Archive for 2016

Matcha Desserts Overdose.

Location: Manchester, U.K.

So basically I was in Manchester for few days and I happened to get to know this 'cafe' through Instagram. Everyone posted about their 'matcha' desserts and some people was saying this cafe was 'overrated'. Anyway, I went there to experienced myself. As far as I know, the opening time and days of this cafe various throughout the month so I was quite 'LUCKY' to be able to sit in and enjoy my dessert.

*Opening Times Various throughout the month and you could check the opening times and days through their official Facebook and Instagram accounts*

So far for this month, December the opening times and days are;
*no reservation available in this shop, it's a first come first serve based*
*takeaway is available*

Open: Wednesday - Saturday at 2p.m. - 7p.m.

~~Closed: Sunday - Tuesday~~

The Queue

I decided to walk there from the train station when I reached Manchester (using my google map since I haven't been to Manchester for almost 2 years!)and I manage to find it because there was a QUEUE outside the shop at 1.57p.m. and I decided to join in the queue since everyone in front of me were in pairs and I'm the only odd one, standing there queueing alone😑. So I was basically the last one to get to be dining in the cafe when it was open since the owner of the cafe, a young Japanese lady was counting how many of was in the queue and I was literally the last person to be able to stay in for my matcha desserts.

Cafe Interior Overview;

Simple, Clean and Relaxing Japanese Style Tearoom.

2 tables with 4 seater, 1 table with 2 seater, shoes had to be removed before seating down

2 seater by the tea counter.

1 table on the right side of the cafe door filled with tap water + glasses and hanging menu.

1 counter table by the open kitchen and a clean toilet in the cafe.

Overview Interior Rating: 5/5

Below were few pictures taken by me while waiting for my desserts to arrived in the cafe shop.

Water + Hanging Menu.

The Japanese Lady, I assumed she's the boss of this lovely cafe with today's menu.

Menu by the tea bar.

Busy trying to serve all the customers.

Christmas Cakes (Private Orders placed by customers)

Cafe Hospitality;

Desserts - Very fast since all of them were pre made before the cafe open
Drinks - Very slow since she need to heat up the soy milk/milk, measure the matcha powder, and finally using a bamboo whisk and whisking it in front of you. The matcha drinks were not added with any sugar and a cube of brown sugar was given as an option to be added into the drink.
Cafe Hospitality Ratings: 3/5 (My reason were listed below, but I made a new friend in 5 minutes while waiting for my matcha drink to be done)
All I can say is, you need to be patience when you're in this cafe

Since she's the only one serving and doing all the takeaway stuff, I think she kind of lost track with the customers sitting in the shop. However, I actually do not mind waiting but since I want to get a nice picture of my dessert and matcha tea, a lot of customers coming in the shop and was looking at me since I was seated near the cashier and I think they will wonder why I did not start eating my desserts but keep on playing with my phone and looking at my diary. However, I met a new friend there, since she's alone and wanted to sit in for some cake and she sat beside me and we started talking to each other and we ended up being friend (which made my day, since I had a company for the rest of the day while waiting for my friend to finish his work). Literally, both of us were doing the same thing, while waiting for the lady to served our matcha soy milk, we did not start eating our lovely match desserts (I'm sorry to anyone whom saw me in this cafe that day, but I think that she need to served everything together (the drinks and cakes), to make it quicker and so that the customer won't be waiting for their matcha tea for 1 hours 30 minutes after they finish enjoying their desserts.

Cafe Menu:

*Changes everyday*

When I was there the menu was;

Matcha Tart

Matcha Tiramisu

Earl Grey Panna Cotta

Matcha Nama Chocolate

Matcha Roll Cake Slice

Matcha Cheesecake

The desserts that I ordered.

So I ended up ordering the Matcha Tiramisu and Matcha Tart, my friend ordered the Matcha Cheesecake along with a matcha soy milk.

Me with my desserts.

