The Dolldalera's Blog

If you’re in Metro Manila, you probably know about the Milk Tea addiction that a lot of people are getting into or are already obsessed with. There’s Happy Lemon, Chatime and Serenitea, to name a few. Another one comes to town, and its name is TeaTap. Located just along P. Guevarra (corner Wilson) in San Juan, it’s close enough to Serenitea and Chatime Wilson to encourage healthy competition. It’s also within walking distance of the houses that litter Little Baguio, Addition Hills and Greenhills. It’s located in the building where the old Barrio Fiesta (Singing cooks and waiters) restaurant used to be, at the Ongpauco Sisters building.

Set-up by the same owners as Kozui Green Tea, TeaTap Cafe is a milk tea shop with a unique environment. If you’ve been to Hong Kong or China (I’d like to add Korea, Taiwan or Japan, but I haven’t been to those places yet so I can’t really say for certain), you can sometimes spot cafes and small shops with certain cute-sy themes. TeaTap Cafe is just that, with its cat-themed decor and cozy interior, you will definitely get a surprise as the outside doesn’t really reflect what greets you on the inside.

欢迎光临 (Huānyíng guānglín) is the sign that greets you as soon as you walk in the door. It basically says “Welcoming your presence”. If you’ve ever been to China, you’ll hear the UNIQLO stores there say the exact same thing, though they add another phrase after. It’s really too cute, and this coming from the me who is not too fond of cats.

Since I first tried out this milk tea shop 2 weeks ago, I’ve had the same drink – Formosa Roast Black Milk Tea. The only differences from then and today were 1) Last time I went, they still had a 10% discount since they had just opened and 2) They still had Chocolate Pudding as a topping. To my dismay when I was ordering awhile ago, they told me they no longer had chocolate pudding, only egg pudding, so that was slightly disappointing. That was one of the things I liked about TeaTap, they had chocolate pudding, in comparison to all the other milk tea shops around that only had egg pudding.

I’d like to tell you that from experience, there’s something else I’d like to drink….but if you’ve known me long enough or if you’ve figured me out from my blogs, I’m not the type of person who would readily try out new things, nor am I someone who’d be willing to spend money to try out something new when I’ve already become accustomed to something. But from the TeaTap posts from my Food Club friends, I can at least recommend to you some of the drinks they’ve tried and liked. For Ahia Richard from Tales from the Tummy, he recommends the Paris Rose drink. Hokkaido Black Milk Tea is Achi Franny’s recommendation on FrannyWanny. Carlos from FoodieManila recommends the Formosa Black Milk Tea as well, though his is at 50% sweetness compared to mine which is at a hundred percent. You can check out the menu below to see what drinks might interest you, especially the ones for Yakult lovers.

As you’re ordering, you do the usual routine. Order a drink, pick a size, pick a sweetness level, select a topping, pay, and then wait for your order to arrive when your number is called out. TeaTap now has the new Tap Card (which wasn’t available when I first dropped by), which is great for customers who frequent the establishment. For every grande drink you get, you automatically get a free cat sticker. Collect 10 to get your 11th grande drink free. For those who aren’t fond of getting the grande drink, two tall orders (in a single receipt) gets you one sticker, so it’s not all bad. The great thing about the Tap Card is that it has all the details of TeaTap Cafe, from the email address, to the telephone number, to the facebook page, even down to the address, which is convenient if you’d like to know more about them or if you’d like to recommend the place to your friends.

One of the things you notice at the counter when you go to some restaurants or stores, is their tip box. As I had mentioned before, TeaTap Cafe is not your ordinary establishment. Even their tip box is unique. Place a coin on their tip box and watch as something inside carefully grabs hold of your money and then disappears. Customers, both children and adults alike, are sure to go gaga over this cute little thing. Imagine all the tips inside this little box. I wonder how much money people are sure to put in, just to see how it works. A very smart decoration, with both purpose and innovative-ness.

Of course, the writing on the box says thanks or 谢谢 (Xièxiè) to thank you for your kind tip.

Once you’re done ordering, the next step is to wait for them to make your drink. It takes a while for your drink to arrive, so either take a seat, or spend your time going around the establishment. As I had mentioned earlier, the owners of Kozui Green Tea are the same owners as TeaTap Cafe, so Kozui’s products are also on display (and are for sale) by the entrance.

Besides milk tea and green tea, cute items are also for sale. Located further inside the establishment (towards the center and facing the restrooms), you can find all these neat things for sale. Some of the items include cute cups and mugs, passport cases and cute notebooks. Click the image below for a larger view. Something that wasn’t there the first time I had gone to TeaTap is a display of cute frames with various colors. Seeing all these cute-sy products just brings me back to China, where I’ve seen a lot of these (or similar) items. Haha. I guess TeaTap is really, to some extent, a Chinese shop.

If you’d like to take a rest, you can always choose a comfy seat, either inside or outside (though it’s better to wait inside as it’s cooler and you can hear your number being called out).

Finally, once your number gets called (Mine was #2! Last time I got #8!) just go to the pick-up counter (to the right of where the cashier is) to deposit your number and pick up your drink. There are differently colored straws (of varying sizes) available for you to choose from. Another thing that’s nice about TeaTap is that the drink containers are unique. Each drink cover comes with a short (but really cute) phrase, so definitely take the time to read what yours says.

Oh and before I forget, TeaTap Cafe also offers food, though the only food available as of now is Takoyaki.

So, if you’re in the area, why not stop by and check out TeaTap Cafe. If you’re not in it for the milk tea, at least drop by to check out the place. Of course, I really recommend you try the drinks while you’re at it. Who knows, you might just find your choice of drink while you’re taking a look around. TeaTap – Tea. Your Way.