UA 829, SFO-SYD

Update Review, January 2024

I've reviewed this flight many times before, so, I'll skip the basics.  SFO-SYD.  777-300ER.  3A (my favorite seat).  Standard amenities.  Mattress pads and pajamas available.  Seat reasonably comfortable, but not great. Yadda yadda.

A little extra drama due to the runway closure at SFO, so we had a lovely 1.5 hour taxi time.  And then ... pretty major turbulence, such that the flight attendants didn't get out of their seats for the first 1.5 hours, we weren't allowed up for close to 3 hours.  On the positive side, they did warn us about all of this.  I knew to expect the long taxi, and I knew to expect blah food, so I ate before the flight, but I can't imagine how starving those who didn't must have been.  Meal service didn't start until 2 hours in, and that was just the start of drinks.

Service was reasonable, with one very kind FA (who hooked me up with extra pillows and blankets) and one pretty surly one (who seemed mad that I didn't want a meal, only dessert).

Menu.

Orders were taken long before departure for both the choice of starter and main (for those who didn't pre-order).  I had to laugh at "shrimp or cheese" as the option stated by the FA as she came through asking everyone.  Burrata is so much more than just "cheese"!  

I had pre-ordered the ravioli, but asked not to have it, nor the bread, nor the salad.  I just wanted to try the shrimp to make sure I had a touch more protein, and really didn't need anything given my full meal in the airport.  I knew it would be a looong time before breakfast though.  Of course, I still firmly intended to have the sundae (and hopefully the cake too!).  The surly FA was clearly annoyed by this, and told me she'd just bring me a full tray anyway.  

Drinks, Nuts.

Drink orders were taken once the crew was finally able to get up.  I opted for my standard sparkling Aha (no choice of flavor) with no ice, and was even offered the full can by the nice FA.  

I also tried the LVE Signature Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was fine, but boring.  No complexity, but no acid nor tanin either.  Bo-ring, but not offensive.  I wouldn't get it again.  **+.

Nuts were just almonds and cashews, not very salted, but served warm at least.  I'm not really into their nuts.  **.

Appetizer: Shrimp Machboos.

"with tomatoes and mint yogurt dressing."

The burrata sounded decent, but I was trying to just have some additional protein, having consumed a full meal already in the airport (a mix of food from the Polaris lounge, and extra I had brought with me).  After the abysmal shrimp in the lounge, I was even more curious how this would go.

I'll admit that it actually looked pretty decent.  The shrimp were, um, not shrimpy.  They were HUGE.  I've never seen such mega sized shrimp before.

The shrimp were reasonably well cooked - fairly succulent, not rubbery.  Not fishy.  But also ... entirely devoid of any taste.  Remarkable in how flavorless they were.   Decent texture, but, just nothing to them, even with some kind of spice rub.  Looked so much better than they actually were. *** looks and texture, * taste.

The tomatoes were exactly the kind of off-season refrigerated tomatoes that make people think they don't like tomatoes.  Very bad.  0 star tomatoes.

The mint yogurt dressing was fine, fairly tart thick yogurt.  I didn't taste mint. ***.

So ... yeah.  Better than the lounge shrimp, but, not actually tasty in any way.

Ice Cream Sundae:
Caramel, Nuts, Whipped Cream.

Usually the sundaes are served from a cart, with the toppings presented, but, due to the continued bumps, they came seat by seat to ask what you'd like, listed out the toppings, and came back with it assembled.  Definitely less fun this way, but, I was glad they still offered the sundaes.  Standard options of caramel, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, almonds, whipped cream, and cherry were available.  I got everything that wasn't caffeinated, and skipped the usually lackluster cherries.  I added my own fresh strawberries and blackberries instead.

The ice cream was fairly solid, and required a bit of melting time.  But it was decent quality vanilla ice cream, fairly creamy, no freezer burn.  ***+.  The caramel was tasty but very sweet, and as is often the case, there was really more than I wanted.  Still good, but, on the cloying side.  ***.  I really did like the nuts for crunch, and the whipped cream was fine.  ***.

Overall, with my toppings added, I was happy, but did wish for less caramel.

Dessert: Cherry Coffee Cake.

The coffee cake was a new option for me, replacing the actually good apple pie that had been served for ages.  It was not good.  Fairly dry.  Not much cherry element, just a goo between the base and main cake.  Not particularly exciting crumble top.  Below average, and not really a true dessert in my mind.  *+.  

Breakfast.

Breakfast was served 1.5 hours out from Sydney.  

Standard setup of sweet Ciobani that I don't care for (peach), a warm "croissant" that was somehow hard outside and soggy inside (and not flaky or croissant like at all, but did have reasonable buttery taste), and fruit bowl (that miraculously didn't have melons that I'm allergic to).  The fruit was average, everything else not appealing to me in any way.

Coffee, Regular, Black.

Pretty harsh.  Pretty strong.  Lukewarm. **.

Coffee, Decaf, Black.

I switched to the decaf later.  It was instant.  As expected, although I ordered black, and it clearly had milk and sugar. **.

Horchata Steel Cut Oatmeal with Agave Apple.

I had this about a year ago and hated it, but, I still didn't want the other option (powdered eggs, etc), so tried again.  It was no better.   Very gloopy, very mushy.  I did actually kinda like the crispy film on top (as unappealing as that is), and I did like the seeds sprinkled in for some crunch, but the base flavor was just not enjoyable, and the baseline texture just not good.  It desperately needed some cinnamon or something.

The agave apple was remarkably bad - big hunks, and they were nicely cooked, lightly al dente, but, wow, the flavor was so bad.  Not just sweetened with agave, clearly.  I literally spit one out.

I was glad to have my own breakfast bar with me. * for the crunchy seeds.

Update Review, December 2023

For many years, I always flew with Air New Zealand on my trips to Sydney.  I genuinely enjoyed those flights, with friendly FAs, comfortable beds, and generally decent food.  I didn't mind the layover in Auckland, as it gave me a chance to reset, shower, and lounge hop.  But in recent years, I've needed to fly direct from SFO-SYD and back, due to reduced travel budgets, and our great corporate rates with United.  I'll admit the direct flight is convenient, but otherwise ... ugh, yeah, I do not really like this option.

Flight Details:

• Flight 829 SFO-SYD
• Seat 3A
• Departure: San Francisco SFO 8:00pm (scheduled) 8:40pm (actual).
• Arrival: Sydney SYD 6:20am (scheduled) 6:13am (actual)

Amenities

New Bedding.

Waiting at my seat when I boarded was the new Saks branded bedding.  I always liked the previous version, so I was sad when I read that United was changing it.

A thin blanket was rolled up on top, and a small memory foam pillow was also unwrapped.  In the bag was a bigger fluffy pillow for sleep, and the thicker blanket.  The pillows didn't seem much/any different from before.

Limited Edition Thin Blanket.

The other, thinner blanket was really quite thin, but was fleece on one side, smooth, colorful fabric on the other.  The fleece side was already pilling, even though this is only a few weeks old.  I preferred the old day blanket.

New Amenity Kit.

Also at our seats was the new amenity kits, that come in a reusable cross body bag.  It seems slightly more likely that maybe I'd use that than the old cases, but ... probably nicer in concept than in practice.  In the kit was standard toothbrush/toothpaste, socks/eye mask/ear plugs, pen, and lotion/mist/lip balm/etc.  All fine, but I never use their socks or eye mask, as I have my own that I like.

