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I’m in love with Maiko! I’ve been there three times already in their first opening week. As the name suggests, Maiko is a tea/dessert shop focusing on Matcha products. In addition to their Matcha desserts, they also have a variety of teas — some unique to Maiko such as their Kuromitsu milk tea (black honey milk tea). I’m a huge matcha fan! This place is now my favorite Matcha place in the area. It’s definitely better than Mr. Matcha and is of a higher quality Matcha then Midori Matcha in Costa Mesa. The tea they use is really strong and full of that matcha flavor. Interior wise, I think the store is cute. It has a neon sign, a mural, and loads of paintings and signs. It’s purposely designed so you can take lots of photos for your ig page. It’s actually a surprisingly large store because there’s a game system in the back near the bathrooms. I think the store could definitely benefit from more seating though. I hope they’re also in the words to get AC installed too because it’s been pretty warm inside and it’s only get warmer as the summer months appear. Matcha Soft Serve (5/5): Amazing! You can order this in a cup or cone. It’s full of bittersweet matcha tea flavor. It’s a good mix between icy and creamy. I personally recommend the cup, especially for hotter days because the ice cream melts pretty fast (as most soft serves do) and then you can have it neatly form to drink at the end. Definitely get if you’re a big matcha fan. Matcha Vanilla Mix Soft Serve (5/5): I tried this and I was really impressed by how well it blended together well! The sweet vanilla actually pairs with the matcha really well and works to enhance the matcha. Get this if you’re okay with Matcha and/or prefer something on the sweeter side. Hojicha Soft Serve (5/5): I actually hate Hojicha lol but I surprisingly really enjoyed this!! Hojicha is Roasted Green Tea which makes it a bit more nutty tasting. I’ve always thought Hojicha tasted reminiscent of pistachio but you can definitely still taste the strong tea flavor here and hence, less nutty taste. It’s sweeter than the Matcha but doesn’t lose the tea taste. Matcha Latte (5/5): I really like their Matcha Latte but tbh it’s just their Matcha Soft Serve but in drink form. If you don’t want a dessert, just get this, it tastes exactly the same. I loved it because it keeps the same wonderful matcha flavor and isn’t overly milky like Mr Matcha or Starbucks is. Get the large because at $4.50 it’s cheaper than Starbucks grande lol. Maiko Special (5/5): I’ve always wanted to try these parfait desserts because of their prominence in anime and I really enjoyed Maiko’s version. You can order this with any ice cream flavor. It comes with Soft Serve, Red Bean, Mochi, Chestnut, Jelly, Matcha Tea, and Brown Sugar at the bottom. At $7 it isn’t cheap but I loved this dessert so much. It has a lot of different elements in it and I never got tired of eating it. Every bite had different textures and flavors so I felt like I could eat it forever because of the variety in one cup. Surprisingly when I got close to the end of the dessert, I mixed up the brown sugar with the matcha. I expected it to be overly sweet now but instead I was impressed how the entire flavor was changed. The brown sugar mixed with the rest of the soft serve and tea to add another flavor to it!! It’s definitely their signature item for a reason. There’s lots more stuff I can’t wait to try at Maiko such as their shaved ice and their various tea drinks. I’m so glad Maiko has come to the community and I can’t wait to come here often for a Matcha fix.

Meccha Matcha – Menu with Prices – 2001 Coit Rd #166, Plano

Meccha Matcha offers a wide selection to their menu, from soft serves to shaved ice to parfaits. They also offer hot selections (tea and lattes) if you’re craving for some matcha on a cold day. I have tried this place multiple times since it has opened, and in my opinion, the best items on their menu are the ice cream (different from soft serves!) and the parfaits. I have never tried their soft serve because I’ve heard the matcha taste is more “diluted” compared to their ice creams, which comes in 3 levels of matcha intensity. I personally like the taste of matcha to be stronger when I’m purchasing matcha products. The parfaits are delicious because you get a variety of textures and tastes in a cup (red bean, mochi balls, granola, strawberry sauce, matcha jelly), topped with soft serve, which you can substitute with ice cream (for an additional charge). Their shaved ice is slightly disappointing, which is what I had ordered during my most recent visit. They drown it in condense milk, completely overshadowing the matcha, which should be the star of the dessert! I think the price is a little over the top for the quality and experience of what they serve.

