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"In Chinatown I learned that GiAu Bar & Bites, located at 9889 Bellaire Boulevard, is adding boozy boba teas to its permanent menu after a planned pop-up with Wokker Texas Ranger was pulled last year for business reasons. The drinks, created by barman Jacky Lee (who’s been with the company four years), include a boozy milk tea in two varieties—traditional black tea and a purple taro flavor—both served with crystal, see-through tapioca pearls instead of the usual black pearls, plus dessert cocktails like strawberry shortcake and crème brûlée. Owner Julie Vu says milk tea is very popular in their community and that she asked family who own a milk tea store for the white tapioca recipe. The cocktail additions are part of a larger menu revamp that also brings traditional Vietnamese items such as a barbecue pork sandwich, spring rolls with barbecue pork, and a lotus stem salad with shredded pork and shrimp. GiAu’s hours are 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, and the boozy boba rollout begins this Friday." - Alaena Hostetter