Buzz
Anticipated as the next trend after this summer's Lemon Tea, numerous white symphony tea shops are emerging one after another. Various flavors are also being creatively concocted.
>> More: Great Tea Spots for Sizzling Saigon Summer Days
With its refreshing chilled tea, clear texture, sweet and cool taste, chewy white glutinous rice balls, creamy cheese flavor, and succulent lychees, accompanied by fragrant roasted almonds, white symphony tea quickly becomes a favorite. Particularly in the summer, the refreshing nature of this tea with its somewhat unfamiliar name is enough to draw everyone out onto the streets. A slew of tea shops are simultaneously adding this item to their menus, with specialized white symphony tea shops also cropping up. Mytour recommends some enticing white symphony tea venues depending on preferences and tastes.
Original Tea at Hoàng Ty, Shanghai Chicken Rice on Vỏ Văn Tần Street
It can be said that the allure of white symphony tea originates from here. Even though it's just a side dish in a chain of famous eateries, the extensive advertising at the shop always piques diners' curiosity to taste and become enamored with this dish. The white symphony tea here is the 'original' version with fragrant and creamy white tofu, cheese, eaten with canned lychees and roasted almonds.
With a slightly steep price of 28,000 VND per bowl, coupled with the fact that you can't just come here for the white symphony tea alone, many people also hesitate and seek out other venues. Nevertheless, after tasting at several new establishments, people still rate the white symphony tea here as somewhat better, chewier, creamier, suitable for those who love the taste of cheese and milk.
Sharing the same situation as at Hoàng Ty is the white symphony tea at the Shanghai Chicken Rice shop on Võ Văn Tần Street, District 3. It's also just a side dish at the main meal, but the white symphony tea at Shanghai Chicken Rice is also highly praised for being very delicious, with clear, sweet syrup. Price is also 28K per bowl.
Assorted Fruit Additions on Hoàng Hoa Thám Street Sidewalk
A 'specialized white symphony tea' venue is whispered about by quite a few people. A small shop with tiny tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk. However, because it's hidden under the bridge, the shop is quite cool and less dusty, not too noisy. The white symphony tea here is cooked similarly to the original tea, with soft, tender white tofu balls, added almonds and lychees. However, the interesting point is that the shop also adds various fruits into the tea, such as Apple, Strawberry, Grape, Kiwi, Golden Melon, Jackfruit,... Customers can choose one according to their preference or order a mixed white symphony tea with all types of fruits. Price is 20,000 VND for 1 bowl of tea with 1 type of fruit and 25,000 VND for assorted white symphony tea.
Finding it is not too difficult, from Trần Quang Khải, District 1, turn onto Hoàng Hoa Thám Street, the shop is on the left, under Hoàng Hoa Thám bridge (before crossing the bridge).
Green Tea and Tiramisu White Symphony Tea
Apart from adding additional ingredients, some cafes also prepare white symphony tea in a rather unique way, such as infusing flavors into the tofu like green tea or tiramisu. Not only does this create unique and enticing colors, but it also provides more options and helps balance the original dish's richness.
Some cafes known for this variation are Coconut & Pumpkin at 85 Châu Văn Liêm, District 5. Here, they also offer various types such as strawberry white symphony tea, peach white symphony tea, apricot,... with a diverse and appealing menu. However, the cafe tends to be crowded, and the tofu balls are not very chewy, but the flavors are quite delicious. Prices start from 20,000 VND per bowl.
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Source: Mytour Travel Guide
MytourJune 27, 2013
