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| - In the land-o-bbt (bubble tea), Ten Ren makes the same stuff, but differently and better.
While they do use powered mix when you order versions such as honeydew or taro, everyone in the city seems to use powders for these flavour versions too. I suspect Ten Ren must have better blenders because they don't come out grainy - with ice pebbles or sandy grit - like some other places.
Aside from powered standards, if there's a photo in the menu of organic (as in once-living) ingredients, you can expect non-powdered ingredients. For example, my favourite here is "red bean" because of the real red beans. Ewww, have you ever had powdered beans!? Don't.
They have the regular brownish chewy pearls, as well as the option of "green tea pearls". I'm not sure, but I haven't seen them outside of Ten Ren.
Side note: pearls are the chewy tapioca balls on the bottom, not the "bubbles" in bubble tea. Bubble tea refers to the bubbles that surface to the top once shaken.
Stuffs:
- Though the address says "Yonge St.", round the corner of Princess Ave. to find the entrance and don't bother trying to find a door from inside Empress Walk because there isn't one.
- The mostly Taiwanese food menu is decent.
- They have many options for excellent hot teas. If you ask nicely, the staff can sometimes make a recommendation for whatever ails you.
Downsides:
I've never been to this location when the room temperature has been comfortable. It's always too cold or too hot.
I tend to go in the evening (but not super late), and have often run into a lack of pearls - regular or green.
The service seems to be inconsistent. High-turnover and understaffing makes for forgetful and slow service. However, once a server gets to your table, they do tend to be very friendly.
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