Dessert Ratings (From my POV)

Matcha Tiramisu
Product Evaluation ( 1 = poor, 3 = average, 5 = good)

Taste: 3/5 (I'm not sure why I can't taste the strong cheese flavouring and only tasted the matcha flavour)

Sweetness: 3/5 (The matcha mousse is quite sweet)

Flavour: 3/5 (Strong matcha flavour)

Aftertaste: 4/5 (Matcha aftertaste)

Value for Money Degree: 3/5 (Reasonable price for tiramisu)

Recommend Degree: 3/5 (Sadly I can't really taste the cheese flavouring in this matcha tiramisu)

Overall: 3/5

Matcha Tart
Product Evaluation ( 1 = poor, 3 = average, 5 = good)

Taste: 4/5 (Tart filling: strong matcha mousse flavouring; Tart pastry: loving the strong buttery taste)

Sweetness: 3/5 (The matcha mousse filling is quite sweet)

Flavour: 3/5 (Strong matcha flavour)

Aftertaste: 4/5 (Matcha aftertaste)

Value for Money Degree: 4/5 (Reasonable price for the tart size)

Recommend Degree: 4/5 (More likely a molten tart rather than a solid one)

Overall: 4/5

Matcha Cheesecake
Product Evaluation ( 1 = poor, 3 = average, 5 = good)

Taste: 5/5 (Creamy + thick matcha layered with a thin biscuit base)

Sweetness: 3/5 (The matcha mousse is quite sweet)

Flavour: 3/5 (Strong matcha flavour, which covered up the cheese flavouring)

Aftertaste: 4/5 (Matcha aftertaste)

Value for Money Degree: 4/5 (Reasonable price for the size)

Recommend Degree: 4/5 (Sadly I can't really taste the cheese flavouring in this matcha cheesecake)
Overall: 4/5

Look at the Match Soy Milk size!

Drink Ratings (From my POV)

Matcha Soy Milk
Product Evaluation ( 1 = poor, 3 = average, 5 = good)

Taste: 5/5

Sweetness: 5/5 (A cube of brown sugar was given as an option to be added into the drink)

Flavour: 5/5 (Strong matcha flavour and combined well with the soy milk)

Aftertaste: 5/5 (Actually I love the aftertaste, which does not give out a bitter taste but more of a soy milk + matcha aftertaste)

Value for Money Degree: 4/5 (Reasonable portion for the price listed)

Recommend Degree: 5/5 (I highly recommend this drink to all matcha lovers)

Overall: 5/5

I didn't manage to tried the matcha rolls and strawberry matcha cake.

I might drop by again next time if I happen to be in Manchester again!

How to get there?

Address: Unit 3B Nuovo, Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, United Kingdom

Feel free to drop by their official Facebook Page and Instagram Page to see their latest updates.

I will definitely go back for some matcha desserts if I'm in Manchester next time, but for now I'm back in Newcastle😞.

Product Details;

Left: NF Spring Grapefruit Jasmine Tea with TOP art illustration (500mL)

Right: NF Spring Peach Oolong Tea with G-Dragon art illustration (500mL)

Product Origin: China

Product Company Official Website: NongFu China

This is one of the unexpected drink products that I will buy for a price of ￡ 1.69.

However, I still ended up buying them to try out because of Big Bang was printed on their bottle's labels.

So here are my opinions on both products.

Product Review;

Left: NF Spring Grapefruit Jasmine Tea with TOP art illustration

Ingredients:
Water, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Jasmine Tea (5%), Concentrated Juice (Grapefruit, Pomelo (4%)), Acidity Regulator (E330, E331), Flavouring
*E330 = Citric Acid, E331 = Sodium citrates (i), Monosodium citrate (ii), Disodium citrate (iii) Sodium citrate (trisodium citrate)*

This drink contain a strong flavouring of grapefruit and jasmine tea.

When unscrewing the bottle, a strong smell of grapefruit was released. Since they used the grapefruit concentration, the artificial taste of the grapefruit does not give out the bitter aftertaste whereas a layer of waxy can be feel on the tongue after drinking the juice.