Not pictured is the new pajamas, which were available to grab as we boarded, if you knew to look for them in the front row.  I never heard them offered to anyone.  The pajamas sorta looked nicer than previous versions, but, the pants were gray and the tops very blue, so they didn't quite match, and both the tops and bottoms were heavier than previous versions, which isn't what I want a flight when the cabin is generally far too warm for my comfort for sleep.

Food & Drink

Wine List.

The wine list had 4 red wines (1 blend, 2 pinot noir, and 1 shiraz), one white, one rose, and one champagne.  Most were in the $20-30 per bottle range, but there was one, the Justin Justification, was a actually decent bottle.

Food Menu.

Dinner is back to being a full meal service, with salad to start, choice of appetizer (salmon rillette or burrata), choice of four mains (steak, chicken, fish, vegetarian pasta), and the sundae cart (or cake or cheese) for dessert.  Not listed on the menu, but included, is bread service with the meal.

Main dishes for dinner could be pre-ordered online 5 days in advance, and the FAs took orders for those who didn't pre-order, and confirmed orders for those who did, before takeoff.

The menu also listed a few items you could order any time (grilled cheese, tomato soup), and the pre-arrival meal, which wasn't able to pre-order.

Drinks, Nuts.

Once underway, our meal service began with the cart coming through the aisle offering drinks and warm-ish nuts.  The nuts I got were 85% almonds, and a few cashews.  Lightly salted.  No better nor worse than other basic nuts.  I wanted more variety.  ***.

Justin Justification, 2021.

I was fairly impressed to see the Justin Justification, even though a slightly young wine at a 2021, it retails for $59.99+.  It is a red blend, primarily cab franc.  It wasn't quite as big and bold as I was hoping, but, it had a bit of structure to it, mild tanins.    Decent enough, but not one I'd purchase myself.  ***+.

Port.

Later, to go with my dessert, I opted for some port, which I quite enjoyed. Sweet, caramely, tasty. It reminded me that I should drink more port in my regular life. ****.

Meal.

After everyone had been served drinks, the purser came through, offering a choice of the two appetizers.  A co-worker who flew this route the week before had told me the burrata was shockingly good, and I do like burrata, but, I was really in the mood for the salmon rillette, mostly thinking of how much I've enjoyed some of the chilled seafood appetizers on Air New Zealand flights.  Our appetizer was delivered on the same tray as the rest of the meal (rather than before, as Air New Zealand does).

I was in row 3, and my meal was served about an hour after takeoff.

Bread.

It wasn't listed on the menu, but my tray also came with two breads, a pretzel roll and garlic bread.  No choices given, no bread basket.  I would have asked to not have these if given the choice, as I've never cared for either of these breads on United flights before.  But since they were there, I tried them.

Neither was warm.  The pretzel roll had a decent shine to it, reasonable pretzel taste.  But it just isn't my style of bread.  The garlic bread was nicely saturated with butter and garlic, but cold garlic bread isn't really appealing.  i don't hate all United bread, and quite like their whole wheat rolls, but, not offered on this flight.  ** breads for me.

Salad.

"with English cucumber, fennel, and yellow bell pepper."

The salad was fairly boring, but reasonable.  Fresh mixed greens base, batons of cucumber, fennel, and bell pepper, all of which were a bit slimy, and not the veggies I'd pick.  I wanted carrots, tomatoes, those sorts of ingredients.  But the base was nice.  It came with the same balsamic viniagrette on the side that I've had with basically every United flight for the past zillion years.  ***.

Appetizer: salmon rillette.

"with radish, arugula, extra virgin olive oil, and baquette."

Next up, my appetizer, which included more bread, more greens.  The greens were not very fresh here, kinda limp and lackluster, particularly compared to the salad greens.  The radish was spongy and not fresh and crisp.  I didn't try the baguette.

The salmon rillette itself wasn't bad.  The portion was large, it had a nice smoky flavor, it was mixed with a creamy component (likely mayo?).  The drizzle of olive oil was a good touch.  It was very underseasoned, and I needed a lot of salt and pepper to jazz it up, along with lemon that I used from my main dish.  But once I added lemon, salt, and pepper, I did like it.  ***+.

Turbot.

"with lemon caper sauce, asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, roasted potatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes."

I wasn't planning to get a main dish, given that I had eaten some in both United lounges, and always recommend to myself that I don't get a main on this route, but, my co-worker who flew the route a week prior said the fish was really, really good, and I do love mushrooms and asparagus, so, against my initial plans, I went for it.

I'll admit, the dish actually did look pretty good.  Portions of everything were generous.  The taste was ... ok.  The mushrooms were fairly slimy, the asparagus quite thin and not really flavorful.  Neither had any seasoning, and, much like the starter, required lots and lots of salt and pepper, which was obnoxious to shake from their shakers.  I don't really like sun-dried tomatoes, and these were no exception.  The potatoes were two big hunks, again, fine, but not great, not really seasoned.

The fish really let me down.  I looked good, a nice thick portion, reasonably moist.  But it was so fishy.  I really did not like the taste, the high level of fishiness, for a white fish, was a surprise, although I'll admit I don't know turbot very well.  The lemon caper sauce was fine, the only real flavor on the plate.  Overall, fairly average for a flight, and every element I wanted to be at least a little better than it was.  ***.

Ice Cream Sundae.

For my sundae, the choices were the standard hot fudge or caramel, sliced almonds, chocolate chips, and whipped cream and a cherry.  Since I avoid caffeine at night, I skipped the chocolate elements.  I didn't ask for the cherry, but got one anyway.  I don't really care for the very generic maraschino cherries they use, but, I'll admit, it made it look nice.  Of course I added my own rainbow sprinkles.

The ice cream was actually the proper temperature, lightly melty.  No crystallization.  I think it is just standard Häagen-Dazs, but, it really is a nice base, rich, creamy, good flavor.

And then, the toppings.  Far more caramel than I'd add myself, but, I really like it.  So sweet, but not cloying.  Crispy slivered almonds that added a nice crunch.  Good whipped cream, not from a can, so thicker, richer.  The cherry was still meh, and I still wish for a fresh fruit topping, but, overall, it really was quite satisfying.  Great with my port.

****.

Apple Pie.

It turned out the other dessert offering, listed as a "celebrity chef" carrot cake, was not real.  The menus had only recently changed, and, they were still working through all the apple pie that I had just a week before on my domestic flight.  As my previous flight, they drizzled it with extra caramel, the same from the sundaes, that I really do like.  The slices were half-size, which was great to be able to have pie AND ice cream.  ***+.

Breakfast.

Exactly 1 hour before landing, the FA came through to take our breakfast orders.  We were told there was scrambled eggs with chicken sausage, banana bread pudding, or a continental offering of yogurt, fruit, and croissant.  This did not match the menu, which listed ricotta and cherry filled crepe, that I was looking forward to.   Sigh.  We were also offered beverages.

Our choice of breakfast came served all on one tray, along with the continental items, which wasn't listed on the menu, nor told to us.  Since I'm allergic to melons, I couldn't have the fruit, I hate Ciobanni sweet yogurt, and their croissants are always awful, so I would have opted to not have those included if I could.  I did send the fruit bowl back immediately, as it had bright red watermelon front and center.  I did not try the peach yogurt.

