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Sunday, June 29, 2014

TeaPlus Taiwanese Cuisine and Tea House, Burwood

Taro, original and matcha plant milk teas at TeaPlus, Burwood

Tea. Whipped cream. And Oreo crumbs. Say whaaat? It’s called plant milk tea and it’s the signature drink at TeaPlus, a Taiwanese teahouse tucked off Burwood Road. The glass beer mug lets you see all the pretty layers: three-quarters milk tea, one-quarter white creamy foam, a layer of Oreo crumb soil, and the teensiest sprig of mint leaves sprouting forth at the top. It's a drink pretty much born for Instagram.

Plant milk tea drinking instructions at TeaPlus, Burwood
Plant milk tea drinking instructions

The drinking instructions – yes, they’re written in the menu – include abandoning the straw, drinking straight through the foam, and relishing any cream moustache you end up with (no, really, they’re being serious). There are five different plant milk teas to choose from: original, oolong, taro, matcha green tea or chocolate. Get them all for the complete rainbow.

Hand-drawn menus at TeaPlus, Burwood
TeaPlus hand-drawn menus

The foam doesn’t stop there. The sea-salt milk foam teas layer salted cream over a jug of milk-free tea, a strange idea that actually works. And there are pages and pages of other drink variations, from passionfruit yoghurt slushies to jasmine tea lattes to super mango smoothies with coconut ice.

It’s not all drinks. The menus – handwritten and hand-illustrated on every table – offer a little bit of everything across South East Asia, including takoyaki octopus balls, Taiwanese sausages and golden-fried mantou buns ready for dipping in condensed milk.

Japanese takoyaki at TeaPlus, Burwood
Japanese takoyaki $6.90

Taiwanese sausages at TeaPlus, Burwood
Taiwanese sausages $3.90

Crispy fried mantou buns at TeaPlus, Burwood
Crispy buns $3.50

Wallet-friendly prices make this a popular spot for students who all seem to pile in as soon as the sign flips to 'open'. The décor is minimal but charming: turquoise walls, white chairs and tables, blackboard menus written in Chinese (relax, the menus are in English) and self-serve cutlery on every table.

House special chicken basil at TeaPlus, Burwood
House special chicken basil $6.90

Pick at the house special of deep-fried chicken pieces with basil, or hoe into Taiwanese favourites like hand-chopped pork in sweet gravy on slippery noodles, or deep-fried pork chops on rice.

Pork sauce on noodle at TeaPlus, Burwood
Pork sauce on noodle $9.80

Taiwanese-style egg pancake with pork floss at TeaPlus, Burwood
Taiwanese-style egg pancake with pork floss $6

Taiwanese-style egg pancakes come rolled up with all kinds of fillings including cheese, corn and chicken. Go for the pork floss for fluffy strands of sweet and salty deliciousness.

Crab meat and flying fish roe tamago at TeaPlus, Burwood
Crab meat and flying fish roe tamago $7

They do similar tricks with Japanese tamago, soft and silky rolled omelettes strewn with a range of toppings. Our pick is the crab meat drizzled with mayonnaise and covered in a thick carpet of bright orange flying fish roe.

Deep-fried chicken cutlet and deep-fried pork chop at TeaPlus, Burwood
Deep-fried chicken cutlet and deep-fried pork chop $6.90 each

Plant milk tea, jasmine tea with salted foam and Taiwanese snacks at TeaPlus, Burwood
Taiwanese snacks and drinks

TeaPlus just off Burwood Road, Burwood


tea+ on Urbanspoon

TeaPlus Taiwanese Cuisine and Tea House
Shop 9, 258 Burwood Road, Burwood, Sydney
(Shopfront entrance on Clarence Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 8958 4264

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Thursday 11.30am - 9.30pm
Friday and Saturday 11.30am - 10.30pm
Sunday 11.30am - 9.30pm
Closed on Mondays


This article appeared in the June 2014 issue of Time Out Sydney in my monthly Food & Drink column Eat This! [Read online

Read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews
40 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 6/29/2014 01:39:00 am


40 Comments:

  • At 6/29/2014 3:38 am, Anonymous Padaek said…

    The plant milk tea in the glass beer mugs are very cute indeed! I thought that was a flask of beer with a big head in the background - hehe. Food looks delicious too, esp the crab meat and flying fish roe tamago - hello. :)

     
  • At 6/29/2014 8:39 am, Anonymous john | heneedsfood said…

    Whilst the pastel-colured tea drinks don't appeal, the takoyaki and other fried goodies do!

     
  • At 6/29/2014 8:59 am, Anonymous ChopinandMysaucepan said…

    Dear Helen,

    I have tried a variation of that Taiwanese pork sauce noodles with preserved cabbage that's topped with a fried egg and it's really tasty.

     
  • At 6/29/2014 9:20 am, Anonymous Cindy (a foodie's joy) said…

    Love the colourful drinks! You're right, perfect fodder for Instagram! And the drinking instructions are a hoot and absolutely eye catching!

     
  • At 6/29/2014 10:17 am, Anonymous Gareth said…

    Such an unassuming restaurant from the outside, just goes to show don't judge a book....

    Never heard of. let alone tried plant milk tea, does look good though. Takoyaki and pork sauce with noodles look good. How was the sausage?

     
  • At 6/29/2014 12:49 pm, Blogger Ramen Raff said…

    Oh wow!! I love pork floss but never had it in a Taiwanese pancake before. Hello fried chicken!!!

