Third Review: July 2018 - 3/5
After having a rather disappointing lunch, Josh and I decided to have a dessert / drink to cheer us up. What better way to do this than to visit Macao Imperial Tea, one of the chill spots in Banawe to get delicious milk tea! ✨
There weren't that much customers that day, so I happily browsed their menu and got myself a drink. However, there were plenty of items which were unavailable that day... 😕
Josh wanted their Osmanthus Oolong Tea (served hot) since he wasn't feeling well, but it was unavailable. He got Kumquat Lemon Tea (Php 120) instead, but the supposed sinkers included in his drink was unavailable. He still went with his order, but found the drink too sweet. 😬
On the other hand, I got their Cheesecake and Pearl Milk Tea (Php 100). It was actually good! The milk tea was creamy with just the right earthy notes, and it wasn't too sweet. The pearls were chewy and thoroughly cooked, and I especially appreciated the small blobs of cream cheese that will occasionally come through your straw. It was delightful! 💖✨
What I didn't like, was how the server / cashier spoke to me about her request for a "smaller" bill. For our 200+ peso bill, I handed her a 500-peso bill, and she said, "Ay wala ka pong smaller bill?" I meaaaan. It's not like my bill is less than 100 pesos. And the way she said it was quite unprofessional, to say the least. Hopefully, it was just a bad day. Still deducting 1⭐ for that though.
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Second Review: January 2018 - 4/5
It hasn't even been a week after my first visit that I decided to go back to Macao Imperial Tea, this time with my college friends, to try out more of their offerings. The place looks even nicer at night, and still holds the same chill millennial hang-out place vibe. 😊
I was supposed to try their matcha drink, but since I just had a matcha opera cake as one of my desserts in the event I attended that day, I opted to get something else.
✅ CREAM CHEESE COCOA (Php 120) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The slight saltiness of the cream cheese complemented well with the sweet cocoa drink. The cream cheese froth was not too fine, and bits of cheese can still be felt upon each sip. It's nothing too untolerable though, and it actually added a layer of texture to the drink. 😁 The cocoa drink was just okay, but me and my friends thought its taste resembled that of Sustagen's (hello, childhood memories!). Haha. I still liked the drink though. 😄 It's a nice drink to sip slowly. 👌
Overall, I had another great experience here in Macao Imperial Tea - drink, service, and ambiance-wise. There are so many options to choose from, and will definitely come back again to try new drinks. 🤗💜
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First Review: January 2018 - 4/5
After lunch, my mom and I wanted to go to Z Square Mall to buy some bread for breakfast the next day, but since I am super bad at directions, we're not sure which way to go. Good thing there's my trusty Google maps app! 😂
We walked all the way to Z Square, but before we arrived, we walked past Macao Imperial Tea, and it was an opportunity too good to miss -- and so we went in to have a quick drink. 😊
I have read much about Macao Imperial Tea, and was quite curious about it for some time. Seems like they have been aggresively expanding in the past months, with their newest branch opening up just 2 days ago (Jan 12, 2018) in Lucky Chinatown Mall.
As we entered, I noticed how instagrammable the place was, and would surely be a hit for millennials. 😁 My mom asked me to buy her any drink I think she'd like. After much thinking, I finally decided on these two:
✅ FOR ME: STRAWBERY MILK TEA (Php 195) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is one of the two drinks which they offer in a reusable glass bear tumbler. The FOR ME drink (which I got) is Strawberry Milk Tea, while the FOR YOU drink is Caramel Macchiato. If you want to get the tumblers, you can't choose other drinks. Taste-wise, the Strawberry Milk Tea is okay, but is too sweet for my liking. Hope there is an option to adjust the sweetness level of each drink. I loved the strawberry preserves in the drink though!!! Was supposed to give it 3⭐, but I added 1⭐ because if the cute and good quality tumbler. 😁 I read somewhere that you may bring the tumbler on your next visit so you can avail 10% off your drink! 😍 Not sure to which drinks this is applicable, though.
✅ FOR MAMA: ORIGINAL MILK TEA (Php 90) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was supposed to get her the Red Bean and Pudding Milk Tea, but they were out of stock with the pudding. Instead, I got her this and asked them to add-on the Red Beans (+ Php 15). My mom loved it! 😍 She said the milk tea is not too sweet, and the red beans were cooked properly. Though, she would've liked it even more if the serving size was a bit bigger. Maybe they can include size options in the future? 😊
Service was good, but since there were quite a handful of customers, the drinks were served after quite some time. Not to fret though, as foodies will surely enjoy going around the cafe, snapping photos of the various instagrammable walls. 😉
I'm sure this won't be the last time I visit this milk tea place! 😍
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