Friday, December 24, 2010

Happy Lemon: The HK Starbucks of Bubble Teas

There is and always will be, that moment in childhood, where we drank a bottle of Yakult. Then we wanted more. So we drank another one. Only to feel that we still have not enough. And we cursed the shrewed Japanese for not producing bigger sizes of Yakult. From then on, we swore to open a 5-pack Yakult, accumulate them altogether in a drinking glass, and gulp the Go!Large cultured milk.

But ever since Chris Tiu and his Xavier pals brought Happy Lemon to the Philippines, I say, there are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived fully, as the children these days. (Hint: I am talking about Lemon Yakult, yes, they have ice blended Yakult in a tall cup now! x_x)



Happy Lemon is a brightly-lit bubble tea shop from Hong Kong. Its cozy feel and hip vibe, teamed up with creativity-infused drinks expects to reproduce the cheering influence exhilaration of good conversations, over the finest organic suspensions.



They have such a diverse list of teas (lemon series, fresh tea, milk tea, specialty tea, mousse spin) and coffee drinks that it would really take you forever to make your choice.

The cashier would first and foremost suggest you try (the one on the first three photos) Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese. I like this one a lot, no wonder it is the signature Happy Lemon drink. It's like some liquid Green Tea Cheesecake. It smells like Sampaguita, and perhaps, it's the only drink I've ever had that's a perfect combination of salty, sweet, and bitter. Very addicting, I must say. Though you should drink it without the straw, so that you could devour the goodness of freshly brewed green tea running through the saltiness of the cheese froth.

I know, it's quite weird to have cheese and salt on your green tea. At first sip, your face might possibly contort various sensations: joy, confusion, unease, pleasure? But no one would understand the truth until they drink of Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese's frothy goodness.




And my personal favorite (the one on the rightmost photo) and apparently, the one I have been raving about all-day long, Lemon Yakult. Waaah! A giant ice-blended cup -- shake style -- of tiny bits of ice and lemon zest which I owe my identifiable personality.

No kidding -- this drink falls into your stomach, and straightway there is a general commotion. Ideas begin to move like the battalions of the Grand Army of the battlefield, and the battle takes place. Thoughts arrive at full gallop, ensuing to the wind. The light cavalry of comparisons deliver a magnificent deploying charge, the artillery of logic hurry up with their train and ammunition, the shafts of with start up like sharpshooters.

For the love of Yakult, it's just pure pleasure, I tell you.




So there. A vibrant new place to go after your bargain shopping :)
Would you mind going with me to try out other drinks on my next visit?



Happy Lemon
The Promenade, Greenhills Shopping Center
Lemon Drinks
Estimated Budget: ~80 per drink




BTW, if you're wondering why Yakult is sold in small bottles, I give you three operative words: hygiene, health, and cost.