Lait Night Cafe
Lait Night Cafe is Toronto's first 24/7 bubble tea shop that serves house-made Asian treats.
Here, students can study late at night without fear of being kicked out at closing time.
Lots of outlets, seating, a WiFi connection and a calming deep blue colour on the walls all feel well-suited to this purpose.
A Kuromitsu Hojicha tea latte starts at $4.50 and we add tapioca for an extra 50 cents; other 50 cent add-ons include coffee jelly, aloe vera and whipped cream.
The tea itself has a nice roasty flavour with a hint of sweetness, and the tapioca adds extra texture and flavour. Cute imported reusable straws are also available for purchase here.
Pink Rose Medley decaf tea lattes start at $4.75, made with rose, ginkgo biloba and beet for a pink colour. It's floral but not overly perfume-y. There are also Roasted Corn and Ginger Chrysanthemum decaf tea lattes, and all tea lattes are available hot or cold.
Pretty much all treats here are vegan, including Ichigo Daifuku ($3.50 or two for $6). A fresh strawberry is wrapped in red bean and mochi for layers of flavour and texture.
Matcha imported from Uji, Japan is whisked by hand to order for matcha lattes.
Other hot coffee beverages available include espressos, macchiatos, lattes, flat whites, and cortados.
They use Reunion Island coffee for these and Coffee Jelly ($4), made in house with agar agar and topped with whipped cream, or optionally vegan coconut whipped cream. It's actually a quite pleasant, sweet way to taste the notes of the coffee.
Dango ($2.75 or two for $4) come in five flavours, the only one of which isn't vegan is honey. Mitarashi is a sweet soy flavour with a round, mellow flavour that complements the chewy treat nicely. Red bean, kinako and matcha make up the other flavours.
Smoothies only come in a large size for $5.75. Available flavours include avocado, strawberry, banana and a fresh-tasting, thick mango flavour. You can add tapioca to these too.
If you've been searching for a place that will let you pull an all-nighter on your laptop without kicking you out, look no further.
Fareen Karim