This drink itself tasted quite artificial but it is not very sweet and might taste a bit like spring water + flavouring.

Product Evaluation (1 = poor, 3 = average, 5 = good)
Taste: 3/5
Sweetness: 3/5
Flavour: 4/5 (Great combination of grapefruit and jasmine tea)
Aftertaste: 2/5 (I do not like the aftertaste, my tongue feels like it's coated with a layer of wax)
Value for Money degree: 3/5 (I think it's quite expensive, but I still bought it because of my 'Big Bang OPPA')
Overall: 3/5 (If you like it you will get addicted, if you hate it you will just pour it down the sink)

Product Review;

Right: NF Spring Peach Oolong Tea with G-Dragon art illustration (500mL)

Ingredients:

Water, Glucose Syrup, Sugar, Oolong Tea (6%), Concentrated Peach (3%), Acidity Regulator (E330, E331), Flavouring

*E330 = Citric Acid, E331 = Sodium citrates (i), Monosodium citrate (ii), Disodium citrate (iii) Sodium citrate (trisodium citrate)*

This drink contain a strong flavouring of peach and Oolong tea.

When unscrewing the bottle, a strong smell of peachy flavouring was released. Since they used the peach concentration, the artificial taste of the peach gave out a fruity flavouring and the aftertaste is refreshing with additional fruity taste.

This drink itself tasted quite addictive and it is quite sweet due to the peach flavouring and will mixed with the Oolong tea.

Product Evaluation (1 = poor, 3 = average, 5 = good)
Taste: 3/5
Sweetness: 4/5 (Very sweet peach flavour)
Flavour: 4/5 (Great combination of peach and Oolong tea)
Aftertaste: 4/5 (Feels refreshing with the fruity taste, and a bit of strong peach flavour)
Value for Money degree: 3/5 (I think it's quite expensive, but I still bought it because of my 'Big Bang OPPA')
Overall: 4/5 (I prefer this one compared to the grapefruit flavour)

Dutch Pancakes in making...

Newcastle's International Christmas Market
Date: 19th November 2016 - 11 December 2016
Operating Time:
Monday - Wednesday: 9am - 8pm
Thursday - Saturday: 9am - 9pm
Sunday: 10am - 5pm

How to get there?

Location: Grey's Monument, Grey Street and Grainger Street

Been here for the past 3 years and the dutch pancake and churros stalls get me excited every year!

I don't mind the bloody cold weather + wind + rain, but when I get my dessert from this market, I'm a happy girls!

Holland Dutch Pancake Stall

A small stall in the middle of the Christmas market (easily spotted since this stall always have a queue).

This is the menu along with the prices...

Small - 15 pieces

Large - probably 30 pieces (sorry I'm not very sure because I bought the small one)

While waiting for my pancakes, I saw this cute miniature displayed at the stall.

Dutch pancake;

Size: Small

Topping: Nutella and maple syrup

Me and my friend enjoying our dutch pancakes!

*yummy*

My Ratings
Taste: 9/10 (great combination and it doesn't taste very sweet with the toppings)
Value for Money: 6/10 (well, 15 small pieces of pancakes for ￡ 3.50...)
Recommend Degree: 8/10 (you will get addicted to this once you try them!)

Spain Dessert: Churros Stall

A small stall right opposite to The Charles Grey bar.

I got the normal Churros with icing sugar + cinnamon powder which costed me ￡ 4.00

It's very filling since its pretty thick (look at the amount of batter used in them)

Even though they are oily and high in calories, I'm gonna ignore it for today since I love them!

*ate them all up*

Since I bought them quite early in the morning, there's not oily aftertaste since the oil is still fresh (bare in mind that most of the oil are reused to fry these churros). If you happen to buy then later in the evening you might taste a bit of oily flavouring in your churros since most of the oil were reused and I tasted them before and I seriously HATE it.

