Tokyo Bubble Tea: A Taste of Japan's Sakura Season

Having an undying love for many things Japanese -- food, language, music, pop culture and more, it breaks my heart a little to scroll through my Facebook and Instagram feeds this time of the year. You see, March until May marks Japan's age-old tradition of appreciating the blooming of the beautiful cherry blossoms or sakura trees, also called Hanami. And 'tis also the season when most of my friends and acquaintances visit Japan, while I'm left marveling at their photos on the other side of the screen. 。゚・(>﹏<)・゚。

And while I still haven't planned my own trip to experience Hanami for myself YET, I'm thankful that I can somehow get a taste of this celebration even without flying out of the country... Thanks to Tokyo Bubble Tea.

Sakura Festival at Tokyo Bubble Tea

About a week ago, Tokyo Bubble Tea which is a homegrown concept specializing in bubble drinks and Japanese-Western dishes, launched its Sakura Season offerings. I luckily got first dibs, so let me share with you Tokyo Bubble Tea's Sakura Bento Trays and Sakura JCC Milk Teas that will surely remind you of spring's blooming flowers and refreshing weather.

Sakura Bento Trays


From what I know, Tokyo Bubble Tea doesn't offer set meals like this all-year round. So when I found out that their Sakura Season offerings would include bento trays, you can just imagine my joy! I like ordering a set meal when I'm hungry as it's already a complete, filling meal... Not to mention, bento trays also offer great value for money!

Every Sakura Bento Tray includes a main dish, miso soup and fried rice, along with sakura salad and sakura maki which were especially made for the season.

Sakura Soy Ginger Fish
Sakura Soy Ginger Fish (P328)
✓ Sakura Soy Ginger Fish (P328)
During the launch, I chose to have the Sakura Soy Ginger Fish which has three slices of cream dory coated in golden, crisp-fried panko breadcrumbs, served with a sweet and savory soy-ginger sauce, along with sautéed vegetables and mushroom.

For the price of this set, I'd say I couldn't ask for more! The main dish itself was enjoyable and was just the right portion for the fried rice. The miso soup and California-like maki were decent meal starters, while the sakura salad was the bomb! I found the dressing unique and very satisfying as it had a slightly sweet, refreshing and fruity note. Turns out, this dressing has bananas as one of its ingredients! Now, I can't wait to have this again. Yum! ♥

Sakura Chicken Katsu
Sakura Chicken Katsu (P368)
Sakura Chicken Katsu (P368)
I didn't get to personally try the Sakura Chicken Katsu but my friend Stacy can personally vouch for this set. Perfectly fried to a golden crunch, this healthier katsu is served with sautéed mushrooms and grilled tomatoes and zucchini on the side. And if you haven't noticed yet, the chicken is also topped with a beautiful sunny-side up egg.

Sakura Ebi Furai with Hamburg
Sakura Ebi Furai with Hamburg (P388)
Sakura Ebi Furai with Hamburg (P388)
While I don't normally expect to hit two birds with one stone at Tokyo Bubble Tea, it seems that it's indeed the case with this Sakura Ebi Furai with Hamburg bento tray. Apart from getting two pieces of golden-fried shrimps, those who'll order this set will also get a good-sized grilled beef hamburg in gravy. I also didn't get to personally taste this dish. But those who chose this bento tray seemed to be all-smiles while enjoying their lunch.

Sakura JCC Milk Teas


Those looking for something more special than their regular milk tea drink won't get disappointed at Tokyo Bubble Tea. Apart from specializing in milk teas, they also have JCC or Japanese Cheesecake Cream -- a sweet, smooth and slightly salty topping that will give Tokyo Bubble Tea's drinks that extra zing.

And for the Sakura Season, they're offering 3 kinds of milk teas topped with JCC sakura-style!

Sakura Royal Milk Tea (P145 Medium; P155 Large)
✓ Sakura Royal Milk Tea (P145 Medium; P155 Large)
Sakura Strawberry Milk Tea (P145 Medium; P155 Large)
Sakura Strawberry Milk Tea (P145 Medium; P155 Large)
Sakura Taro Milk Tea (P145 Medium; P155 Large)
Sakura Taro Milk Tea (P145 Medium; P155 Large)
I've always loved Tokyo Bubble Tea's Royal Milk Tea, and more-so with this sweet yet refreshing sakura twist. The Strawberry Milk Tea on the other hand, looks so instagram-ready with its pretty pink sakura color. And while I was quite disappointed that my Taro Milk Tea looked more green-grayish than lavender, I can't deny that it was enjoyable flavor-wise.

