Xing Fu Tang Taiwanese Boba

There’s boba everywhere in Taiwan. For a boba tea lover like me, it was both heavenly and overwhelming. When there’s a boba shop on every block, how do you decide which ones to try? Taiwanese establishments don’t have a big presence on Yelp, so I had to rely mostly on instinct.

Shopping in Ximendeng, a touristy neighborhood in Taipei, I picked the boba shop with the longest line, figuring the locals knew. Xing Fu Tang, I would later find out, is a hugely popular boba chain with at least 60 locations in Taiwan. During my trip, I would see many people carrying those pill-shaped cups.

I waited in line for 20 minutes under the scorching sun, but it was worth it. Xing Fu Tang’s signature drink, the brown sugar milk tea, was unlike any milk tea I’ve had in the United States. It had a strong tea flavor, it was creamy as hell, and the boba balls were as fresh as they come. The only reason I wouldn’t drink this more often if I lived in Taipei is because it would make me seriously fat.

Oh, and because they use real milk and I’m lactose-intolerant. But hey, I was on vacation. (Read my blog post, “When Cheating on Your Diet Is Worth It.”)

The big wok where they keep the boba balls warm.

As outstanding as that milk tea was, the grapefruit green tea I had at the Xing Fu Tang in Jioufen was even better — and dairy-free! Jioufen is another tourist area, a mountain town filled with narrow, winding cobblestone streets lined with street-food vendors and souvenir shops.

This grapefruit green tea was the best I’ve ever had, surpassing even my favorite from Tea Bar in Azusa. It wasn’t bitter like some grapefruit drinks can be, but it wasn’t too sweet, either. It had bits of pulp (but not an annoying amount) and it tasted super-fresh. Even without boba pearls, this drink was something to remember.

The location — at the end of the long main street in Jioufen, overlooking the lush green landscape — is a huge plus. You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque spot to enjoy a refreshing beverage.

If you find yourself in Taiwan, jonesing for boba, Xing Fu Tang is the spot. Just beware of other Xing Fu Tang locations, though. They’re not all equal. I tried a small offshoot in Ximendeng (with a much shorter line) and another in Danshui Harbor, and they were both disappointing.

XING FU TANG (Ximendeng), No. 29, Chengdu Road
成都路29號
萬華區, 台北市 108
Taiwan

XING FU TANG (Jioufen), No. 175, Jishan Street
基山街175號
瑞芳區, 新北市 224
Taiwan

Pink Grapefruit Sorbet at Caffe Bella

If you live in the Los Angeles area or are visiting this summer, chances are you’ll find yourself at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica at some point. There is one dairy-free dessert that is worth wading through the crowds for: the pink grapefruit sorbet at Caffe Bella, a little kiosk at the corner of Third and Santa Monica Boulevard.

First of all, I love pink grapefruit. I am partial to pink grapefruit sodas (especially San Pellegrino), gummy bears (Bissinger’s are the best), lip balm (Burt’s Bees, yes please), hand soap, dish washing liquid and dishwasher pellets (Method all the way). I will try just about anything if it’s flavored or scented with pink grapefruit.

So even though Caffe Bella has a vast selection of dairy-free sorbets — a whopping twelve flavors — I of course went right for the pink grapefruit. In case you’re curious, some other flavors they had were mandarin, watermelon, lemon, limoncello, and blueberry. They claim that all of the sorbets and gelatos are made fresh daily. I find that hard to believe, but it certainly explains why they’re so insanely expensive. A single scoop will cost you six dollars after tax.

But the scoop I had was delicious. It tasted like real grapefruit, sweet and tart with a slightly bitter aftertaste like zest from the peel. The texture was smooth, not icy, and even the color was an appetizing light pink, not an unnatural neon pink like other pink grapefruit flavored foodstuffs. This sorbet was so satisfying that I didn’t even need to eat the whole thing. Two people could share a single scoop and be fine.

I can’t vouch for any of the other food at Caffe Bella since I haven’t tried it, but the atmosphere of the place is cute. It’s right in the middle of the promenade, so it’s a great spot to sit and people-watch. And they have a trashcan that looks like an ice cream cone! Unnecessary and totally adorable!

After a hot summer day at the beach, I will be sure to swing by the promenade for my pink grapefruit fix. Who needs ice cream sandwiches and milkshakes when you have this heavenly dairy-free concoction?

CAFFE BELLA, 1400 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Tea Bar’s Rose Grapefruit Green Tea

Over the past three months since my mom’s stroke, she’s been in a transitional care facility in Glendora. She’s going home soon — yay! — which means I won’t be patronizing restaurants in the area much longer. This is no big tragedy, as most of them aren’t great. But there’s one I will definitely go out of my way to hit, and that’s Tea Bar, an easy-to-miss boba tea shop in a strip mall near Azusa Pacific University.

What makes Tea Bar stand out in this college town filled with boba? Well, the first time I walked in, I ordered the rose grapefruit green tea because I love the flavors of rose and red grapefruit. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Tea Bar uses freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

The secret to awesomeness: freshly squeezed juice made to order.

This makes all the difference between a run-of-the-mill iced tea and a superb one. Seriously, every time I’m about to visit my mom, I start thinking about getting a rose grapefruit green tea. Does this make me an addict? Probably.

But I try not to feel guilty about this treat because fresh grapefruit juice is filled with vitamin C, and green tea has antioxidants. I always ask for no sugar. (At Tea Bar, like most boba shops, you can specify the sweetness level of any drink.) The grapefruit juice gives this iced tea a tartness that some people may find too intense, but I personally love it. I always say the American diet needs less sweet, more sour.

You can also add boba to all their drinks, of course. Tea Bar’s boba pearls are made in-house, which makes them good but also means they tend to run out often. No problem — the tea is so fantastic that adding boba to it is like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

TEA BAR, 954 E. Alosta Ave, Azusa, CA 91702

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