My Ratings

Taste: 7/10 (oily but not very sweet with the icing sugar + cinnamon powder)

Value for Money: 6/10 (well, there's about 7 thick churros pieces ...)

Recommend Degree: 8/10 (easily addicted and in another way some might hate it since it's pretty greasy)

So technically, these are my favourite 2 desserts that I will always buy whenever I'm browsing around in the Christmas Markets.

If you happen to be in Newcastle, please feel free to drop by and enjoy some of their foods.

Movie Name: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)

Movie Period: 2 hours 13 mins

Being a Harry Potter's fan, I have been waiting for this new movie of J.K Rowling to be released in the UK and finally it's here! *I actually bought the ticket 2 weeks ago before the movie was released*

It's one of the Harry Potter prequel which was released in 2001 as a screenplay book.

So basically this is a series sequel of 5 stories and this is the first one!

Didn't want to spoil myself with the movie plot therefore I didn't read the book yet, and planned to read it after finishing this movie 😍

The movie cast are amazing where the main characters,

Newt Scamander by Eddie Redmayne

A British wizard expelled from Hogwarts travelling to New York alone with a suitcase that holds a secret.

Gellert Grindelwaid by Johnny Depp (Villain)

Dumbledore's friend which is also a Villain in this movie, but in the end he was killed by Dumbledore

Porpentina Goldstein (Tina) by Katerina Waterston

A person whom worked in the American Wizard office and helped Newt Scamander during his stay in New York

Jacob Kowalski by Dan Fogler

American muggle involved in the whole magic process throughout the movie

Queenie Goldstein by Alison Sudol

Tina's Sister and someone whom can read minds

So basically these are few of the main characters which you need to know from this movie.

Empire Cinema Newcastle

*SPOILER BELOW*

Newt arrived in New York along with his magical suitcase (full of magical creatures). He ended up in the bank after realising one of his creature escaped from his suitcase (walking around hunting for sparkling coins and jewelries). He ended up following his creature since he can't use magical in the crowded bank and he ended up meeting with Mr. Kowalski (a muggle) whom wished to get a bank funding on his dream bakery passed down by his grandma. Newt however left one of his creature egg on the bench and was picked up by the muggle. Newt was forced to use his magic in the muggle world to catch his naughty creature back and Mr. Kowalski (a muggle) was tangled in between this massive mess! *the muggle was shocked and tried to runaway after getting out from the bank but ended up swapping his suitcase full of bakery goods with Newt's magical suitcase........................ and this is where the adventure begins in the street of New York 😀.

I do not want to spoil the whole movie since today is the 2nd day it was played in the cinema around the UK. If you're a huge fan of Harry Potter series, I really recommend this movie.

My Point of View;

Ratings: 5⭑ (Sorry I'm a Harry Potter fan)

Magical Graphics: 4⭑ (I wish they have more magical tricks or spells used in the movie)

Recommended Level: 5⭑ (Highly recommended to Harry Potter fans)

Sometime, I wish that my ordinary life would be filled with a bit of magic...

Despite having this stressful and unpredictable life which no one actually knows what will happen every time you wake up in the morning...

I wish I was part of them sometimes just like the picture below 😂😂😂

*gasping for air*

Finally I manage to get myself out of the magical suitcase 😛

So,

Do You Believe in Magic?

My Point Card with 8 stamps.

Shop Name: Bubble T Break

Location: Chinatown, Newcastle Upon Tyne

A small Bubble T shop located at the other end of Chinatown (opposite Pink Lane Bakery on Cross Street). This little shop was first open in October of 2012 and up until now. So far there's 2 shops selling bubble tea (a type of taiwanese drink), Bubble Cha and Breadpoint Bakery (both of them are located in Chinatown) however, I still prefer the milk tea from this store.

The shop itself is divided into 2 parts. The left side of the shop is a small repair shop for electronic and the right side is the bubble tea shop. There is a small counter and limited tables for sitting in and usually I only do takeaways every time I drop by for my milk tea.

