Lynn C.
Yelp
Shopping during Christmas season is the worst - and everyone knows this.
1. There are a ton of people in the mall
2. You are carrying a winter coat in your arms, on top of random gifts you have already picked up.
3. You're a bit stressed about your list and what to get people
and most importantly
4. You know all this crap you're buying is going to get much much cheaper in the next few months....
So when you are sweating profusely in the fully occupied Westfield, arms sore from pushing peo...erm I mean carrying all the presents and your winter gear, and knees buckling from running back and forth on this three story building not including what's on the outside, Bubbleology's existence in a western mall seems like a Christmas miracle.
I actually walked there because I wanted to know what the fuss was about with this long lineup and when I discovered it was for bubble tea, I decided against my better judgement and lined up. My better judgement was wrong though - the tapioca here is cooked fresh and just right, and the tea is actually good.
It's an assembly line where you pay, the ticket gets passed to the next person, who adds the syrup or powder, the next person adds the tea and the ice and shakes it, and the last person adds the tapioca or other add-ons, pour the drink in the cup and seal it. It's not as fast as it seems though, and I did have to wake about 15 minutes between ordering and actually getting the drink.
Price-wise, it's expensive. For a drink you can get for 50 pence in Taiwan, you would have to pay 5 quid for it here. But the options available here are pretty good. Tapioca comes with your drink price (even if you dont want it) and they have coffee jelly, and other flavoured things you can add for 50p more each. They do not have milk green tea, but have frappes and what not.
I was impressed.