It seems that there's always a trend going on when it comes to beverages. Remember the bubble tea crazed? What about the packet coffee that went viral several years ago? Don't forget about the coffee cafe frenzy that seems to be going on strong for now. But recently I've noticed the emergence of ice creams+beverages shops all over town. And almost all of them were foreign originated franchises (from Indonesia & China to be exact) as you can see from some of the franchises that are currently available in Tawau...
1. Ai-CHA (Location: Utara Business Hub, Taman Semarak, Balung, Bandar Sri Indah, Jalan Klinik, Taman Megah Jaya, Kubota Square, Kg Jawa, Pusat Komersil Gaya, Eastern Plaza)
Probably the most well known ice cream+beverages franchise with an equally impressive amount of stores popping out like nobody's business as they had a whopping 11 stores in Tawau alone. But oddly enough (for me at least) their products were probably my least favorite among all in this list. I've tried their Sund-Ai Boba & Sund-Ai Choco Cookies ice cream & I don't think they lived up to the hype. Personally, I found them rather ordinary tasting, nothing special at all.
2. WEDRINK (Location: Bandar Hotsprings, Taman Semarak, Jalan Chester, Bandar Sri Indah, Pertama Complex)
With a steady 5 stores currently opening in Tawau, they're the closest to Ai-CHA when it comes to variety. Their ice cream were slightly creamier than the latter and the Mango with Coconut Jelly & Chocolate Oreo smoothies that we've tried were actually yummy unlike the aforementioned.
3. BING CHUN (Location: Taman Semarak, Servay Jaya, Merotai, Bataras Hypermarket, Hilltop, Jalan Chester, Fajar Complex, Jalan Kuhara)
One thing I like about this franchise (as a choco enthusiast) other than it being more accessible than others (as they don't necessarily need a whole shop to operate, hence the 9 stores/kiosks) is that they have chocolate ice cream readily available instead of only on selected days. Even though their ice cream was just so-so but I like their Coconut Milk Tea which despite its simple ingredients was actually pretty tasty & not too milky.
4. BINGXUE (Location: Taman Semarak)
As one of two franchises that only has 1 shop in Tawau (thus far), I would say that their brand was probably the least known by locals. And despite their variety of ice creams & fruit teas, their products seems to be a bit bland (at least to me) as in the case of the Lychee Watermelon Tea & Matcha Ice Cream that I had. But still sufficiently quench thirsting especially in the recent hot weather.
5. MOMOYO (Location: Fajar Complex)
So I saved the best for last & I tell you guys this as a non ice cream+beverages shop fan (yup, still not a fan even after going to so many shops). I found that most of them lack quality especially when it comes to their ice creams (hence the understandable cheap price). But I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself actually loving their ice cream selections particularly the in promo (at said time) Capybara Pimoo's Choco Sundae & Choco Ice Cream Milk Tea. Granted, I might be a little bias towards anything choco but seriously, the milk tea just hits different for me.
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