More Research

This post is for V (others can read it too).

When V visited here with her family a few weeks ago, she wanted to go to Chinatown. I was wondering why, because where there from has a much bigger selections in Asian ingredients. Then the truth came out, she was jonesing for boba milk tea (why didn’t she just say so, shy I guess).

For whatever reason, she didn’t bring her camera with her this time (I think she was too excited about getting her tea). She takes pictures of food to post on her Facebook page. The other day, I went back to take some pictures (so she can make her friend jealous).

Okay, back to the main reason for this post. We ended up here.

Sign

Sign II

Just in case you had any doubts why we were here.

After several days, V got her milk tea.

Boba Milk Tea

Her mom, A got an avocado shake.

Avocado Shake

According to V, the boba milk tea was one of the best she’s had (maybe because she was craving it for a while).

Here’s the menu.

Menu

I read in another food blog that there’s another bubble drink stand that’s just as good (if not better). V and her family has to come back to do a thorough survey of  places that serve bubble tea (hint hint).

I just realized V’s boba milk tea and The Cat’s Thai iced tea are practically the same (except for the tapioca pearls), duh (see 1 March 2011 post).

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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Lemonade from Preserved Lemons

A while back, I posted about lemons preserved in salt. On the menu at a Vietnamese restaurant we ate at recently, one of the drinks was salted lemonade. I didn’t make the connection immediately that the drink would be made with preserved lemons. I wasn’t in the mood for the sweetened lemonade so I gave the salted lemonade a try.

 

Salted Lemonade

 

The drink hit the spot. I think a small bit of sugar was added to balance the saltiness of the lemon. It wasn’t too sweet or too salty, but just right. The drink did not come with three bears.

Right now, I think I like the salted lemonade more than the traditional sweetened lemonade. I may try this at home.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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Bi Luo Chun Cha

Yet another tea variety from China. This one is Bi Luo Chun. Our friend D introduced us to this tea, it’s one of her favorites.

Package of Bi Luo Chun Tea Leaves

The tea leaves are rolled in a spiral to make it look like snail meat, eww. Here’s the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi_Luo_Chun_tea.

Bi Luo Chun Leaves

Some of the leaves have a whitish, fuzzy appearance, this is a good thing, it’s not mold.

The taste of Bi Luo Chun tea is stronger than Long Jing tea. Long Jing is fresher tasting, like grass. Bi Luo Chun taste like tea (duh), at least what I imagine tea to taste like. Plus, Bi Luo Chun feels more acidic than Long Jing. Just my opinions.  Okay, I’m failing to describe the taste properly. When it comes to tea, I’m a definite neophyte.

Bi Luo Chun Cha

The Cat prefers Bi Luo Chun tea to Long Jing tea. Me, given the choice, the other way around. I think Bi Luo Chun tea would pair well with heavier foods like meats (hmm, shoyu pork or beef tongue). Still, the adventure continues.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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Long Jing Cha (Dragon Well Tea) and Kuri An Pan (Chestnut Paste Pastry)

The Cat and I have recently gotten interested in Chinese teas. On one of our trips to China, we got to visit the Hangzhou area in the Zhejiang Province of China. This area is known for its Long Jing tea. Here’s the Wikipedia article for Hangzhou: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangzhou. Long Jing tea is greatly respected in China. Here’s the Wikipedia article for Lon Jing tea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longjing_tea.

One of the characteristics of the Long Jing tea leaves is that they are processed flat. Other tea leaves are allowed to curl.

Long Jing Tea Leaves

The tea is very light in color and taste.

Long Jing Cha

To me, the tea goes well by itself or with light desserts and light tasting foods. Stronger tastes such as shoyu and foods such as cheesecake tend to overwhelm the tea and tends to negate the taste of the tea.

Speaking of which, the other day I picked up a kuri an pan, a Japanese pastry filled with chestnut paste. I usually purchase the red bean variety but this time I wanted to be different.

Kuri An Pan

Here’s the Wikipedia description of an pan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anpan of which the chestnut paste is one variation.

Chestnut Filling

It was a perfect pairing. I was very happy.

Enjoy.

The Mouse

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