The local bubble tea scene is still going on strong despite these challenging times (which is something positive
I guess). And they’d been popping up faster than me typing up this post so for
now… here is my third post on ‘the Tawau bubble tea crazed’ (click HERE and HERE for my previous entries).
(Disclaimer: Similar
to my previous boba posts, I will be listing these out mainly based on the
tastes of their chocolate drink line unless stated otherwise)
Here I present to you (and in no particular order)…
THE WINGZ
Where? TB186, Ground Floor, Jalan Bakau (has relocated to a new place near to the Tawau Community Hall - updated on 13 July 2020)
Originated from?
Tawau, Sabah
What I had? Chocolate Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Pearl
The Good? I like
the fact that they’re trying something innovative locally & try to emulate
the Xing Fu Tang style of
stir-frying their pearls (even though they might not be as good as the
latter). Also their pricing is cheaper compared to other brands & the drinks
that I had were actually pretty good; tasted more milky than chocolate-y.
The Bad? Oddly
enough, even though their core business is the bubble tea, they seemed to be
opening a cyber café of sorts at the backside of the premise. So if you’re
expecting privacy & calmness as you’re enjoying your drink, then this place
might not be for you. And I do not know whether I’d come in a bad time or
something but the pearls that I had seems to be a bit undercook and err... wrinkly
than other places.
*FYI this is their Chocolate Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar..
... Nutella Milkshake...
... and the Oreo Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar that my sister had
THE OWL CAFE
Where? Jalan
Masjid (right beside the Old House Cafe)
Originated from?
Tawau, Sabah
What I had? Signature Chocolate, Brown Sugar Chocolate Milk Tea Brulee (updated on 10 June 2020)
The Good? The drinks that I've tried did lean more towards the 'tea' part rather than anything chocolate-y, as I can clearly taste the tea within my beverages. Still it’s a very good choice should you prefer to drink tea with just a hint of chocolate in them. Their staff were pretty attentive & friendly as well so kudos for that. Oh and they also collaborated with Han's Bakery on providing in-house snacks to go with their drinks (updated on 10 June 2020).
The Bad? Their parking might pose as a minor problem for patrons since they are located right beside the main road, with no specific space for the latter (updated on 10 June 2020).
*FYI this are actually their Brown Sugar Milk Tea Brulee (left) & Signature Chocolate (right)...
*... and this is their Brown Sugar Chocolate Milk Tea Brulee
*And this are their Milk Tea Brulee (left) and Mango Black Tea (right) that I had during their soft opening
IDRINK
Where? Lot J5,
Ground Floor, Kubota Sentral, Jalan Chong Thien Vun
Originated from? China
What I had? Chocolate Indulgence
The Good? The
drink might look uninteresting but rest assured that the taste was still pretty
good and smooth. I like the fact that they’d managed to retain the choco taste
despite the sweetness being lowered down a bit. Also I do encourage you
guys to try out their other non-choco variety like the Oreo Brown Sugar Pearl
Milk Tea that I bought during their opening promotion. I was pleasantly
surprise to find that I actually like their brown sugar milk tea selection as it was superbly
prepared to me.
The Bad? From
what I can see in their menu, they have a very limited choice when it comes to
their chocolate variety (only 2 if I’m not mistaken). And another thing; their
drinks were fixed to a certain size only which I find very peculiar.
FRIENDS COFFEE
Where? 4427, Lorong Sabindo Square
1, Sabindo Square
Originated from?
Tawau, Sabah
What I had? Chocolate
Boba Cheese
The Good? There
was a time when ice coffee was trending like crazy and this is one such place. Fortunately,
they had managed to maintain their business despite the rise of the boba trend.
In fact, they had adapted into the trend quite well by including a series of
boba specials within their existing menu. Also worth noting; their large size
drink is more like an XL size drink so you’re definitely satisfied with the
below average pricing that you’re paying.
The Bad? For some
reason, the taste was not evenly distributed even when I had stirred the
ingredients thoroughly (the top part seems to be sweeter than the bottom;
however that was possible). Also, their location is not quickly visible to the
naked eyes even though they’re actually facing a main road (probably because
their shop is smaller compared to the surrounding areas.
*Sorry for the poor pics quality as the lighting of the place kept getting in the way of me snapping the pics
