drink for no additional cost. Other tea places would not allow you to combine two half-a-sinker servings in one drink. For beginners, they have a list of their top 10 best sellers, Okinawa being one of the top 3, and my favorite too. 

SereniTea has been a weekly, if not daily, quick fix for my healthy food cravings. I'm on my second "suki" card already. Fan? I think so. 

Price:        starts at P80 

Ratings:    *****

2.) Zen Tea

***N. Roxas, Banawe.  ***EGI Taft Tower, Manila, ***Dapitan, Manila

One good thing about Zen Tea is that they have an interesting mix of fruit, tea, milk, cream in one cup. Unlike other teas places, Zen Tea pioneers in combining fruit flavors in their mixes which gives their tea a distinct refreshing twist. 

They have an interesting line-up of names for their teas like CARNIVALE, CHOCTEA etc. They also prepare their teas right beside the cashier which gives the customers an interesting view of how their orders are prepared. Cool no?


Try their strawberry and cream, and Carnivale, they're awesome! 

Price:        starts at P60 

Ratings:    *****

3.) Simple Line

Along V.Conception, Dapitan St., Manila. (beside Perpetual Help School)

I have been patronizing Simple Line throughout my college stay in UST. And what kept me coming back is their black grass jelly which, unlike others, has a distinct texture, rough yet soft. I always order their black tea with black jelly simply because I've grown fond of it. They never had any special flavors like Yakult or fruit pulps which kind of worked in their advantage. Customers don't have a difficult time in choosing what's best. 

Among all the milk tea stores I tried, Simple Line offers the cheapest prices without sacrificing the quality. 

Price:        starts at P50 

Ratings:    ****

4.) Bubble Tea

SM North EDSA, Tomas Morato

Bubble Tea's pearl is interestingly smaller compared to other milk teas. They're as small as the ones we have in our taho. Maybe that's why they are famous for their pearls, which are soft until the core.

Bubble Tea inclines more on the milky taste rather than tea. It's like having milkshake, without worrying about the herbal taste of tea. This could work for those who hate tea but would love to try out milk teas. Other teas come off too strong that kids don't like them as much. They have small servings though, and a bit pricey too. I guess we pay for the name, but don't worry, the quality still remains the same.

Price:        starts at P110

Ratings:    ****

5.) Gong Cha

soon to open, Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA Sky Garden

I was lucky enough to try a preview of Gong Cha during my stay in Singapore. Their menu can be compared with Happy Lemon and ChaTime, which includes a creamy cheese froth in place of your whipped cream in Starbucks. I was able to try their assam black tea, and it wasn't bad at all. 

I can't wait to try their other flavors when they open here in the Philippines.

Price:        starts at P90 

Ratings:    ****

6.) ChaTime!

A***N. Roxas, Banawe

ChaTime's store appears to be a beauty parlor at a glance. With its pink logo with white text over it, it took me a while before I tried their tea. With a few friends' recommendation, I tried their black tea with cheese. ChaTime's edge over the others, I think, is their beautiful and interactive interior. It was a bad call for me judging the place from outside. AHahah! 

Inside, they have a couch with a widescreen LCD tv inside playing cartoons. They also have different game boards which attracts you to stay a bit longer and relax while enjoying your drink. It stays true to its name ChaTime which I think came from Chat and Time and Cha which is tea. It's a playful name, well suited for a playful store like ChaTime. 

Overall, their tea is pretty similar with that of Gong Cha, given that I was only able to try one. And I will definitely come back, next time with friends. 

Price:        starts at P80 

Ratings:    ****

7.) Happy Lemon

Greenhills, ***Ortigas

Happy Lemon has been a trending topic in my Facebook feed since it opened in Greenhills. When I went there to try it out myself, I was a bit disappointed. I tried their "best seller, lemonade with aloe pulps, and almost gave up halfway through the drink. It might be an acquired taste, or I might be acidic that time, but I certainly did not enjoy it. The same way I did not enjoy my Yakult drin from SereniTea.

I gave Happy Lemon another shot by ordering a more simpler drink. Milk tea. And it was okay. Nothing amazing, not that bad either. It was okay. Like Chowking's Nai Chai, only bigger and more expensive.

 If it wasn't for the hype and too much expectations, I think I would have enjoyed Happy Lemon more. Yet with all the better choices out there, I think I'd have to end my Happy Lemon experience here. But for a free drink, why not? 

Price:        starts at P90 

Ratings:    **

8.) Ersao

West Avenue, Banawe

Ersao could have been a great place to enjoy a Japanese snack, with milk tea alongside. But with what I experienced from the chocolate flavored tea I had some seven months ago, Ersao failed my expectations. Aside from the cheap-looking package, the taste wasn't as pleasing as I thought it would be. The place looked authentic enough, but the drink didn't live up to it. Or maybe that's how Japanese milk tea should taste like? I don't know, but I'm sure I didn't like it.

It was powdery, and not in a good way. As you try to enjoy Ersao, the powdery feel would crowd your mouth, as if eating fruits that fell off in sand. And these powder don't melt in your mouth, they stay there, until the end of the drink. I think I could have done a better job mixing Ovaltine with ice at home.

The overall Ersao experience was quite cheap in quality. With the recent uprise of better options, Ersao better focus on their food instead, and stop selling their so-called milk teas, which I think they aren't. 

Price:        starts at P90 

Ratings:    *

***

I have also tried Rockery from Singapore, King Chef's milk tea pitcher, Chowking's Nai Cha, and they were all good. 

Do you have any milk tea experience to share?