Hey Sugar
Hey Sugar may sound like a really corny pickup line, but it's actually a health-focused bubble tea cafe.The chain has over 1,000 locations in China, and is focused on providing more natural and healthier options for bubble tea drinkers.
The brighly lit store is surprisingly spacious and is adorned with adorably literal interpretations of the word "bubble" in the decor, from the wall ornaments to the cute transparent bubble-shaped swing chairs.
Surprise twist: you're not going to find any of your regular black-coloured tapioca balls here, as they are only created that way by adding colouring.
Hey Sugar hand-makes their tapioca balls, and they are golden-translucent coloured, like in their Golden Tapioca Milk Tea ($5.30).
A rarely found treat is the Taro Ball Milk Tea ($5.30) which features a tiny version of the taro balls found in Taiwanese dessert houses like Meet Fresh.
If you're in the mood for something refreshing, the Fresh Iced Grapefruit Drink ($6.50) is a worthy splurge. Using real grapefruit mixed in with coconut jelly, it's sweet, tart and just a bit bitter.
Fans of salty cream might want to get the Matcha Milk with Cheese Top ($6). This drink contains no tea and the cheese top has a strong flavour.
The Hot Black Sesame Milk Tea with Taro and Purple Rice ($5.60) features a whole host of healthy ingredients (especially purple rice which contains antioxidants and fibre). This is a smooth drink perfect for the colder months.
Or, get the cold version too for the same price. It's one of the few drinks I've had that is equally satisfying on either end of the temperature spectrum.
The Brown Sugar Dirty Milk ($6) is sweetened using a combination of brown sugar and red sugar. The sugars lend an earthy flavour to the drink.
Hector Vasquez