Milkcow Cafe – Ice Cream | Tea | Dessert – Menu with Prices – 1517 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena

I had the best Sunday ever since my day ended with Milkcow desserts! I never liked other places for their milky soft serves but fell in love with the milky soft serve at Milkcow. 1)M3 Milky Cube The milky soft serve with honeycomb is my favorite because it was not super sweet. But it was super milky! I fell in love with their milky cube!! If you want your soft serve sweeter, it is adjustable with the type of toppings you can choose from. 2) Watermelon Sandwich Be careful when you hold it! It’s pretty heavy since the watermelon slice is huge! You don’t want your beautiful watermelon sandwich to drop. The texture of the soft serve was amazing and has a generous portion size! It is easily shareable with your friends and family if you want to share or you can just eat the whole thing by yourself if you’re a lover of desserts like me! 3) Uji Matcha Latte with Cheese Foam The drink is not only beautiful but has strong matcha flavor compared to other matcha drinks I have tasted. I can taste the high quality of matcha that they use. Also, the cheese foam is smooth and not too heavy which matches very well with the uji matcha. The interior of the store is very nicely decorated and has seats for you to sit inside so you can enjoy your delicious desserts and drinks. I can definitely see how the employees take their time to ensure that your desserts and drinks are the highest quality possible. I even saw one of the employees carefully inspecting the watermelon slice for the watermelon sandwich to make sure only the best ones are served to their customers. Try MilkCow when you’re looking for a dessert place for their drinks, soft serves, and more!

Matcha zanmai – Menu with Prices – 1428 Mackay St, Montreal

I love matcha desserts and was very excited and eager to try this place as it reminded me of Tsujiri and Nona’s Green Tea. I came here on a Tuesday evening (after visiting this place on Monday and realizing that they are closed on Mondays). The interior was simple and small, and it perfectly complimented the needs of this restaurant as people would constantly flow in and out. Service was quick and efficient and got my parfait within 2 minutes of ordering it. I got the Signature Zanmai Parfait ($8.50). Overall, I enjoyed the parfait. The matcha flavour stood out in the soft serve, and it went really well with all the toppings (matcha cake, red bean paste, matcha jelly). I especially loved the matcha cake with the matcha soft serve and will probably choose the Matcha Cake Parfait if I were to return! However, I did notice that their matcha soft serve was not as creamy and strong when compared to my experience at Tsujiri and Nona’s Green Tea. Nonethless, the parfait at Matcha Zanmai was still very enjoyable and they have a great selection of matcha items to choose from!

Taiyaki NYC – Flushing (Pop-up) – Menu with Prices – 136-17 39th Ave Queens Crossing Food Court, Flushing

I had the pleasure of visiting Taiyaki NYC’s popup while I was in Flushing and it was surprisingly a dope experience! I ordered the “Straight Outta Japan” taiyaki because to be completely honest, I was just doing it for the ‘gram. After taking a billion photos, I gave it a taste and that matcha and hojicha soft-serve within the taiyaki was amazeballs. I seriously think Taiyaki NYC should be selling the soft-serve by the pint in all major outlets because it was CRACKKKK. Like seriously Taiyaki NYC, what can I do for a sponsorship for pints of the soft-serve? As for the taiyaki cake itself, it was aight… luke warm and boardline getting stale. That was not such a big deal in comparison to the chunk of red bean paste that was secretly settling in the bottom of the taiyaki. It was sweeter than my Grandma and drier than the Vegas heat. It would have been fire if they somehow spread the red bean paste inside the cake rather than me taking a bite out of the surprising tumor of diabeetus. To be super honest, I will still give Taiyaki NYC a five star rating even if the freshness of the cake and the red bean was not on point for myself, because some folks may think differently of my critique of the cake and red bean. I mean for the next time, I will just rock the soft-serve in a cup. Simple. Lastly, major shoutout to the staff members who served me at Taiyaki NYC. They were super attentive, friendly and quick service individuals. Like seriously, in my Birdman voice… put some respeck on their name. They be making everyone’s IG post poppin’ one post at a time. Cheers to the staff! Also wished they served them fluffy pancakes at this location. IG: @me_toe_knee