Breakfast is an area that Air New Zealand does dramatically better than United on this route.  Granted, they wake you up 1.5 hours sooner to do it, but, you start with smoothies and fresh juices, then a choice of fruit, yogurts, cereals (multiple of all), then a choice of several main dishes, which always includes shockingly good poached eggs, and a choice of multiple types of bakery items.  And United ... yeah, this.

To go with my breakfast, I had the regular coffee, black.  It was fine.  Served fairly warm.  Not too much acid, didn't taste too old.  Certainly not great complex coffee, but, fine.  ***.

"Croissant"

The "croissant" was as always really not a croissant, not a laminated dough, but it was a soft, slightly sweet, bread in a shape that resembled a real croissant.  It came with butter and Bonne Maman strawberry jam.  It was lightly warm. **.

Banana Bread Pudding.

And then, the bread pudding.  I love bread pudding in general, and actually have had some decent versions on flights, but I don't generally care for banana bread.  I was a bit apprehensive.

The serving was two round pieces, about the size of smaller muffins, with some dried out custard at the base, and randomly some golden raisins.  The custard tasted overly eggy, and, like I said, was totally dried out and hardened on to the plate, so it couldn't be used to dunk the bread pudding into.  There was no other syrup or whipped cream to go with it, but, I did have some in my cooler bag, and they helped.  The pudding itself was likely fine if you like strong banana, it did have nice hunks of bread and was fairly moist (the style I like), but, very banana flavored.  Besides the banana, very mild spicing.  Overall a letdown, and I was glad I had backup breakfast with me (and I had to eat it, since, I couldn't bring food into Australia).  *+.

Original Review, March 2023

Flight Details:

• Flight: UA829
• Departure: SFO, 8:10pm (scheduled) 8:50pm (actual)
• Arrival: SYD, 6:20am (scheduled) 6:20am (actual)
• Aircraft: 777-300ER
• Seat: 15L

Our flight started boarding not too far behind the projected time, but after only a handful of people had boarded, they ... stopped the boarding.  Something was unsafe with the jet bridge.  About 30 minutes later we started boarding again, this time, through a different jet bridge, everyone going through the front doors, which certainly slowed things down a bit.  This delayed our push back and eventual departure by about 40 minutes.  We still arrived essentially on time, as the Sydney airport doesn't allow arrivals in until after 6am anyway due to curfew.

The flight had a fair amount of turbulence, with both the seatbelt sign on, and the FAs ordered to their jump seats more times than I've ever seen before.  There were some moments when I first tried to go to sleep where the plane was lurching around in not-so-pleasant ways.  But otherwise, no major qualms with the general flight itself.

Service & Amenities

This was a standard Polaris flight, same as any from the past few years, which I've reviewed before, so I won't go into much detail on those area.  Same seat with the annoying harness you have to wear for takeoff and landing, relatively comfortable to sit in and easy to adjust.  Same bedding waiting when I arrived (Sak's branded large duvet, smaller throw blanket, large fluffy pillow, smaller gel pillow, slippers, amenity kit).  I knew to ask for pajamas and a mattress pad when I boarded, since they frequently run out.  The seat wasn't as comfortable as I had remembered for sleep, even with my mattress pad, it felt very firm, and seemed to slope downward at my feet.  I'm a side sleeper, and I was only really able curl to one side, which got a bit sore due to the firm nature.

I wasn't able to get a seat in the front Polaris cabin (well, I could have had a middle or even numbered window, but I knew I wanted the more private odd seat), and I wasn't able to get a seat on the left hand side of the plane as I prefer (so my side table is on the right, as I'm right-handed), so my seat was not ideal, 15L.  At least I was not adjacent to the galley or bathrooms, but I was directly in front of the engine, so there was a fair amount of engine noise that got old after 15 hours.  It really is a nicely private seat though.  Storage is minimal but sufficient.

The flight attendants were reasonably friendly and attentive, but not particularly personable.  No real complains here.

Food & Drink

The food and drink though ... that is where my complaints mostly lie.  No one praises United for the food, but, wow, it just really isn't very good, particularly compared with other airlines that service this route.  I really, truly missed my usual carrier, Air New Zealand, as they sometimes have quite fabulous food.  A theme throughout the meal was food that wasn't served warm enough, and didn't have much flavor.

A pre-departure beverage of sparkling wine or water was offered, in a real glass.  I asked for sparkling water, which was easily accommodated.  Main dish choices for our meals were taken before takeoff as well, and everyone was asked their second choice as well.  They still do not do pre-order, even for international routes like this.

Dinner

Dinner service started with an offer of a hot towel, which was remarkably hot.  After that, the FAs came through to give us tablecloths.

Drink service came next, from a cart, but was interrupted just one row in by turbulence, as the FAs were ordered to take their jump seats.   It resumed about 20 minutes later.

Menu.

The menu was short and contained the dinner choices, "during your flight" options, and breakfast.  No wine or other drink menu is provided.

For dinner, everyone gets the same salad and appetizer, no choices.  There is no bread basket, but a roll is served on your tray.  For the main, there were four options: short rib, chicken curry, salmon, or  vegetarian chili.  I wasn't interested in any of the dishes really, but opted for the vegetarian chili, which I had before on my flight from Houston.  Dessert was a selection of an egg custard tart, ice cream sundae (yes, the cart is back!), or cheese plate.

During the meal, you could opt for a sandwich (turkey or apple & cheese), no hot options.

Sparkling water / pinot noir / nuts.

For drinks, we were offered still or sparkling water, and wine from the cart. No lemon or lime offered with the water.  Since no drinks were listed on the menu, every person had to ask about the wines and soft drinks.  

The red wines were a pinot noir, Cabernet, and a syrah.  With no other info, nor descriptions given, I just went for the pinot.  I saw the label as she poured it, Acacia.  It was ... mostly grape juice with a touch of acid.  Incredibly boring.  The sparkling water was not really sparkling, mostly flat.

A small ramekin of lukewarm nuts was provided with our drinks, just cashews and almonds.  They were fine, but didn't seem salted.

Dinner.

Meals were distributed with salad, appetizer, bread, and our choice of main all at once.  Comparing to Air New Zealand, where you start with a choice of appetizer, and choice of warm rolls from a bread basket, and then your entree, this was a downgrade in service style, but actually was more efficient and I didn't mind, besides that I would have liked to have the appetizer to eat sooner.

Pretzel Roll.

No choice given for the roll, it just comes on the tray with the rest of the meal.  United alternates between a wheat roll that I actually quite like, a pretzel roll that most other people seem to enjoy but I find fairly meh, and I think a white roll. 

Sadly for me, the roll on this flight was the pretzel roll.  It was not really warm.  Generic butter on the side.  It was as lackluster as I had remembered from other times, soft, but not fresh tasting, and no interesting flavor.  **.

Salad: Fresh Asian Salad.

"with napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, mango with sesame ginger dressing."

The salad was really a slaw.  It was fine, everything seemed crisp and reasonably fresh, and I quite like slaws.  The dressing was a generic brand, and it seemed tacky to give us dressing in a separate container like that, but I was glad it wasn't pre-dressed as the dressing was very sweet and I didn't want much.  The sesame and ginger were good, but overall too sweet.

Fine, but not great.  ***.

Appetizer: Chilled Crab.

"with cucumbers, heart of palms, coconut-lime vinaigrette, pomegranate, chive, finger lime vesicles and coconut duhkah."

