By Rebecca Do
On an afternoon during the weekend, what better place to be than a boba shop? Luckily, for the folks who live closer to school, a new boba place called “Feng Cha Teahouse” has opened up on Warner.
It felt a little cozy walking in: with dim lighting and large tables furnishing the store. But it was cute, with their stuffed animals, marble tables and white chairs: you’d feel as if you were walking directly into an Ikea catalog.
The sleek chairs and tables were contrasted by the colorful flowers adorning each table. The flowers were very Lunar New Year-esque (or in this case, “năm mới-esque.” This was a very Vietnamese establishment. I could tell right away).
It was empty when we walked in at 11 am, but the store did experience its fair share of transient people passing by, coming in to purchase one or two drinks only to leave once they were given the bag.
We ordered from the large “popular drinks” menu behind the counter, deciding to go with the first drink, a “Dirty Boba” and a fruit tea, the “Strawberry Overload.” For fun, we ordered from the small list of desserts they offered, opting for a “Matcha Love” pancake. Other than toppings, no adjustments were made to the drinks.
Strawberry Overload with Lychee Jelly, $5.75 (7/10)
Now, I’m partial to a sweet drink more than half the time I visit boba places, but even this was a little too much for me. It was clearly very fresh with little to no strong chemical, or artificial strawberry flavoring and I applaud them for that. Another thing I applaud them for was the chunks of fresh strawberries that got stuck in my straw every time I tried taking a sip. It truly made for an interactive experience, trying to suck the bits out from the end. I do also enjoy the strawberry fruit as opposed to the flavor that some are accustomed to in snacks.
As the name suggests, this truly was a strawberry overload. I could not taste anything else because of how strong the drink was. I would order this next time with a sugar adjustment to make the flavor a little less intense.
Dirty Boba, $6.00 (9/10)
Ironically, the drink that wasn’t “mine” was the one I ended up enjoying more (this was mutual according to my photographer). This drink was so sweet but just sweet enough. The first sip I took (the drink not being mixed yet) was literally, a glub of brown sugar syrup. However, I enjoyed the sweetness of the brown sugar more than I did the strawberry flavor of the Strawberry Overload.
And did this drink ever live up to its name: it looked purposefully messy and unkempt, and it was amazing. If I wouldn’t change anything about this drink. If you’ve ever ordered a “tiger milk tea” or any brown sugar boba drink and thought it was too sweet, do not make any adjustments to this particular one; the one you don’t do anything to is gonna be the best you can get.
Matcha Love, $6.49 (8/10)
The vedette du spectacle, and the one I was most excited about. This was an admittedly, okay pancake. They were cheating a little though: matcha powder, pocky and matcha-flavored sweet cream on top would make anything taste good. I would eat matcha powder on a rib-eye steak.
But that’s beside the point, the pancake was fine. However, the matcha was great; it wasn’t authentic, sure, but it wasn’t too sweet or too bitter and had the right amount of flavor. If you’re one to get stuffed via drink, sharing one with a friend is a great option.
Closing Notes
It’s a solid boba place. That’s the extent to which I can describe it. It’s definitely not worth your time to spend it lounging by yourself, but if you’re with a friend this might be the place for you.
This shop is best for ordering and taking it out the door as soon as you can. The drinks were nice and fresh and paired with the pancake, made for an enjoyable experience.
