Foodaholic Tawau: Boba Milk Tea Mania: Tawau Edition (Part 2)

As I’ve promised in my previous post, here are the rest of the bubble milk tea places available here in Tawau. Mind you, I’ve included some of the ‘babies’ of the bunch and I will be posting new entries should any newer bubble tea joints pop up in the future.

And as I’ve stated in my last entry (more like copy-pasting my own words since I’m too lazy to retyped them 😜) – I will be focusing more on bubble milk tea specialty stores instead of full fledge eateries that features boba teas in the menu (there will be a separate post regarding that much, much later). And since I’m a self-proclaimed ‘chocoholic’ I will also be primarily tasting their chocolate series. So this is solely my opinion on their said flavour line and might not reflect on their other beverages.

So again, in no particular order…

DRINK TEA

Where? TB16002, Lot 2A, Pusat Komersil Unijaya, Jalan Sungai Tanjong

Originated from? Taiwan (but I can’t confirmed this 100% since it was very hard to find any legit info on their origin)

What I had? Chocolate Milk Tea

The Good? It’d just occurred to me that among all of the boba shops that I’ve been to, this is the only place that had actually ask me about my preferred ice and sugar level. Also, this OG place has been around for years so the taste of their drink kind of reminds me of those old-school bubble drinks during my teenage years; way before the current boba crazed blew up.

The Bad? Although I do like the drink that I had, I also think that my milk tea is very sweet (and not chocolate-y sweet, more like the sugary sweetness). So do adjust your orders according to your preference as I’d ordered mine ‘normal’.

ESTRELLA’S

Where? TB4701, Jalan Haji Karim, Bandar Tawau

Originated from? Tawau

What I had? Boba Choco

The Good? I think because I have such high expectation for this much hyped up kiosk (which was opened by a former baker and entrepreneur) I was a bit let down by their watered down chocolate tasting milk tea. But their tapioca pearls more than made up for the latter, as it was both softly chewable and sweetly taste.

The Bad? Since it’s a prime spot for hanging out especially during the evenings, it is best to avoid such times to order your drinks as you’re in for a very long wait. Also, the cashier can be a bit dismissive while taking your orders since she is also helping with the preparation of said orders. Meaning; they should hire more people in the future.

*This is their Boba Choco (together with their Choco Cheese Cake)

TWENTEA

Where? Lot B2, 8-0, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun

Originated from? Tawau (from what I can gather from their FB page)

What I had? Chocolate Brulee

The Good? Their creamy chocolate milk tea was pretty good although I must be misunderstanding the ‘brulee’ part since I can detect neither the ‘brulee’ taste nor the usual burnt look in said drink. Also they do feature a slew of local drinks within their menu such as the cendol, Nescafe and Milo.

The Bad? Well, it was not necessarily something bad; it is understandable that the barely a month old shop staff will be a bit slow in taking and preparing your orders, way slower than the other places that I’ve been to (so patience is key especially during peak hours)

*This is my Chocolate Brulee & my mom's Grapefruit Four Seasons Tea

THE KAZEN

Where? Pusat Komersil Bintang Kubota, Jalan Chong Thien Vun (has moved to Kubota Sentral area, formerly the spot of Qong - as of 2021)

Originated from? Tawau (from what I’ve been told)

What I had? Uppercheese Boba Roasted Brown Sugar Chocolate Swiss (yup, a mouthful I know)

The Good? During my premier visit, I thought that their brown sugar chocolate boba was very delicious and was one of my top choices for such drinks. But when I came back and tasted the same drink but with grass jelly instead of the usual tapioca pearls (as they'd run out of the latter) I found it to be just meh. So do make sure that you try said drink with the boba instead of the grass jelly okay (updated on 13 July 2020).

The Bad? As with any fledging businesses (that does not come from a big franchise) their choices for drinks are currently very limited (a repeat of 3 or 4 choices). Also, their sit down area is a bit small and with similarly limited sitting spaces so do be prepare to stand around as you’re waiting for your order.

QONG

Where? No.88, Lot 51, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun (has now been closed - as of Apr 2021)

Originated from? Taiwan (although I can’t verify it for now)

What I had? Cheese Belgian Chocolate

The Good? Generally speaking, almost all of the boba places that I’ve been to were prettily decorated but the life sized monkey mascot in front of this shop win hands down for the cutest Instagramable mascot there is. Plus, they’re located in a quieter part of the increasingly busy Kubota Sentral so parking is still abundant in that area. And even though their chocolate drink was not that interesting, I do find their Peanut Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea to be quite tasty (especially if you added an extra helping of Oreo with it).

The Bad? As I've mentioned above, their actual chocolate drink was just so-so for me though. The cheese foam does overwhelm the chocolate taste a bit especially if you mix them up. This is definitely a drink more suited for someone who loves cheese more than chocolate.

*FYI... this is their Brown Sugar Bobo Milk that I had during their soft opening (not to be confused with the Peanut Brown Sugar Bobo Milk Tea mentioned above)

THE YUNIQUE TEA

Where? No. 92, Block T, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun

Originated from? Taiwan

What I had? Dirty Chocolate Milk, Yunique Milk Coco

The Good? I like the fact that even though the milk tea tasted milky than anything else, their tapioca pearls were very flavourful (much like Estrella’s). They also have a selection of Cake-Of-The-Day which are worth mentioning (as I've tried their Nutella Chocolate Cake before). And I do appreciate the girl manning the counter for being very friendly and patient with my questions.

The Bad? Located just a few steps from their immediate rival Qong, both shops are located within a more vacant part of the increasingly popular Kubota Sentral commercial area. So customers might not notice them unless they intentionally went looking for them (like we did). But hopefully things will pick up for the spot in the near future so there’s still some hope.