I do like crab, quite a bit, but ... crab on a flight?  On a United flight?  Risky, but I still had it.  After all, there was no other choice.

It was ... ok?   The crab portion was quite generous.  It wasn't fishy, or off tasting, but also didn't taste like much.  There were no actual recognizable pieces of lump crab, just shredded bits.  The heart of palms (singular, only one hunk) was slimy and didn't taste particularly fresh.  Pomegranate was a bit of an odd pairing, but I did like the little hit of sweetness and crunch.  The menu mentioned finger lime and coconut duhkah, neither of which I found in my dish.  Mine also had very thin slices of fairly soggy cucumber at the base.

Also under the crab was what I guess was the coconut-lime vinaigrette?  It was sorta a cloudy sauce, I didn't taste coconut, but it was clearly not something like creme fraiche, so I guess coconut is what made it cloudy.

The dish desperately needed acidity.  There was a slice of lime that I used to drizzle over it, but it could certainly use more (and I'd prefer lemon).  Also, what happened to finger lime?

Overall, this was a bit bland and inoffensive, but certainly wasn't a dish where the crab shined.  It could have been mild canned tuna honestly.  I combined it with the slaw, and thought the mango added a nice sweetness and acid element.  ***.

Main: Vegetarian chili and polenta cake.

"with riped tomatoes, kidney beans, bell peppers, onions, chipotle peppers and soy crumble."

This was not a new dish to me.  As I mentioned,  I had it before on my flight from Houston.   I really did NOT like the chili then, but I though the polenta was quite good, so I ordered this just to have the polenta.  Given that I had eaten a bunch in the lounge, and it was 10:30pm at this point, that seemed like a fine plan.

This time the dish was less successful.  It was barely warm.  The chili I again disliked (the soy crumble, black!), but I expected that.  The polenta cake had been so good before, but this time it was pretty meh.  Barley warm, entirely unseasoned, and it lacked the crispy crust and creamy interior it had before, and really lacked much flavor of any kind.  I tried adding salt and pepper, but it really just didn't do it for me.  Meh.  *+.

Dessert #1: Ice cream sundae.

The dessert cart is finally back on United flights, with a savory option (cheese plate), baked good (egg tart), or ... yup, made to order ice cream sundaes.  Since the desserts come from the cart, you have to wait until the entire cabin is done eating, which draws out the meal service quite a bit.  The menu just says "assorted toppings" but this seems to always mean hot fudge or caramel, slivered almonds, chocolate chips, cherries, and whipped topping.  Although I do like egg tarts, and it was really cold in the cabin and thus not really ice cream "weather", I was excited for a sundae nonetheless.  The made to order sundae really is a nice touch, and although Air New Zealand "wins" in every other area of this meal service comparison (and they do serve really, really good ice cream on flights out of New Zealand and Australia), this one is great for novelty.

The menus said "single scoop" but this was a large serving of ice cream, more like two scoops just merged into one.  The ice cream was hard, but not rock solid.  I'd prefer a bit softer, but this was reasonable.  It was just vanilla, but, creamy, good mouthfeel, and better than average ice cream.

The toppings though of course are what make the sundae a sundae.  Since it was night time and I didn't want caffeine, I went with the caramel sauce instead of hot fudge, but if it was daytime, I certainly would have gone for the fudge.  The caramel was fairly thin, but sweet, and helped jazz up the otherwise very vanilla ice cream.  The slivered almonds were great for crunch.  I wished there was fresh fruit, or even a berry topping, but I made do with the cherries.  They were ... well, canned maraschino cherries.  Eh.   And finally, the whipped topping, that I expected to love, but didn't.  Not sure what it was about it, but it felt heavy and luckluster.  I brought my own sprinkles to finish it off.

Overall, I did enjoy my sundae, particularly the ice cream as it softened, the caramel, and the nuts.  I wished for a glass of port to go with, as they serve on Air New Zealand flights, but alas, no dessert wines on offer.  ***+.

Dessert #2: Egg Custard Tart.

Later on during the flight, the galley had an assortment of snacks (chips, brownie bites, almonds, fruit snacks) and the left over cheese and crackers and egg tart plates.  (Side note: no chocolate!  I always like to have chocolate on a flight.) I snagged one, and when I felt peckish before breakfast, tried it.  

The tart shell was soft and soggy.  It did not have a good flavor, not sweetened nicely.  The filling was fine, basic egg custard.  The sundae was definitely the better choice.  **+.

Breakfast

About 2 hours before arrival, the cabin lights come back on, and it was time to prepare for breakfast.  This was only 4:15aam Sydney time, but 9:15am in San Francisco, so the timing sorta makes sense for breakfast.  The menu had only two choices, either Monterey jack and red pepper egg white bites (with potatoes and sausage) or oatmeal.  We did not order in advance, rather, the FA just came down one by one asking each person, and then brought out the tray.  No separate drink service, but you could ask for coffee, water, or presumably juice (no menu nor options given, so, who knows) with your meal.

Breakfast.

No other dishes are listed on the menu, but I knew that breakfast always comes with a bowl of fruit (which I'm usually allergic to), a packaged yogurt, and a "croissant".  Compared to Air New Zealand, which is my regular airline of choice for this route, its a substantial down grade.  Their breakfast service has several rounds, starting with smoothies, moving on to fresh fruit, assorted yogurt and granola, and cereal, then multiple warm breakfast pastries, and THEN your choice of four main dishes, which usually includes really nicely done poached eggs.

Anyway, I knew the likihood of fruit being on the tray even if not on the menu, and told the FA about my allergy when she asked which choice I'd like.  She left the fruit off my tray.  It did come with the expected other non-menu listed items.

Coffee.

The coffee was inoffensive.  Warmer than most of the food, but not particularly hot.  ***.

"Croissant".

The "croissant" is really just a crescent shaped lackluster roll.  It is not flaky.  It is not buttery.  I thought they were usually served warm, but this was cold.  Cold butter and reasonably quality (strawberry) jam on the side.  This is not a croissant.  I had a scone with me, which I gladly ate instead.  **.

The yogurt was packaged vanilla Chobani, which I truly loath.  I did not touch it.

Horchata steel-cut oatmeal with agave apple.

Since I don't really care for most eggs or red peppers, and hate Monterey jack, this was an easy choice ... I guess the likely awful oatmeal it was.  Don't worry, I had a backup fruit, chocolate, and Bobo's oatmeal bite with me, in addition to the aformentioend scone, (which I knew I'd need to throw out before entering the country of course).

I still gave the oatmeal a try.  Wow, it was not good.  First, much like my dinner, it was not really warm.  Slighly cold oatmeal?  Yeah, not good in general (unless overnight oats, but that is not what this was trying to be).  It had a film on top.  It was gloopy.  It had essentially no flavor - no clue where the "horchata" component was, I tasted no cinnamon.  Sure, it had some seeds for crunch, and bits of dried fruit for sweetness, but, I truly did not like it.  I moved on to try the apples.  They were somehow both soggy and too firm all at once.  Very poorly cooked.  I guess lightly sweetened with agave, but I didn't taste that.  They didn't seem spiced either.

Overall, really unattractive, not warm, and not tasty.  **.

Read More...

Noe Valley Bakery

Update Review, October 2023 Tastings

One of the best parts about being back in the office, besides of course the joy of my co-worker's company, is the random encounters with extra goodies.  Which, in a building our size, happens quite a bit.  

