Restaurant Review: TanCha
June 30, 2017
Serving unconventional teas and drinks, TanCha, previously named Tancca, stands out from the multitude of boba and dessert places in Rowland Heights. With cheese foam and tiramisu-flavored drinks as well as thinly layered crepe cakes, the restaurant provides variety to the classic boba milk tea that has ingrained itself into Taiwanese cuisine.
Replacing a Tea Station cafe, TanCha is located in the middle of Pacific Plaza. Decorated with hanging light bulbs, the restaurant serves a variety of drinks, including their popular Tiramisu milk tea in addition to Cheese Foam teas, Matcha lattes, fresh fruit teas and chocolate based drinks. They also offer original, matcha and coconut flavored Lady M crepe cakes, a well-known cake brand based in Irvine.
As a first time visitor, I decided to order their famed Tiramisu milk mea with a Red Jade milk tea base for $4.75. My cousins opted to try the Tiramisu milk tea with a Royal Ceylon milk tea base for the same price and the Roasted Oolong Tea with Cheese Foam for $4.50. We also ordered a matcha Lady M crepe cake for a pricey $9, compared to Lady M’s original price of $8 per cake.
During my visit on a blazing hot Saturday afternoon, the brightly lit cafe was filled with customers clamouring for a cold drink. Despite the crowd, we were able to find comfortable seats inside the cafe, and the wait for our three drinks and cake took only a couple minutes.
The Tiramisu milk tea lived up to its name, with a thick cake-like layer of tiramisu cream sitting on top of it’s milk tea base. The drink came in a clear plastic cup with a cap that could be opened halfway to sip the drink, as well as an adorable miniature shovel used as a spoon.
The cream tasted exactly like tiramisu cake, and I felt as if there was a tiny dessert inside my drink. It paired well with the familiar flavor of milk tea, and it was also incredibly dense. My first instinct was to mix it in with the rest of the tea to make it drinkable. However, the cafe recommended to tilt Tiramisu and Cheese Foam drinks, cream and all, into your mouth. When I tried this, I ended up with nothing but cream, and couldn’t drink any of the tea at all. I ended up using the shovel to mix some of the drink together. While similar to most other milk teas, the milk tea beneath the cream was refreshing and not overly sweet.
The Cheese Foam Oolong tea also included a very thick layer of cheese foam above the oolong tea beneath. While it didn’t taste exactly like cheese, the foam had the consistency of very thick whipped cream and was slightly salty. Surprisingly, it paired well with the bitter and simple oolong beneath it, and was a less heavy drink than the rich and creamy tiramisu teas.
Despite the unique drinks, the best part of the menu was easily their Lady M crepe cakes. Lady M is known for their delectable crepe cakes, and TanCha offers three of their more popular flavors–coconut cream, green tea and original. TanCha provides those looking for a nearby location to satisfy their crepe cake craving, or to try the popular dessert.
Light thin crepes filled with layers of green tea cream, the matcha dessert lived up to the hype surrounding crepe cakes. Unlike most other cakes, it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet, and the light crepes and cream contributed to the dessert’s airiness and fluffiness. While the price is slightly more expensive than what Lady M originally charges, the cakes are worth a try.
Overall, the bright environment of the restaurant was relaxing, and served as a great place to enjoy dessert after a meal. For those who love milk tea and want to try something new, TanCha provides a fresh new spin to the beloved drink. As someone who never hesitates to try something, I will be returning to TanCha soon to see what else they can add to the traditional flavor of a boba milk tea.
