Misc. Asian Beverages
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Beer - Hite (Korean) - Very dry but pleasant. It's what Phil would call a lawnmover beer. IE: something light and refreshing on a hot day. Purchased at the liquor store in the Han Ah Reum Ridgefield, NJ complex. Would I try again? I'm not much of a beer drinker, so it's not likely. But both of these beers could be good after the right meal. Where I found it: Han Ah Reum |
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Bocha (a.k.a.
Po Cha) - Tibetan Tea flavored with butter and salt, typically drank in Tibet to keep warm. It sounds horrible, but isn't. What it is, is completely and utterly bland. Would I try again? No - it's a waste of money Where I found it: Tibetan Kitchen |
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Bubble Tea - Taiwanese O great and wonderful Bubble Tea! Also known as Boba Tea, and Pearl Tea. Bubble Tea was created in Taiwan. It
comes in a
myriad of flavors: plain tea, mango, lychee, etc. Each drink
contains
a scoop of tapioca balls, and a wide straw. The tapioca balls are
soft, and gummy-chewy, and pop up through the straw intermittantly as
you
sip. (I think the greatest attraction to the drink is
psychological
- the unexpected chewy surprise.) Would I try again? I love my bubble tea very much. This is a must try. Four stars! Where I found it: Where won't you find it in Chinatown? This drink is everywhere, and that's a good thing! Links: If you love Bubble Tea as much as I do, visit Rotem Gear Shop. They have cool t-shirts with "Got Boba?". Very amusing highlight - in Japanese slang, "Boba" means breasts. So go figure. I wonder if they know.
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Coconut Milk - Misc. Whole, fresh coconuts are sold on the street. They lop off the top, put in a drinking straw and serve. The milk is the water in the center. (Actual coconut milk is made from the strained meat, and is creamier.) Fun presentation, although quite "touristy". Tastes like--guess what?--coconut. Would I try again? Nice, but not worth $2.00 a pop. Where to find it? Wander down the
street,
especially on Canal. You'll find it. |
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Guava Juice -
Misc. It's a sweet juice, it's Guava, it's got a few juice nuances that I can't place. But it's neither funky nor amazing. Just....okay. What can I say? It's drinkable, but non-descript. Would I try again? Nah. Where to find it: Almost all delis have it. |
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Kefir - Turkish
(kinda Asian) A cultured milk beverage (ie: fermented like yogurt, but with different bacteria strains.) Supposed to be extremely good for you. It's not bad - tastes like a rather tart yogurt drink. I personally liked it better than Amazake, which is a somewhat similar Japanese drink with fermented rice. Would I try again? Not in a hurry, but yes - if the occasion arose. Where I found it: Amish Fine Foods For more information: Read up at Dom's Kefir Site. |
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Lassi - Indian
(yes, it's in Asia!) A sweetened yogurt/milk drink commonly served in India and Nepal. The taste is a zingy eye opener - sweet n' tart (like the place on Mott!). I have to say, this is the best drink I've had since my first sugar cane juice. 3.9 stars! Would I try again? Oh yes. Where I found it: Cafe Spice, in the Grand Central Station dining basement. |
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Pennywort Drink
- Misc. Bright green, slightly bitter, with a certain je na sais qua to the taste (sugar added, of course.) Supposedly, the leaves of the pennywort plant are good for a number of things: arthritis, eyesight, and memory. Not bad, although not all that memorable. Would I try again? I'm not in a hurry Where I found it: Evergrand Trading |
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Sago
drinks (Coconut
milk with taro yam and sago) - Taiwan I have found a drink as great - if not greater--than bubble tea! From what I've read, sago drinks (from the sago palm planet, which grows in tropical climates) are the precursor to bubble teas. There are different sago drinks, which usually incorporate tea, different fruits, sugar, shaved ice into a myriad different tasty concotions. Where I found my sago drink, they had 5 different types of drinks. I've only tried the one above, but it was absolutely delish! I can't wait to try another variant of it, called Sago Gullaman, but haven't found a place that serves it yet. Would I try again? I'm going to try every type of this drink that I can find! Four stars! For more information: I found a site that gives the history of bubble tea, which mentions sago drinks in the text. It's a fun and interesting read... Where I found it: Sweet
N' Tart has a great selection of sago drinks. You can also
find
$.90 canned sago drinks in the refrigerated section at Kam
Man. Yummy, and a great price!!! |
| Shikhye
- Korean Malted sweet rice punch, made with barley, rice, sugar, ginger and pine nuts. Would I try again? No - it just tasted like plain sugar water, with a few soggy rice grains at the bottom. Where I found it: Han Ah Reum |
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| Soo Jeong Gwa
(Sweet Cinnamon Punch) - Korean A traditional Korean drink, consisting of cinnamon, water, sugar, dried persimmon, and ginger. It's good - you really taste the ginger, which makes it distinctive. But it tasted slightly watered down to me - I would have liked it to be stronger. (One wonders if it's stronger when marketed in Korean.) Would I try again? No - I like more spice in my drinks. Where I found it: M2M Deli |
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| Soursop
Juice - Misc. A.k.a. Guanabana. A tropical fruit, often grown in Brazil. Often made into candy, ice cream and yes, juice. If I had to describe it, it would most likely taste like a combination of ripe banana and apple. Kind of creamy, but sweet. Not bad, although nothing to cry over in joy. Would I try again? Nah. Where I found it: A shop on Mulberry called, I believe, Asia Market. |
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Tamarind Drink
- Misc. A little bit sour, a little bit tart, rather refreshing as a drink. I've come aways from my first experience with the Tamarind fruit, which repelled because the flesh looks like something out of the Alien movies. True, but the by-products of this fruit aren't bad at all (see Tamarind candy elsewhere on this website.) Buy a can, it's a nice drink. Would I try again? Yes, although it's not an absolutely raving yes (that's reserved for sugarcane juice and Bubble Tea.) Where I found it: Evergrand Trading |
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Thara - Tibetan A yogurt and cheese shake - very, very similar to an Indian Lassi, although chunkier. It's semi sweet, semi sour - and definitely nice. Would I try again? Yes. Where I found it: Tibetan Kitchen |
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Yuan/Yang -
Chinese/Hong Kong Specialty milk tea from Hong Kong . A mixture of milk tea and coffee - the name means Mandarin Duck in Chinese (a bird which usually appears in pairs.) Proper Hong Kong milk tea is filtered through a special sieve, similar in appearance to pantyhose (hence the name pantyhose tea - seriously.) Some people live for the stuff. My version came from the average, Joe Schmo brew pot, so I'm not sure if I got the real deal. Also, it wasn't advertised, so I had to ask for it special. As for the taste? Well - bland, nothing to crow about. Would I try again? Only in a place that offers it specifically Where I found it: In Chinatown (I hesitate to mention the name of the place, as I'm not sure how authentic it was.) |
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The Grand List
(among a million other places):
Cafe Spice Elizabeth Wine and Liquor Store Evergrand Trading Han Ah Reum, NJ Mall JAS Mart Jaya Kenka Nyonya Sanur Kenka M2M Deli Sweet N' Tart |
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