When I saw the e-mail, "Lots of extra cake and cupcakes from Noe Valley Bakery", of course I went running, even though I had literally just finished my lunch dessert, and I didn't even really remember if I had ever had Noe Valley Bakery items before (turns out, I had, but it was 8 years ago).  Cake!

I'm glad I went running, and next time I see a message about Noe Valley Bakery items, I might even consider sprinting (in the most business appropriate way possible of course).

Red Velvet. $78.

"Our rich red velvet chocolate cake layered and topped with cream cheese icing."

Oh, wow.  Wow, wow, wow.  I took one bite of this cake, and was amazed.  I went back for more.  And more.  And more.

I can safely say this is the best red velvet cake I think I've ever had.  The cake was light, fluffy, moist, baked very well.  

But the reason this cake was phenomenal is the frosting.  O.M.G.  I've had many cream cheese icings before, on red velvet or carrot cakes.  Cream cheese icing is generally good.  After all, it is sorta just fluffier, sweeter cheesecake.  But this was extraordinary.  The best I've ever had.  It was perfectly balanced in sweetness (quite sweet, as it should be, but not cloying), it was remarkably fluffy and light, AND it had strong cream flavor.  It delivered on all three of those aspects, none overshadowing the other.  Amazing.  *****.  Nothing at all that I'd change.

I couldn't stop eating this, and getting more to save for later.  Very noteworthy, and I'd clearly gladly have it again anytime.  ****+ overall.

Custom Devil's Food Cake.

"Our sinfully delicious devil's food cake layered with whipped cream, topped with vanilla buttercream."

To celebrate a big milestone, the hosts got a cube shaped custom layer cake, essentially the birthday cake that Noe Valley Bakery makes, but, without the sprinkles around the outside, and Google colors and decoration.

I was the first to cut in.  Yes, the actual party attendees didn't even try this, they had that many other goodies on hand.

Custom Cake: Inside.

Inside I was met with two thick layers of chocolate devil's food cake, thicker than the ones in the red velvet, separated by the buttercream frosting.

I started by trying a bite of the frosting, knowing there was no way it would be as magical as the cream cheese frosting from the red velvet.  It wasn't quite that level of magic, but, it was top notch buttercream.  Even fluffier than the cream cheese one, and again, perfectly balanced.  Sweet but not cloying, and it didn't taste too strongly of butter nor sugar, in the way buttercream sometimes can.  I really liked it.  ****.

And then, the devil's food cake, a very rich, moist dark chocolate cake.  The cake itself was top notch too.  Great crumb structure.  Clearly high cocoa content.  It tasted a bit like the cake form of an Oreo cookie wafer.  One of the best chocolate cakes I've had in recent memory.  ****.

The ratio of frosting to cake was slightly off for me, as I wanted more frosting to match the thicker layer cakes, but that may be just personal preference.

Overall, a very good chocolate cake, and I'd happily have it again.   ****.

Carrot. $3.15.

"Carrot Cake studded with walnuts and topped with cream cheese icing. (it's healthy, it has a veggie in it!)"

The layer cakes were so good I couldn't help but grab a carrot cake muffin when there were still plenty left, even though, back in 2016, I wasn't particularly impressed.  They came decorated with adorable piped carrots on top.

The cream cheese icing again blew me away, just as in the red velvet.  It is just so perfectly sweet, and creamy, and cream cheese-y.  Truly some of the best cream cheese frosting I've ever had. ****+.

The carrot cake itself was fine.  It was studded with juicy raisins, and a few bits of chopped walnut for crunch.  Noticeable shreds of carrots.  Fairly heavily spiced, but the spices worked.  Slightly dry, particularly compared to the layer cakes.  Better than a generic grocery store carrot cake, but not particularly remarkable.  ***+.

Overall, really just a ***+, but, wow, that frosting is good.

Mostess. $3.15.

"Our classic chocolate cupcake filled with Bavarian cream, dipped in chocolate ganache and topped with an iconic white chocolate loop."

I didn't grab one of the Hostess knockoffs, the "Mostess", but I wish I had once I realized it was filled with bavarian cream.  My co-worker who had one devoured his in seconds, and said it really did remind him of Hostess. No idea if that is an endorsement or not.

Raspberry Sherbet. $3.15.

"Vanilla cupcakes filled with raspberry bavarian filling, frosted in a bright yellow and pink buttercream frosting."

I also passed on the pink and yellow topped cupcakes, thinking they were just vanilla, but later saw they had raspberry bavarian cream inside.  Doh!  I missed out.

Original Review, May 2016

Noe Valley Bakery is, you guessed it, a bakery in Noe Valley.  They make all your standard baked goods, including bread, breakfast pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, and more.

The stuff must be good, as they have been in business for 21 years.  But that is about all I know about the place, as I haven't actually been there myself.  But, I hosted a dinner party and one of my guests came with a box of treats.  Note to self: host more parties!

You know how much I love desserts, so, I was pretty excited to rip open the box basically as soon as dinner was over.

Treats!

From Top Left (clockwise):

• Milky Way Bombe(2): "Flourless chocolate cake, malted chocolate mousse, caramel mousse, Valhrona Croquants, chocolate ganache".
• Carrot Cupcake: "Shredded Carrots, Pineapple, Toasted Walnuts, Cream Cheese Icing."
• The Republic: "Stout Chocolate Cupcake, House-made Salted Caramel Bavarian, Irish Cream Buttercream".
• Red Velvet Cupcake: "Buttermilk Chocolate Cupcake, Cream Cheese Icing".
• Chocolate Fudge Cupcake: "Devils Food Cupcake, Old Fashion Fudge Frosting, Sprinkles".
• Chocolate Caramel Fleur de Sel: "Devil’s Food Chocolate Cupcake, House-made Caramel Bavarian, Chocolate Ganache, Grey Sea Salt".

The box had 5 different cupcakes and 2 Milky Way Bombes.  We also had 6 people who wanted to try basically everything,  So, rather than forcing choices, we cut the selections into 4 chunks each (smaller just didn't seem possible).  I missed out on the filled cupcakes (The Republic and Chocolate Caramel Fleur de Sel), but tried all others.  All of the cupcakes were decorated differently, with some kind of garnish on top, a touch I appreciated.

The first item I grabbed was the carrot cupcake.  I love good carrot cake, but I know I have strong preferences for my carrot cake, as my Great Aunt makes a "famous" version that pretty much no other version lives up to (the only one I've found is the carrot cake from Flour & Co, which, um, is even better than my Great Aunt's!)  Noe Valley Bakery's was ... fine.  The cake was moist.  It had shredded carrot inside, and I guess some pineapple and walnuts, although I didn't really detect either of these elements.  It didn't have much spicing.  The frosting was classic cream cheese icing, soft, fluffy, and pretty good.  The candied carrot garnish was cute.  Overall, it was absolutely fine, but not particularly exciting.

The next cupcake I grabbed was Red Velvet.  It had the same cream cheese frosting as the carrot, and a garnish of a little red dot.  The "red velvet" flavor was actually quite good, I was impressed.  It had a real buttermilk tang, something so many red velvets do not have.  I also appreciated that it had a slightly crispy top.  I always like that contrasting texture.

