The milk tea craze is still going strong in the Philippines, or at least in Metro Manila, that is. One of my favorites would be the Japanese brand Bubble Tea. I have been to their Bonifacio Global City branch many times and liked the cheery pastel ambiance, and thought that I would write about it in my next visit.
This particular visit though had a few flies in their ointment. We were still greeted by pleasant smiles and prompt assistance with our menu choices, but we noticed that the furniture now showed some wear and tear. A shame too, because they really had comfortable seats and this was coupled by what should have been a well-thought of motif. Then the rest rooms were a nightmare. It has not been cleaned and it reeked of overuse. Indeed, while they do open until 4am, this is not an excuse not to ensure optimum sanitation standards.
I ordered the mixed sashimi and it came, yes, well arranged, but was warm (!) and garnished with tired-looking radish strings (take note too, of the old stock of tamago [egg] sashimi pieces). When I asked about this with the waitstaff, they only apologized and said that it was prepared near the stove. But wouldn't the cook know that sashimi should maintain a certain cool temperature and thus, should avoid preparing it near a hot plate/stove? They only graciously took note of this and will just tell the cook. But my point is, the damage has been done.
In fact, we noticed that the Japanese expats who came in, all had the Pork Curry Rice. I suppose, in order to avoid any surprises, they tend to choose this dish which one cannot go wrong in preparing it.
Of course, their milk teas were still wonderfully silky sweet. I prefer the old-fashioned Royal Milk Tea, but their Chocolate and Buco Pandan flavors satisfy as well. Maybe if they do a little re-upholstering and are minded to clean their toilets, I will probably come back. For now, I'll have to contend with trying out their other branches instead.
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