Taiyaki NYC – Boston – Menu with Prices – 119 Seaport Blvd Suite B, Boston

Finally, ever since I saw soft serve ice cream and Taiyaki from Taiyaki NYC since last year, I’ve been wanting to go there. I love ice cream, taiyaki and just tea-based dairy in general..plus..the totally Instagram worthy taiyaki were big reasons why I always wanted to check out Taiyaki NYC! This past weekend, I found myself in Seaport district…so I thought of and looked up Taiyaki NYC to see if it was still open after i was done with my errand…and luckily, it did! So, off i went to check out this long-time bookmarked spot of mine! The shop itself is really small…so dont expect to find your seats there if you go (there were just 5-6 counter-facing seats there…so..it’s mostly a grab and go spot if you ended up finding yourself there. Luckily for me though…there were just a few people there..so I was able to grab a seat (a bit dirty..so I ended up having to wipe off a counter surface myself) and enjoy my Taiyaki without having to brave a cool fall evening weather in Boston. I got a Straight Outta Japan ($8 net), which came with matcha and hojicha soft serve, taiyaki with 1/4 stuffed mashed redbeans, a bit of mini mochi and ojo wafer. I loved the presentation of this and enjoyed the software ice cream, which wasn’t too sweet at all. Although i could taste some hojicha, I wished though that the ice cream tasted a lil stronger in the tea dept…but..I guess people have different preferences on how strong they want their ice creams to have the flavor of tea. The waffle itself was ok. I wish it was a lol crunchier..but I guess it had been sitting out/stuffed with red beans for at least a few hours already..so it didn’t seem as fresh to me. Otherwise, I think everything was good (albeit a lil pricey). Check it out if you love Taiyaki! You can custom made your own, too..but i think if yoj go that route..you may end up having to spend a few more bucks for each thing you want to customize on your softserv Taiyaki. P.S. they have other things like taro slush etc too..but like what their name suggests…most people were actually there for soft serve Taiyaki.

Sunright Tea Studio – Menu with Prices – 3313 Hyland Ave Suite A7, Costa Mesa

I was just at the Diamond Bar branch yesterday. Saw on their IG story that they’re having soft opening at Costa Mesa. So here I am! (Next week is their grand opening!!) Seriously though. I’ve been to the Diamond Bar branch at least once a week since it opened. 1. DECOR: Seemed like the Sunright Sign & staff shirts are a different color compared to the DB branch. It’s a nice contrast (yes I noticed!). The store’s got a different feel to it. Despite being slightly smaller, there’s actually more tables. There’s even an outdoor sitting area. It’s a great place to sit down and talk over some tea/dessert or do some studying. The entire decor just makes you feel right at home and gorgeous to take pictures with! They’ve also changed the design of their cups & stickers (long strip instead of circle ones). The cups have a nice feel to them. Definitely different from the typical ones you’d find anywhere else. 2. STAFF: Other than the owner/manager, I didn’t recognize the two workers there. However, no matter the location, I’ve never had a problem with the workers. Everyone’s always super friendly and energetic. Everyone’s wearing their uniforms + hats. Great team spirit! 3. DRINKS: I’m like a creature of habit. Once I like a certain drink, I stick with it every single time. My go to: Strawberry Jasmine with no ice, 50% sugar, and Agar boba. It might take some getting used to. However, I actually appreciate how NOT sweet the drinks are. In a world where almost everthing is filled with excess amount of sugar, it’s important to cut down on the sugar level. Plus, you can always customize the levels to your own liking. I just really like how the drink tastes. There’s always real fruits inside. Other drinks I’ve had a chance to try: Grapefruit Jasmine (real grapefruit inside!), their new Fruit Drink that just came out (diced pineapple, lemon, passion fruit jam, watermelon). You can actually taste the passion fruit seeds! And for those that might want something sweeter- their oreo drink was really good. I thought it would be way too sweet but it was actually really tasty, with actual chunks of crushed oreos! I was studying at the store once and saw the owner actually scooping out fresh taro into a clear measuring bucket and churning it over and over to prepare for the taro drinks. The smell can only be described as fresh. This is not something powdered taro can compare with. (Do you get the idea now that they use real fruits and ingredients in general?) 4. DESSERT: Had the chance to try their Matcha soft serve today. Let me just tell you that I normally don’t care much for Matcha anything and would skip ordering it on the menu. But when I bit into the soft serve, it tasted very matcha-y but in a good way! It was rich but not overpowering. The combination of the soft serve + the cone = SO good!! Anyway, I’ll stop gushing about the place now and you can be your own judge. It’s honestly a nice change in scenary and fresh taste for the palate.

