Taiwan’s highly anticipated bubble tea brand Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂) will officially open in Singapore on 28 June 2019 (Friday) at Century Square, marking the brand’s first foray into Singapore.
Xing Fu Tang’s official opening also comes hot on the heels of its pop-up held at Takashimaya earlier this June. The pop-up was met with resounding success, which saw over 1,500 cups sold daily.
Xing Fu Tang, which translates to ‘Realm of Happiness’, was founded by Edison Chen in Taiwan in January 2018. The brand name, along with its signature artisanal Brown Sugar Boba Milk drink, was inspired by Chen’s grandmother who often used brown sugar as a key ingredient in her cooking.
An edge above your regular bubble tea drink, Xing Fu Tang prides itself in its signature tapioca pearls, which are stir-fried in natural raw brown sugar for an extra chewy bite. The bubble tea chain also does not include any preservatives, artificial flavourings or additives in its drinks.
Key ingredients such as brown sugar, tapioca starch and tea leaves are not only sourced directly from Taiwan, but are also freshly prepared daily – made and served in an open-kitchen concept – upon orders. However, each batch of brown sugar pearls is only made when the previous batch finishes – this practice may not be ideal during high consumer traffic as this will result in longer waiting times for customers who purchase any drink with brown sugar pearls.
Brown Sugar Boba Milk and Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Boba
In Xing Fu Tang’s signature drink – Brown Sugar Boba Milk – melted brown sugar is used to coat the inner surface of the cup while the brown sugar pearls are added to the cup. Milk is then poured to the brim, followed by a thin layer of milk foam and a generous serving of caramelised brown sugar. The caramelised brown sugar is then torched to a thin, crisp layer as an aroma akin to crème brûlée fills the room.
Customers are advised to stir the drink 18 times to mix the ingredients evenly before consuming it. Otherwise, the drink will have an inconsistent taste. On top of the brown sugar pearls, consumers may also enjoy the crunchy, sweet delight of charred caramelised brown sugar bits. The Brown Sugar Boba Milk was not as sweet as I hoped for,probably due to the usage of milk and milk foam as opposed to milk tea. It was sweet, but LiHo’s brown sugar milk tea tastes sweeter.
Meanwhile, the Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Boba was essentially an ice cream version of the signature Brown Sugar Boba Milk, with the exception of torched caramelised brown sugar. While the creation tastes nice as a drink, it was too milky when churned out as an ice cream. Perhaps it’s best to avoid eating it altogether if do not wish for a strong dosage of food coma.
Boba Milk Tea
While it is your run-of-the-mill drink item on almost any – if not all – bubble tea stall, I decided to give the drink a go. Customers are unable to choose the sweetness level for any of the drinks on the menu except for its Lightly Roasted Oolong Tea. The milk tea was not sweet, but the drink achieves its sweetness when mixed well with the brown sugar pearls and syrup. While Xing Fu Tang does not stinge when it comes to its brown sugar syrup, the downside to that generosity is that the brown sugar syrup will eventually rest at the bottom of the drink if left unattended for awhile. Hence, consumers will have to remember to give their drinks a good stir before their next sip.
Soda and Handmade Jelly, and Grapefruit Green Tea
The Soda and Handmade Jelly did not do justice to its hefty price tag. It tasted like the kind of soda served at family restaurants, where syrup is added to a generous portion of Sprite, then mixed. The Grapefruit Green Tea was just as pricey with little value – the grapefruit flavour was so strong, you could barely taste the tea.
Mango Smoothie and Rabbit Panna Cotta
Light and refreshing, the Mango Smoothie and Rabbit Panna Cotta is the perfect finish to any meal. The mango smoothie with pink pearls was sweet yet not too strong, and the Panna Cotta – moulded into a small white rabbit – complemented the drink with its melt-in-your-mouth texture.
In celebration of Xing Fu Tang’s opening, the bubble tea chain will be giving away its first 188 cups of Brown Sugar Boba Milk on the grand opening day. If Century Square is too far you, hang on tight as Xing Fu Tang is slated to open three more stores in Singapore over the next six months.
Xing Fu Tang (幸福堂)
Opening Hours: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Venue: #01-22, Century Square, 2 Tampines Central 5, Singapore 529509
For more information, visit https://xingfutangsg.com/
Photos by Goh Jing Wen of the DANAMIC team. Visual of Fresh Milk with Brown Sugar Boba courtesy of Xing Fu Tang.
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