When you order a Sakura Bento Tray, you can get a large Sakura Milk Tea for just P99!

Sakura Mango Roll


To make the Sakura Season even sweeter, Honeybon which is Tokyo Bubble Tea's Japanese-inspired pastry-specializing sister brand, also offers a limited edition cake that brings forth even more cherry blossom feels. Just take a look at this beauty!

Sakura Mango Roll (P120 per slice, P550 per roll)
✓ Sakura Mango Roll (P120 per slice, P550 per roll)
Not only does this cake look so pretty, but it also tastes as good! I got to sample a slice, and I swear, I craved for more and ended up getting another slice the next day! It has a soft chiffon with sweet-but-not-cloying pink frosting wrapped around a refreshing mango cream filling. Every bite is fruity, not-too-sweet, and just so enjoyable. Nom nom! ❣◕ ‿ ◕❣

Sakura Sweet Treat at Tokyo Bubble Tea

I'm not so sure if this deal is only available at Honeybon, or also carried in Tokyo Bubble Tea... But if you ever find yourself craving for something refreshing and sweet-but-not-cloying of a dessert, then go try this out! #SumiApproved

Giveaway Alert! Sakura Season Treat


The Sakura Bento Trays, Sakura Milk Teas and Sakura Mango Roll are already more than enough of a treat. But Tokyo Bubble Tea takes "treating" even bigger!

When you order any of the Sakura Bento Trays along with a Sakura Milk Tea, you'll get to pick a prize from Tokyo Bubble Tea's special Sakura Tree overflowing with exclusive Tokyo Bubble Tea merchandise.

Tokyo Bubble Tea Merchandise featuring the Bubblets

Just to give you an idea of what you can get, here's a cute plushie of Sakura -- one of Tokyo Bubble Tea's cuddly Bubblets. You can also get snazzy tees, and even vouchers you can use to grab your next snack or drink at Tokyo Bubble Tea!

Tokyo Bubble Tea KaTea Perry Treat

From April 16 to 30, 2015, you can also get a chance to be one of the four lucky winners to *drumroll* Katy Perry's The Prismatic World Tour!

Simply follow these mechanics:
  1. Buy any Sakura JCC Milk Tea
  2. Pose with drink in front of the Katy Perry concert poster at any of the participating branches (SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, Tomas Morato, Wilson St. Greenhills, The Fort, Katipunan)
  3. Post photo on FB with hashtags #tokyobubbleteaSakura and #ThePrismaticWorldTour
  4. Privacy settings of photo must be public
Announcement of winners: May 2, 2015 on Tokyo Bubble Tea's Facebook Page

Sumi with Tokyo Bubble Tea's Sakura
The Purple Doll with Bubblets Sakura, Ichiban and Midori

Anyhow, let me leave you these photos of me with Tokyo Bubble Tea's super cute Bubblets -- three adorable creatures sure to make anyone's visit to Tokyo Bubble Tea more fun!

Sakura in pink is the shy and dainty girly-girl of the bunch. Midori in green is the playful and mischievous one. Ichiban in yellow is actually a prince who loves to explore the exciting world outside his palace's doors. ☆⌒(●ゝω・)b

The Sakura Season at Tokyo Bubble Tea will only be available
for a limited time starting April 15, 2015.


Tokyo Bubble Tea, Katipunan
209 Katipunan Ave., Blue Ridge, Quezon City
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 961-8904
Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Other Branches:
SM North EDSA, Tomas Morato, Wilson St. Greenhills, The Fort Residences, Eastwood, Banawe, Trinoma, Centrio Mall Cagayan De Oro, Robinsons Place Lacson Bacolod

4 comments:

  1. Such a cool idea! I want to try their sakura bento trays.
    Why don't they have a brach around my area? :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww.. I actually noticed their branches are mostly in the north and middle in Metro Manila. :(

      Delete
  2. Wah my favorite resto/cafe <3 I love the strawberry Sakura~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hihi~ Tokyo Bubble Tea has been one of my faves resto-cafe too! :D Thanks for dropping by, Donna! Let's enjoy the Sakura Festival at TBT before it's over. :D

      Delete

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