Finally, after the others had polished off the chocolate filled cupcakes, I had the final chunk of the final chocolate selection, the non-filled Chocolate Fudge Cupcake.  I'm just not one for chocolate cakes, so I mostly ignored the chocolate ones, but, I'll admit, this was a decent chocolate cake, very rich dark chocolate flavor (I guess Devil's Food IS more than "just" chocolate).  The frosting was pretty classic, good, chocolate frosting.

Overall, all the cupcakes were fine, but, I wouldn't go running back for more.  Then again, I'm not usually that big of a fan of cupcakes (or cake) anyway.  I need to be in the right mood to really want cake.

Milky Way Bombe: Inside.

"Flourless chocolate cake, malted chocolate mousse, caramel mousse, Valhrona Croquants, chocolate ganache".

The Milky Way Bombe however was another story.  A very unique item, and I'm glad our guest brought two of these!

The base was flourless chocolate cake, a thin layer, as you can see here.  It was moist, but not particularly dark or rich.  On top of that was the layer of caramel mousse, a lighter color than the malted chocolate mousse above it.  It was fluffy and sweet, but I didn't know it was "caramel".  The malted chocolate mousse was great, really creamy, fluffy, smooth, pretty much perfect chocolate mousse.  The entire thing was coated in a thick layer of rich chocolate ganache.

I really liked the chocolate mousse and the ganache, and would happily just eat a bowl of the mousse.  The Bombe was certainly best to share, as it was pretty rich.

Read More...

MIXUE Ice Cream & Tea

I had never heard of Mixue before I visited Sydney recently, but once I saw it when I was walking by, I was pretty instantly drawn in, by their cheery "Snow King", and ridiculously affordable prices.  It turns out to be a large Chinese franchise, with 22,500 stores worldwide.  It started in 1997, but the first location in Sydney didn't open until February 2023, not long before I visited.

Storefront.

Visiting the store is, um, a cultural experience.  It does draw you in though, with the very welcoming mascot, the Snow King, showing up in many places.

$2 ice Cream.

The very low prices are definitely one of MIXUE's main attractions, and are displayed prominently, like the one here for the $2 cone (which, was $1.50 just a few months prior).  Note that these are Australian dollars, so that is actually just $1.25 USD with today's exchange rate.

Tea.

Milk and fruit teas make up the rest of the menu, and are mostly reasonably priced as well.

Snow King Magic Shop.

Off on the side is the branded "Snow King Magic Shop" where you can purchase toys and tumblers.

Signature Cone. $2.
(November 2023)

I had seen people walking down the street with these cones, so I knew it would be comically large, but, I still wasn't prepared to have this handed over.  The cone itself is, well, worthy of the Snow King perhaps.

My cone didn't actually look particularly made with care.  Nor did it look as well filled or as big as others, and they only make one size, so, it wasn't like I had a different size.  They lose a few points for that, as part of my cone was pretty hollow.  And, as I said, I was pretty apprehensive this could really be very good.

I took my first bite of the ice cream.  Well, huh.  It was creamy.  It wasn't icy.  The flavor was sweet, but not cloying.  Nothing artificial about it.  Milk flavored, I guess, but I detected hints of coconut even.   Certainly better than any fast food ice cream, and it rivaled many ice cream shops.  Not blow your mind special, but very good.  ***+, on the verge of ****.

And then the cone.  Ice cream cones are often sorta a throwaway component, a means to getting ice cream in a satisfying to lick form factor, and little else.  But this cone, this cone was part of the experience too.  It was a unique style, like thin sweet wafer cookies rolled into a cone shape, 2-3 layers.  It was sweet, it was crunchy, it was really quite good.  It got to maybe be a bit much, just given how big it was, but I truly enjoyed it.  I think it would be good just as a standalone cookie to eat alongside a coffee.  A memorable, and tasty, and unique, cone.  ****.

So overall, made with care?  No.  Perfectly swirled and filled?  No.  But actually very enjoyable, and ridiculous quality for the price.  ****, and I'd gladly get another.

Signature Cone. $2.
(February 2024).

Two months later, I was back in Sydney, and the moment it was a warm day, I was right back at Mixue.  This time I knew exactly what to expect, and I'll say that Mixue seems highly consistent, at least based on my experiences.

My order was ready relatively quickly, the soft serve was a bit haphazard and did have a bit of a hole in the middle, but, the cone was crispy, unique, and not stale, and the soft serve was fairly creamy, again lightly sweet milk flavor.  I added my own sprinkles, and was still just amazed that I got such a decent and unique ice cream cone for literally $1.20 USD.  ***+.

Read More...

Kurkure

As you know, I love all snacks.  And I really adore trying random products and flavors from other countries.  These combined to lead me to Kurkure, an Indian snack brand.   I can't find much information about the Kurkure brand though, besides that it is a subsidiary of Pepsico India Holdings Pvt. Ltd.

I've been told that Kurkure is a "famous munching snack of India", which most definitely has my name all over it.  I'm all about munching.  I tried only one of their flavors of the product ("Naughty Tomato"), but they also come in other Indian spiced varieties such as Chili Chatka, Masala Munch, and green chutney.  After the success of the one I tried, I'd gladly try more flavors ... if I ever see them somewhere again.

Naughty Tomato.

"Hot and Spicy snack with the tomato flavor and a sweet and sour flair."

"Kurkure Naughty Tomato is a delicious and crunchy snack that will tantalize your taste buds. Made with high-quality cornmeal and rice flour, this snack is seasoned with a unique blend of spices that gives it a tangy and spicy tomato flavor. It's perfect for those who love to indulge in a snack that's fun and naughty."

"Hot and spicy snack similar to Cheetos, with a tomato flavor and a sweet and sour flair!"

I truly had no idea what to expect with this product.  I was a bit surprised to open the bag to see what looked much like crunchy Cheetos, but, more red (akin to the Flamin' Hot Cheetos).  They were awesomely crunchy, and had a far more interesting base flavor, made from rice, corn, and gram meal, rather than just corn meal like Cheetos.  I really did like the form factor, even though I don't like crunchy Cheetos themselves.

And then ... the flavor.  These tasted like a Bloody Mary.  Or, at least what I assume a Bloody Mary tastes like.  I can't say I really recall ever having ordered one, although I assume at some point in my early 20s I must have been at a brunch with one?  Ok, maybe the flavor is more like spicy V8 (also not something I gravitate towards, but I've had that at least once in the past 10 years ...).  They did have a strong tomato flavor, and were spicy (chili powder), but also there was lots of other vegetable flavor (onion and garlic for sure), and then a ton of complexity on the finish due to spices like cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg.  Oh, and some sweetness, as sugar is added too.

I can safely say that my brain didn't know what to make of these.  They looked like very familiar Cheetos,  had a great crunch, and tasted like a spicy V8, with a splash of chai.  Whaaaa?

This was a very unique product for me, and I devoured the entire bag (which, oops, is supposed to be 3 servings) in one (very brief) sitting.  So fascinating.  I'd love to try other flavors!  ****.

Read More...

Sharetea (US and AU)

Update Review, 2024, Sydney, Australia

Sharetea is a global chain of reasonable quality bubble tea and adjacent products.  My previous visits have always been in San Francisco, but this year, when I was in Sydney, I gave it a try, when reviews of other, smaller local places all seemed abysmal in comparison.  People really did seem to like Sharetea, and, the menu in Australia is a bit different from the US.