*An update of the picture inside the shop.*

Above the counter, there's a chalkboard and sometimes there's a list of special drinks or new drink and promotion listed on it, so if you're in a group of 4 people, their latest promotion is buy 3 drinks (large) and get 1 for free. If you're buying only 1 drink, remember to collect their point card (Any drink purchased will get a free drink and get the 9th drink for free) you can see my point card from the picture above, which is a good deal if you're with a friend.

Drink Size available:

M - £ 2.50

L - £ 3.00

Top 10 drinks list.

I even picked up a leaflet (picture above) about their top 10 drinks and I only tried 3 of them before.

The only drinks I tried before is the bubble Milk Tea, Rose Oolong Tea and Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea (I changed the red bean into tapioca, bubble, pearls) - is just myself preferences.

Here's a list of their drinks (picture below) along with the sugar level (more - no sugar) and ice level (normal - hot)

Drink list and flavour adjustment.

So here's my free drink, their special flavour listed on the chalkboard which is Plum Green Tea with bubble.

Plum Green Tea w/ Bubble

Product Evaluation (1 = poor , 3= average 5 = good)

Taste: 3/5

Sweetness: 5/5 (Depending on sweetness you ordered, I usually get half sugar)

Flavour: 3/5 (Not very strong plum and green tea flavour)

Aftertaste: 3/5 (I could taste the plum flavour more)

Overall: 4/5

Store EvaluationEnvironment: 5/10 (Small and cosy)
Services: 8/10
Value for Money degree: 7/10 (Reasonable prices)
Recommend degree: 8/10

What is their opening time?

OPENING HOURS

Monday - Saturday: 12 p.m. - 7.30 p.m.

Sunday & Bank Holidays: 12 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.

Getting there...
1 Cross Street, Newcastle, NE1 4XE

For more information visit their official Facebook Page. I highly recommended this shop to anyone whom craved for authentic Taiwanese bubble milk tea!

Product Name: Tea Zen Green Tea Latte

Product Origin: South Korea

It's been awhile since this product is out of stock in the Asian Supermarket and yesterday when I was in Chinatown, I picked this up from the Asian Supermarket, HiYou which costed me £4.27 for a box, which contained 10 sachets. I've been addicted to this drink for the past 2 years however this is not the best green tea latte but after trying most of the green tea latte (ready packed) sold from the supermarket, this is somehow the best one.

Nutrition and Ingredients Details based on the UK food regulations;

If you're allergic to nuts, you may want to avoid this product since there's "Chestnut Concentrate" listed in the ingredients.

3 - Steps to make a perfect green tea latte with this powder mix.

Step 1: Heat up the 100mL of milk and add in the powder mix.

Step 2: Stir - well till the powder mix dissolved into the hot milk.

Step 3: Pour it into the cup and use the milk whisk to make it foamy.

Lastly, enjoy the green tea latte.

I prefer my green tea latte to be in "hot" serving but if you want to have it cold, you could refer to the box, on the right side it shows how to make hot and cold green tea latte using there powder mix. Based on my experiences, using the appropriate amount of milk or soya milk to make green tea latte is the best compared to using hot water.

For me, I love this product and I got addicted to it once I first purchased it but later on this was out of stock for few months from the Asian Supermarket in town.

Preparing this using the microwave (5 - minutes).

If you're lazy to boil the milk with the saucepan, you could always use the microwave.

Heat the milk up for 2 minutes
Pour the powder mix into the milk and continue heating it up for another 2 minutes
Stir - well and continue heating it up for another 1 minutes

Product Evaluation (1 = poor , 3= average, 5 = good)

Taste: 3/5

Sweetness: 4/5 (Depending on the amount of hot water/milk added to the powder mix) Matcha Flavour: 3/5 (Not very strong matcha flavour)

Aftertaste: 3/5 (I could taste a bit of bitterness)

Overall: 4/5

To find out more about their products, check out their official site Creative Tea Company and Facebook page.

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