The Alley, a Fancy Taiwanese Bubble Tea Chain, Opens in Montreal | Eater Montreal

"I discovered a new bubble-tea destination on Guy Street by Concordia University: The Alley, a Taiwanese chain that opened its first location in 2015 and has rapidly expanded across Canada (numerous Toronto locations, plus Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver) and into the U.S. The Alley makes its own brown sugar–infused tapioca balls on-site each day, cooking the pearls in brown sugar “lava” for two hours, and they feature in the chain’s signature “deerioca” trio—regular sweet milky tea, a matcha option, and a “creamy” option that leans toward crème brûlée—priced at about $6 with reasonable portions. There’s a clear focus on quality tea, which the chain says goes through a 500-day process from harvesting through roasting, and the menu of black, green and oolong teas includes the staple Royal No. 9, a black tea roasted with blueberries. While many menu items are sweet, unsweetened choices are offered and iced drinks like the Apple of My Eye (made with honey, apple cider vinegar, aloe and more) are generally not cloyingly sugary. The deer-head logo is part of the brand’s identity rather than an attempt to play up Canadiana, and the Guy Street location at 1256 Guy (corner Ste-Catherine) is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m." - Tim Forster