Frozen

"When the mercury rises, chill out with Smoothie and Crushes from Sharetea’s boba menu. Whether you like it shaken or stirred, refresh your taste buds with fruity ice or milky bubble teas. Create your delicious milky Smoothie or icy Crush with any of these flavours. Ice levels cannot be modified."

Sharetea has two different frozen ranges: crushes and smoothies, the later of which is is milky, the former, fruity.  Crushes are available in 5 flavors (mango, mango passionfruit, strawberry, honeydew, rose) and smoothies, 6 (chocolate, honeydew, taro, watermelon, watermelon lychee).

Sweetness level modifications are allowed (none, half, normal, extra), but not dairy type nor ice.  They have no non-dairy options available.

On a hot (90*!) day in Sydney, rather than getting more ice cream / gelato / froyo, which I had done every day prior, I decided to mix it up and get a smoothie.

Taro Smoothie (Large). No Sweet. $9.10.
Add Cherry Blossom Pearls, Add Cream Top (+$1.10 each)

I went for taro, my standard, not sweet.  For my mix-in, I went for a Valentine's day special, cherry blossom pearls, rather than my standard lychee jellies or popping boba.  They were limited and exclusive, and thus desirable, plus I thought they'd have a similar effect on the drink.

The smoothie was well blended, no hunks of ice, nicely icy with tiny bits of ice crystals, not too much milky liquid.  The flavor was strong in taro, but, in the fake taro powder style, clearly no real taro used here, which was a letdown (that I should have anticipated, I had just forgotten that for the milk tea and smoothies, Sharetea uses powder, rather than real taro used in the fresh milk series).  It was also very very sweet.  I know the powder and creamer they use is sweetened, but I was still surprised by how very sweet it was.  I wonder if my no sweet modifier was missed?  Anyway, nicely blended, nicely creamy, but, just taro powder and creamer, no different than you can get anywhere else generically, and too sweet for my tastes.  *** base in terms of my enjoyment, but **** for blendedness.

As for the cherry blossom pearls, they were large size pearls, with a sweet taste to them.  They didn't seem different to me from crystal or agar pearls though.  I suspect there may have been a subtle flavor to them that was masked by the taro powder and sweetness?  The texture was good, not too mushy, none stuck together.  Not quite as novel as I was hoping for, but, good.  High ***.

Overall, a fairly generic taro smoothie, but well executed. High ***.

Cream Top (on the side). $1.10.

I put in the Door Dash notes to have the cream top on the side if possible, and I was happy to see the note was followed, with a smiley face no less!

The cream top was slightly frothy, and had a nice cream cheese tang.  It wasn't as fluffy as some other brands, and was just the kinda standard "cheese" taste, but, I still really do like it.  ***+.

Yoghurt

"For something more-ish, cool off with our Yoghurt drinks. Superbly balanced between sweet and savoury, enjoy a creamy texture and vibrant, refreshing flavours. Delectable with these deliciously sweet treats. Sweetness and ice levels cannot be modified."

Sharetea yogurt drinks are available in 5 varieties: mango passionfruit, strawberry popping pearls, taro & red bean, purple rice, and purple rice with mango.  You cannot modify the sweetness nor ice levels of these.  You can add standard mix-ins/toppings (20 choices!), but can't customize further, e.g. if you wanted taro and mango, or sticky rice and any other flavor besides mango, that is a no go.

I had never had a yogurt drink from Sharetea, and gave it a try, prepared to be pretty sad that it wasn't just Koomi.

Mango Purple Rice Yogurt. $9.60.

I went for the mango purple sticky rice, which is generally my go-to for yogurt drinks.  They don't allow you to modify the sweetness, so I wasn't able to tone that down as I usually do.  I decided not to add any other mix-ins, so this was entirely unmodified.

Yogurt drinks at bubble tea shops have high variance.  Some are thin and watery, and just use Yakult as the base.  Others are not really drinks, and are thick, rich, and boast house made high quality yogurt.    Sharetea's version was actually even different from those.  It was actually a blended ice drink, so, smoothie style.  The ice blending made it thick, but if allowed to sit a while (I ordered two items at the same time, the actual smoothie that I intended to drink right away, and this for later, as I thought it would be a more normal yogurt drink), it quickly separated out into a watery layer, and a milky layer, and not remotely thick like yogurt.  It was slightly tart, fairly sweet, and decently creamy when blended, so decent yogurt-ish base, but not remarkable.

The mango and purple rice are obviously key elements of this item.  Again, Sharetea takes a slightly different approach.  I expected a lot of actual purple rice for texture and hunks of fresh mango.  Which, at first glance, it looks to have.  But, looks are deceiving. It was highly blended, so besides the rice that was visible lining the cup, there were no other grains of rice within.  I really wanted texture and actual hunks of rice, so alas, this was a miss for me.  The same with the mango.  There was a smear of mango puree lining the cup, but zero hunks of mango within.  It was fairly fruity, but, no real mango evident.

So overall, it wasn't really what I was looking for, and really was much more of a drink, a very blended one, than a yogurt or mango or rice forward item.  It was sweeter than I generally want, so I wish they'd let me modify that.  That all said, I wasn't entirely unhappy with it, once I adjusted my expectations.  Koomi is still my hands down favorite. ***.

Original Review, 2019, San Francisco

Sharetea is a bubble tea chain that originated in Taiwan in the early '90s.  Since then, they have expanded internationally, now with more than 450 stores.  In San Francisco, they have at least 3 locations that I know of (the Metreon, Westfield mall, and Geary).

My visits in person were all in 2017, to the Metreon location, where I tried two taro creations, since, I kinda have a thing for taro.   I liked them.

But I didn't go back, I'm not really sure why.  Then, in February 2018, I  attended an event with a selection of bubble teas catered by Sharetea.  This was exciting (yay, bubble tea!) but also meant that I did not select the items myself.  I've grown sick of standard black tapioca boba and prefer jellies, puddings, etc, and all the choices had boba in them.  And I also usually go for less sweet, and most were full sweet.

That said, of course I was excited to try these too, given the taro drink success.

The Menu

The menu at Sharetea, like most bubble tea shops, is broken down into Milk Tea, Ice Blended, Fresh Milk, Fruit Tea, Creama, and simple Brewed Tea.  They show their top 20 prominently around the space, to help guide you in decision making.

All the standard offerings are available, black, green, and oolong tea for the base, fruity flavors like mango, kiwi, passion fruit, strawberry, and more.  The toppings/mix-ins selection is extensive, with all the classics and then some: pearls (mini, large, mixed), jellies (ice, lychee, rainbow), aloe vera, pudding, taro chunks, red bean, and even ice cream.  They also have a few items more accessible to those who have never had bubble tea, like an Oreo or Coffee blended drink (which, to be fair, I actually really liked my Oreo smoothie at Home Plate Boba).  You can customize your level of sweetness and amount of ice.

My favorite menu item, just from the name, is the "QQ Happy Family Milk Tea", loaded with pearls, grass jelly, pudding, aloe, and red bean.  What is QQ?  Who is the Happy Family?  Don't ask me.

The Space

The Storefront.

The Sharetea I visited is located inside the Metreon, alongside several other establishments.

Every time I've walked by, the place is bustling.  The ordering setup is efficient though, with a clear space to line up, order at the register, pay, get your number, and then wait on the side.  Orders are called out on the far side, by number, with a display showing which order number they are on (just like at the deli!)