Midori Matcha Cafe, Old Town Pasadena – Menu with Prices – 165 S De Lacey Ave #1049, Pasadena

I love everything Matcha! I passed this place before and since it was advertising matcha I bookmarked it on yelp. After finishing up at the gym I was craving a cold drink and thought a matcha drink would be perfect. There’s street parking available, but all are metered. I saw a sign inside that says free parking on Dayton street. Once I entered I was already impressed with the store. The interior was done in a clean and classy manner. There weren’t too many decorations, just enough to make it inviting. Their menu revolves around Matcha and I decided to go with their Iced Matcha Latte with low-fat milk (fat free is not available, only 2% and low- fat). The total came out to be $6.57, which is a hefty price for a drink. Since the drink was quite expensive I was hoping the quality was amazing and it did not disappoint. I saw the staff make the drink. They used actual Matcha powder, which based on the taste was high quality. A Matcha drink is not complete unless a Bamboo whisk is used and they did just that. Before milk was added the matcha drink was 85%/90% full! At other locations it’s all about the milk and less Matcha. Once I got the drink I was excited to give it a try. After the first sip I was instantly in love. It was the perfect Matcha drink. Matcha itself isn’t sweet, so don’t expect the drink to be sweet. There is liquid sweetener if needed, but I like my matcha natural. Overall I was impressed with my drink and will be coming back to try their soft serve or even another drink! The drinks may be a bit expensive, but the quality is definitely there. Also it’s a perfect place to catch up with friends over a hot/cold coverage or if you need a study place this is it! Update: I tried the Matcha coconut and it is the best. They use Harmless Harvest coconut water which is my favorite!

Kao Mun Gai – Menu with Prices – 3709 N Western Ave, Oklahoma City

I’m so happy I get to try this place out!! I’ve been trying to go but couldn’t, the bf came through today and we did!! I got the Hojicha and bf got the Butterfly Latte. Both were so good, I personally don’t like sweet so hojicha was perfect for me. The butterfly latter is on a sweeter side but it was very pleasant, even for non-sweet person like me, it was also super milky which my bf love! Their special drinks have layers and I think they just look so good, esp in photos! I also ordered a regular both kinds of chicken rice. The sauce that came with the meal was really good, I really really like the brown ginger sauce, it has a little bit of a kick. The boiled chicken was soft and tender, the fried chicken was crispy. Back in Vietnam, there was a dish called Hainanese chicken and I think this is one of the variations of the dish. I gave this a 5 because out of 3 items that we ordered, none was disappointing. I rather have a restaurant focused on one good quality thing than trying to do a lot and falls short. I will be back

Kumquat Coffee Co. – Menu with Prices – 4936 York Blvd, Los Angeles

A modern, minimalist addition to the Highland Park coffee scene, Kumquat adds a few twists to your usual coffee shop fare. Parking: Street Payment: Cash or Credit Prices are what you’d expect at all the nicer coffee shops these days, so expect to pay roughly around $5 per drink. There are a good number of small tables and counter spaces, and a few outlets scattered. I see Kumquat more as a place for a little reading or conversation more than doing work, however. I saw a new drink being advertised, the Cloudy with a Chance of Peanuts (love cute names like that), so I had to take advantage despite the hefty $6 price tag. The drink is made with espresso, peanut foam, cold milk, and topped with cacao nibs. It’s on the sweeter side and has a strong PB taste, so it might not be everyone’s thing. I felt it was a tad too sweet for my personal taste, but it was definitely delicious. Side note about their service: The baristas were very friendly and helpful. I accidentally grabbed someone else’s drink and was already halfway through it when a barista brought me my Cloudy and informed me about my error. I was pretty embarrassed (the drink had come out at the same time as my friend’s, so I mistakenly assumed both drinks were for us since we ordered in sequence). They were very nice about my mistake and were happy to bring me my actual order and did not charge me for my mistake. So I unintentionally tried the iced New England latte, which was very good and a better sweetness level for me. Next time, I have to try the Hojicha latte! I do love my matcha lattes, and hojicha is always a favorite flavor of mine when it comes to matcha ice cream, so I’m excited for my next visit! For vegans, there’s a number of plant-based milks available: oat, almond, and coconut. I’ve read in other reviews that they even have more than one brand available for the oat milk, so even better! I’m a little sad that soy milk isn’t an option, since it’s my favorite to pair with matcha, but I’m sure one of these other options would be great to pair.

