Drink Tea 水研社 at The Podium

If last year was the frozen yogurt or "fro-yo" year, this year is definitely the milk tea year. More and more Filipinos drink tea and milk tea today. More and more milk tea and tea shops open at every corner and turn possible. Among the shops that have opened are: Serenitea, Moonleaf, Chatime, Gong Cha, Happy Lemon, Cha Dao, Raintree, and a lot more... :)

Recently, I came across another tea place, Drink Tea 水研社, a Taiwanese tea shop brand, that opened at The Podium in Ortigas. What's unique about Drink Tea, and probably one of their trademarks, is their pink pearls made from Roselle plant extract, which has medical qualities.



I ordered the Pearl Milk Tea, with 25% sugar, and normal ice. What's good with the tea and milk tea shops now is that you can customize the sugar level put in the cup you're ordering. Drink Tea also allows you to customize the ice that they put in your drink.



The star of the drink, besides the really good tea that they have, is the Rose Pearls, or the Roselle Pearls. Not only does it add color and liven up your drink, it has this nice rubbery bite to it, which I like most. Roselle Pearls, comes from the Roselle plant extract. Roselle is associated with traditional Chinese medicine which is used for treatment to reduce hypertension, treat urinary track infections, enhance rejuvenation and reduces fatigue.



Menu of Drink Tea 水研社 :)



Drink Tea 水研社
Contact: +632-6871686
12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center
1550 Mandaluyong

Borough with the College Barkada

Rog, one of my college friends, came home from the US, so we got together, like old times, and did some catching up with stories from here and there. Of course, nothing beats a good story paired with good food. We tried out Borough, the 24/7 restaurant bar located at The Podium in Ortigas, which serves New York's comfort food. It's an affiliate of the famous Makati resto-bar Il Ponticello, or Ponti to its patrons.



Popcorn Calamari - Popcorn-crusted fried squid served with clarified chili butter. It is an interesting appetizer which can be served in the movie house. That would be a really yummy idea :))



Cubano Corn - Corn on the Cob covered in Cayenne Pepper, Parmesan Cheese and butter. They asked us if we want it to be shredded, so we said yes. Sweet and Spicy, just the way I like it.



Chili Chicken Burger - Homemade chicken burger topped with Monterey jack, corn salsa, avocado & herbal mayo in brioche bun. They say the gauge of a good burger is in their patty. Truly, this one's worth it! Real grilled beef patty, juicy and tasty. :)



Cheese-Injected Portobello Pita Pocket - Portobello Mushroom oozing with Monterey Jack in a Pita Pocket. Probably the best one among the food that we ordered. The taste is quite interesting and distinct. I love how the Portobello Mushroom was covered with cheese. I would love it though if the cheese had more kick that what actually was served.



Eggplant Parmigiana - Panko Crusted Eggplant covered in Mozzarella and sprinkled with Parmesan. Served with Buttered Spaghetti.



Mom's Milk & Cookies - The bestselling dessert, which comes with milk! We all dunked our cookies into our small glasses of milk. Fun. :)) We tried all 3 kinds of cookies at that time. As far as I can remember, it was Kisses and Almonds, Sour Candy and Rocky Road(?). :) Must try!



Bread Butter Pudding - The pudding on the other hand is alright, though it was forgettable. You could do away with it, and just order more cookies! :)



Brooklyn - Chivas with Raspberry, the twist to the good old drink.



Borough, The Podium
G/F The Podium Mall, 12 ADB Ave., Ortigas Center
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
Philippines

Shi Lin at the Podium

Right now, there are a lot of Xiao Long Bao stores opening in Manila. There's Suzhou for one, and Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, and now, there's Shi Lin restaurant in the 3rd level of The Podium in Pasig.



We visited a few days after it opened. They say it's one of the version of the famous Din Dai Fung of Taiwan, but I have yet to try it there. It's now a growing trend to have a see-through kitchen where you can observe how they prepare your food.



Of course, we had to try their Xiao Long Bao, to compare with all others we've tried. We loved it. I say it's one of the best, in you just consider the taste. It's not as big as the ones served in Suzhou, but a crate has 6 pcs in it. Suzhou's shredded ginger and Chinese black vinegar, the one you dip your Xiao Long Bao in, is still the best in my opinion.



We also got their version of Shrimp and Pork Dumpling, which is equally good. You could taste a good combination of shrimp and pork. Next time I would love to try their Shrimp and Pork Shaomai, which I heard tastes better.



Another dish we ordered was the Noodles with Spicy Sesame & Peanut Sauce. Although I would say that the dish was a lot smaller than we expected (because the serving size is only good for one) the overall taste is great. The noodles were cooked a bit on the al dente side, and the flavors of the spicy sesame and peanut sauce is just fantastic! I tried mixing it with the rice, and it was just insanely yummy.



The last dish we got was the Drunken Chicken. It was my first time to be able to sample a cold dry chicken dish served with soup. It was a little bit odd for my taste, but with soy and chili, I guess it worked for me.



We also tried out their Passion Berry Iced Tea (right) and their Green Mistique Iced Tea (left). I love the latter one, which is what I had :)