Behind the counter is the drink processing station, with staff working quite efficiently.  Everything is laid out and just quickly assembled to order.  The space isn't large, but, they use it well.

Sharetea is also on OrderAhead (or, was, until OrderAhead shut down), so I was able to skip the line and order from the app before I arrived.  However, the soonest "ASAP" option was 25 minutes, not quite what I was hoping for.  For OrderAhead, they call your name rather than number.

There is no seating dedicated to Sharetea, but there is general food court seating, along with plentiful outdoor space in Yerba Buena Gardens just outside the door.

Drinks - 2017

Taro Ice Blended with Pudding. $6.85.

For my first drink, I skipped past standard bubble tea, as it was a crazy hot day out, and I wanted something more like a milkshake.  This desire lead me to the "Ice Blended" section of the menu, where I had a few options.  For me though, the choice was clear: taro!  I'm a huge fan of taro (real and powdered), so this was a no brainer.  I was much like a "Slush" from Quickly, which of course I've had before, or the fantastic taro smoothie from Miss Saigon.

Interestingly, the drink comes pre-defined with pudding as the mix-in.  I could add on another mix-in, or perhaps sub it out (although that wasn't an option anywhere I saw), so, I stuck with that suggestion.  I was leaning towards red bean, but, hey, if they put this on the menu as a standard drink, why not?

I opted for 50% sweetness, knowing how crazy sweet these drinks tend to be.  Besides that, I stuck with the defaults.

I'm not entirely sure what was in this drink.  I assume it was taro powder, and non-dairy creamer, plus ice and the puddings?  Some of the ice blended drinks say they have ice cream in them, this one did not list it, so, I think it did not have ice cream?  But I'm not sure.

Anyway, my drink was good.  It was perfectly blended, no ice chunks, no separation.  The taro flavor was also good, although I'm pretty sure this drink uses the powder.  It was a lovely shade of fake purple.  50% sweet was definitely a good choice, as it was still pretty sweet, and I'd actually lean towards only 30% for next time.  I can't imagine this at 100%!

The puddings were interesting.  Basically, big chunks of ... custard pudding, like flan, crème brûlée, or any other custard pudding.  They added a very smooth texture and additional sweetness.  They sucked up easily in the straw.  You'd think I'd love these, as I love pudding, and I like having texture, but, I got pretty sick of the puddings.  Ojan however loved them.  Next time, I'd try something else, like the red bean I originally wanted ...

So, overall, definitely good and I'd get another.  I'd likely tone down the sweetness more and try a different mix in.  Also, the $6.85 price really does seem kinda high for powder and ice thrown into a blender. ***.

Warm Fresh Taro Milk Tea with Red Bean. $5.00.

Next, I went for a hot beverage.  I've only had a hot beverage once before from a bubble tea place, when I got a hot taro milk tea at Chai-Yo, which wasn't very successful.

It was a cold day, and I wanted a hot drink to warm me up.  In the OrderAhead app, there was a section for "Hot Drinks".  It contained one item: fresh taro milk tea.  Since I love taro, this sounded good to me.

Side note: I later learned that many other drinks, listed in the other sections, are available warm too, that is just one of the customizations you can apply, just like sweetness level, ice level, etc.  For my selection however, I didn't have any customizations available, besides add-ins.  No way to specify sweetness, which concerned me slightly.  I did opt for an add in, and randomly went with red bean, since the others all seemed like they'd be strange in a warm drink and I was sorta trying to be responsible and add some protein instead of just sweet jellies.

To be honest, I'm not quite sure what this drink was.  It isn't actually listed anywhere on the menu at Sharetea itself, which I found very strange.  "Taro pearl milk tea" is a drink, available warm or iced, but that is the style where you specify sweetness, and, I believe is made with black tea.  "Handmade taro with fresh milk" is also an option, iced only, but it too lets you specify sweetness, and costs $1 more.

So what was this?  Was it the warm version of the "taro pearl milk tea", sans pearls, and with default sweetness?  I'm really not sure.  It did kinda taste like it had black tea in it (whoops! I didn't want caffeine!), but, I also thought that the taro milk tea used powder, not real taro, and, this sure seemed to be real taro, aka, it wasn't bright purple and had big chunks of taro in it.  More on that soon.  Was it a warm version of the  'handmade taro with fresh milk", just, cheaper and without letting me say how sweet?  Maybe?

My drink came in a opaque paper cup, unlike the cold beverages that come in clear plastic, revealing their color and mix-ins.  And since the top was sealed like a bubble tea, I had no idea what was inside, which added to the mystery of what on earth I was getting.  It was also interesting in temperature.  The cup was sorta hot on top, but, cold on bottom?

Taro and red beans!

So, how was my mystery creation?

A mixed bag.

I think that the milk was warmed up, but, the mix-ins were cold, which cooled the whole thing down.  So, it was lukewarm from the moment I got it, and it got colder quickly, given that the base was cold to the touch.  Doh.  I wanted a hot beverage to warm me up!

Still, it was fascinating, particularly since I couldn't see inside, and I wasn't sure what I had ordered.  I put in a bubble tea straw, and took a big suck.  Up my straw came ... chunks of taro!  Yes!  It wasn't just powder.  And then ... whole little red beans.  The taro was kinda mashed, and was a bit strange to suck up through my straw.

The flavor of the milk itself was sorta taro-y and not too sweet.  Once I opened it up, I could see the color was more brownish-purple than bright purple like drinks made with powder, so, I do think it really was just taro steeped milk.  But, I'm confused why this was $1 less than the "Handmade Taro with Fresh Milk", and, why that one isn't available warm.  And why it sorta tasted like tea.  Hmm.  Again, I still have no idea what I had.  It wasn't too creamy, so, I think it used regular milk, not something heavier.

I also poured off the milk so I could see what else was in there.  As you can see here, little red beans, and, mashed up taro. 

Overall, it was ... ok.  The real issue was the lukewarm/cold nature of it.  **+.

The "warm fresh taro milk tea" is $4.50, I added red bean for $0.50 more, making this a $5 fascination.

Drinks - 2019

My next encounter was at an event, rather than direct at the store.

Matcha Fresh Milk Tea / Less Sweet / Tapioca Pearls. $6.75.

At the event, given my limited selections, I opted for the matcha fresh milk tea, with pearls (eh), and made less sweet.

It was a fairly standard matcha milk.  Creamy from generic milk, decent matcha flavor.  The pearls were made nicely enough, not clumped together, not too soft, not too hard, but, as expected, I wasn't quite into them.  This is easily fixed though - just use a standard straw, and sip from higher up.

I enjoyed it, but this isn't what I'd order, and the $6.75 regular price seems really high for what is just a cup of milk mixed with matcha powder and boba.  ***.

Classic Milk Tea / Black Tea / Normal Sweet / Tapioca Pearls. $6.00.

The event ended with piles of unclaimed, packaged milk teas, so I grabbed a classic milk tea for the next morning.  This one sadly also had tapioca pearls AND was normal sweet, so I was less excited for it, but, hey, can't waste!

It was a pretty standard milk tea.  Strong black tea flavor, sweet and creamy, same decent enough tapioca balls, if you like them.

Not what I'd get myself, since black milk tea is a bit boring to me, and sweeter than I go for, but, it was absolutely fine. ***.

Read More...