Yelo’d Ice Cream & Bake Shoppe – Menu with Prices – 10152A 82 Ave NW, Edmonton

Soft serve ice cream with a Filipino twist? Yes please! The lineup wasn’t that long either on a weekday evening. The storefront is quaint and it’s warm inside without any seating room. There is a bench outside though if you do want to sit. I like how there’s 4 soft serve flavours but you can twist two of the flavours when ordering. If you are unsure about the flavours, you can also sample a bit as well. They also have daily dessert specials which is basically Filipino desserts topped or mixed with their soft serve ie. halo halo, etc. I had the champorado (chocolate rice pudding) with a twist of Ube and another flavour they had that day. It was tasty, not heavy at all. My only qualm with that particular dessert was that the champorado itself is hot and that melted my soft serve extremely fast which left me with a little puddle of ice cream soup that my kids gladly polished off. I’d maybe go for a cone or a cold dessert paired with my soft serve next time. It was a good champorado though. They do have exotic flavours in their rotation that I’d like to try too, so I’ll probably have to follow their Instagram account to find out whats being offered that week. I’d probably also get some goods to go from their bakery offerings or put in a custom order because they have a lot of creative dessert options!

Gong Cha Richardson – Menu with Prices – 1425 E Belt Line Rd #102, Richardson

This place is amazing! Not only is the location super close but it’s next to Target! lol I love myself some milk tea and Target. My favorite drink is the Earl Grey Milk Tea with the 3J’s. I thought that with that many topping, the milk tea would be overpowered but it’s actually the opposite! You can still taste the tea and enjoy the toppings. This place also give a generous amount of toppings. The lemon aiyu with the white pearls is so refreshing on a hot day! The milk foam dirty brown sugar milk tea is so good, very similar to a caramel milk tea, but more milky flavor. The milk foam green milk tea is amazing! You can really taste the green tea flavor. Matcha milk tea is mixed ver well and there is not a powdery taste at all. The strawberry milk tea reminds me of an artificial strawberry pocky flavor. I do recommend all drinks to be less sweet though because this place tends to be on the sweeter side.

Matcha Kone – Menu with Prices – 10 S De Lacey Ave, Pasadena

Matcha Kone is located in old town Pasadena, took over the old Bird Pick location and is conveniently across from the parking structure that gives you the first 90 minutes for free. My husband, our little girl dog and I came by here on a Friday night, around 9:45 pm (they close at 11 pm on Fridays). This place has 3 tables outside so the 3 of us could enjoy our ice cream order. After looking over the menu board, we ended up getting: (Current Yelp Check In Deal= 10% off your purchase) Uzo Style Cone, $6.90 prior to tax- When I first came in to look over the menu board, I had asked the employee at the register if I could try a sample of their matcha ice cream. She was more than happy to and told me that because this is made with matcha, it does have a different flavor from your basic green tea. She also offered to give me an extra sample so that my husband (who was sitting outside with our little girl) could have some. I thought it was a little bitter (but that is how matcha taste) and told her I would like to order the matcha with vanilla ice cream. Anyways, we ended up with this delicious concoction that came in a waffle cone and had a chocolate teddy gram cookie, mini oreo and one of those flaky rolled cookies (check out my photo). The soft serve ice cream was creamy and thought I made a good choice to go with the swirl of matcha and vanilla. In the end, I had one happy little girl and one happy husband. Mission accomplished. ———————– (Total= $6.46 after tax and 10% discount) Wait time for our order was pretty quick since the employee made our cone right after I ordered it. The unisex restroom inside was clean upon this visit. Just have to ask for the key at the register to use it. Definitely a great place to check out if you are a fan of matcha. Please note that they also have drinks on their menu and also non- matcha beverages for those that are still expanding their culinary palate.