Milksha Singapore @ Suntec City Mall - Popular Taiwan Bubble Tea Chain Launches Its First Southeast Asian Outlet In Singapore

Hailing from Tainan, Taiwan, Milksha 迷客夏 (also known as “Milkshop” in Taiwan) officially opens its first franchised Southeast Asian outlet at Suntec City on 22 June 2019, 11am. With over 230 outlets in Taiwan, 20 in China and two in Hong Kong, it is no doubt a popular bubble milk tea brand in Taiwan, and voted no. 1 by Taiwan university students.

Milksha uses 100% natural fresh milk and other natural ingredients such as sugar from sugar cane for their products, with no preservatives, chemical ingredients or artificial colourings. Another factor that sets Milksha apart is their signature honey pearls which are freshly cooked in Tainan, quick-freeze to maintain its texture and taste consistency, before being air-flown directly to Singapore and steeped in honey. To ensure freshness, the honey pearls are prepared in batched every two hours.

The brand rolls out 4 series: Fresh Milk Series, Fresh Milk Tea Latte Series, Premium Tea Series and Special Concoctions. The five signatures that will be sold here include Azuki Matcha Milk, Fresh Taro Milk, Valrhona 100% Cocoa Milk, Refreshing Orange Green Tea and Earl Grey Latte with Honey Pearl. Toppings will include honey pearls, grass jelly and pudding.

Fresh Taro Milk 4.2/5

Made using taro specially imported from Dajia 大甲 in Taiwan, hand-mashed and blended with fresh milk, the Fresh Taro Milk ($5.60) is a favourite, where you can taste the freshness of the real taro used, and soft bits of taro pulp in the drink.

Azuki Matcha Milk 4/5

With matcha powder specially imported from century-old brand Izumo Tousuien, and sweet azuki beans, the Azuki Matcha Milk ($5.60) has a well-balanced bittersweet flavour, with the soft azuki beans adding a nice bite and a subtle sweetness to the drink.

Brown Sugar Milk with Honey Pearls 4/5

The Brown Sugar Milk with Honey Pearls ($5.60) offers a special twist to the usual brown sugar milk beverages. The earthy, caramelised flavour of the brown sugar and creamy fresh milk paired well with the subtle fragrant floral sweetness of the chewy honey pearls.

Valrhona 100% Cocoa Milk 3.8/5

The Valrhona 100% Cocoa Milk ($4.80) uses premium Valrhona cocoa from France. It was, however, lacklustre as compared to the rest of the drinks. With the creaminess of fresh milk overshadowing the hints of cocoa, every sip boasts a dark bitter taste, yet we felt that the chocolate-flavour was not richly intense enough to make an impression.

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Milksha Singapore
Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard
Tower 3, #02-375/376
Singapore 038983
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Nearest MRT: Promenade (CC Line, DT Line), Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am – 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

The Alley Luxe @ Cineleisure - The Alley's First Ever Premium Lifestyle Concept With Signature Beverages And European Baked Pastries

This May, The Alley makes its mark in Singapore with the launch of its first-ever premium concept - The Alley Luxe at its first flagship store at Cineleisure. This premium lifestyle cafe concept will showcase The Alley's finest collection of beverages, as well as an array of exquisite European baked pastries such as croissants, cruffins and kouign-amann. Customers get to enjoy the scenic view of Orchard Road as they indulge in The Alley's signature beverages and mouth-watering baked pastries. The Alley’s flagship store will open on the 18th of May 2019, at Orchard Cineleisure Level 2.

Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk 4.2/5, Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk 4.5/5

Renowned for its signature Brown Sugar Deerioca series, The Alley continues to amaze with soft, chewy pearls meticulously brewed for over 4 hours with their all-natural brown sugar, and complete with Japanese grade fresh milk for the perfect brown sugar fresh milk experience. Go for their Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($5.30) or Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Fresh Milk ($6.30) which boasts a robust bittersweet matcha flavour. Remember to suck on the brown sugar pearls at the bottom of the cup first to experience that warm, rich caramelised soft pearls before mixing the cold milk together with the warm brown sugar pearls for a satisfying cup.

Royal No. 9 Milk Tea 4/5

Garden Milk Tea 4/5

The milk tea series, Garden Milk Tea ($5.30) and Royal No. 9 Milk Tea ($4.30) boasts a rich assam tea aroma with a roasted, milky flavour, and complete with soft, chewy pearls. The Garden Milk Tea comes with an additional blanket of oreo crumbs atop and mint leaves, resembling a 'garden', which also adds some crunchy texture to the drink as well.

Snow Strawberry Lulu 4/5

The all-new Lulu series features a concoction of fresh fruits and tea, finished off with a dollop of snow velvet cream that will surely delight all fruit tea with its refreshing and fragrant taste. The Snow Strawberry Lulu ($6.30) is light with a well-balanced tangy-sweetness from the freshly brewed white peach oolong tea and fresh strawberries added to form a perfect blend of flavours.

Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea 4.2/5

For something light and refreshing, go for their Snow Velvet Peach Oolong Tea ($5.80) which features oolong tea freshly brewed from the oolong tea leaves upon order and tops with a creamy snow velvet cap. Twist the cap to sip on the foam and use a straw for drinking the tea separately, and you get to enjoy the natural taste of the tea.

Aurora Series: Northern Lights 4.2/5

An eye-catching bottle of ice blended drink - the Aurora series: Northern Lights ($8.80) features a wonder infusion of tea and fresh fruits which includes apple vinegar, grapes and butterfly blue pea to form a beautiful gradient of colours. Not just instagrammable, it scores on the taste as well!

The Alley Luxe also introduces a new lineup of European baked pastries such as the Almond Croissant, Sausage and Cheese Croissant, Cruffins (salted caramel, lemon meringue, kaya and chocolate flavours) and Kouign-Amann. The cruffins are a croissant-muffin hybrid and boast flaky external layers, fluffy insides and slightly sweet yet flavourful centres.

Having opened its very first outlet in 2013, The Alley has come a remarkable way with more than 300 outlets around the world today, in places like Toronto, Los Angeles, Paris, Mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan etc. The Alley commits to create only the finest beverages and uphold an extremely high standard in its choice of ingredients, placing great attention in quality, from the hand harvesting of tea plants to the choice of ingredients and ratios. As a leading trendsetter of artisanal tea, the brand continues to make waves in the international food and beverage scene with its signature beverages that everyone loves.

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


The Alley Luxe
Cineleisure Orchard
8 Grange Road
#02-06A/B
Singapore 239695
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Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily 12pm to 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to Grange Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]