     
  • At 6/29/2014 1:09 pm, Blogger Sarah said…

    That looks so yummy! I love the idea of the matcha tea with foam and oreo soil - so delicious! :)

     
  • At 6/29/2014 2:12 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    This place looks great for a cheap snack! Love the pork floss pancake in particular

     
  • At 6/29/2014 3:32 pm, Anonymous chocolatesuze said…

    aw cute presentations haha you're right, perfect to ig!

     
  • At 6/29/2014 4:55 pm, Blogger Von said…

    I keep seeing this place all over facebook! :) The teas look so cute, but I didn't realise their food looks so awesome too!

     
  • At 6/29/2014 7:08 pm, Anonymous Michael @ I'm Still Hungry said…

    Oh wow, I usually think of tea as a healthy alternative to almost any other drink...until now!

    Then again, if it's that good, what are calories?

     
  • At 6/29/2014 7:28 pm, Blogger Yvonne Tee said…

    I go to Burwood almost every weekend so yay! Another place for some afternoon sugar hit. You should try The Choc Pot too. :)

     
  • At 6/29/2014 10:11 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    My favourites from there are the tamagoyaki and the pork floss egg pancake!

     
  • At 6/29/2014 11:43 pm, Anonymous Chris @ MAB vs Food said…

    How cute are those plant milk teas! Need to give this place a try given its not too far from me.

     
  • At 6/30/2014 11:00 am, Blogger Pearls of Style said…

    Ah you had my attention at the tea! I actually tried some tea from Melbourne this weekend that is black tea with a cookie flavour and it was divine! Looks like great food.

    Krissie x - http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au

     
  • At 6/30/2014 1:03 pm, Blogger Unknown said…

    A drink made for Instagram! I'm so there! As for the delicious crunchy fried snacks with crispy soft buns, yes please :)

     
  • At 6/30/2014 1:21 pm, Anonymous Gourmet Getaways said…

    Oh em gee! I totally missed out! I was in Sydney for a few days last week, argh! I just love the colours of those plant tea! I bet the taste is awesome, too. Oh well, will visit this next time for sure :). Thanks for sharing!

    Julie
    Gourmet Getaways

     
  • At 6/30/2014 1:37 pm, Anonymous Felicia @ Next Stop: Food said…

    Look at how pretty those drinks are!! and Oooo PORK FLOSS YUMM! Might go to Burwood for this during the weekend :)

     
  • At 6/30/2014 2:41 pm, Blogger Jacq said…

    sweet milk tea and salted cream sounds interesting and yep very instagrammable! deep fried mantou and condensed milk is the best snack but that tamago looks pretty awesome too

     
  • At 6/30/2014 3:35 pm, Anonymous Maddie @ Maddielovesfood said…

    I've only recently heard of this place and have been dying to try it ever since, especially after reading your post! I'd love to try the milk teas as well as the plethora of other drinks on the menu, and I've also got my eye on the noodles. This looks like a fabulous mixed Asian cuisine place perfect for lunch or any drink craving :). Must visit soon!

     
  • At 6/30/2014 7:34 pm, Anonymous Arwen (Hoglet K) said…

    Wow, I've walked past this place, and often wondered how such a tiny shop can do such a fast trade. That menu is gorgeous, and the teas do look made for Instagram!

     
  • At 6/30/2014 8:28 pm, Anonymous jenny - ilovemyfoodlots said…

    Those plant milk tea's look awesome! Would love to try the taro flavoured one.

     
  • At 6/30/2014 9:48 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I really need to make my way to this place. I keep hearing about their plant milk teas, sounds delicious.

     
  • At 6/30/2014 10:30 pm, Anonymous angela@mykikicake said…

    Plant milk tea, I must admit that the name doesn't sound very appealing. Once you see the mugs and all the different colours and layers, you know immediately that you want to try one.

     
  • At 7/01/2014 12:18 am, Blogger Sherrie @ Crystal Noir said…

    I've been meaning to try this place out yet I still haven't despite it being in my vicinity! Those milk teas are much too cute for words.

     
  • At 7/01/2014 12:59 am, Blogger Vivian - vxdollface said…

    I must have driven past this place so many times and never noticed it! Loving the hand drawn menus and that perfect tamago loaf is one to drool over :)

     
  • At 7/01/2014 4:44 pm, Blogger irene said…

    I'm not too attracted to the milk teas but the tamago and golden mantou buns are calling out to me!

     
  • At 7/01/2014 9:27 pm, Anonymous The Food Sage said…

    I'm not sold on the pastel coloured tea, but would definitely give a plate of those takayaki a run for their money! A lovely post, as always.

     
  • At 7/01/2014 9:38 pm, Anonymous missklicious said…

    how cute are the teas? must check this place out the next time I'm in Burwood!

     
  • At 7/01/2014 10:08 pm, Anonymous msihua said…

    That purple hue is just so incredible!

     
  • At 7/01/2014 10:35 pm, Blogger Winston said…

    I love this!! The food looks like so much fun and downright delicious. This is exactly the kind of place that I would frequent all the time if it were in Melbourne. The milk tea with foam and oreo crumb sounds AMAZING too! WANT.

     
  • At 7/02/2014 12:08 am, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Padaek - lol. Just jasmine tea with salted foam but I can understand the confusion!

    Hi Gareth - The snag was tasty. Sweet and fatty :)

    Hi Gourmet Getaways - Awww more reason to come back sooner :)

     
  • At 7/02/2014 3:45 pm, Blogger Milktea Eats said…

    i may have eaten here too often... like every single week... love the beef boodles here, my favourite!

     
  • At 7/02/2014 4:41 pm, Anonymous Olivia @ mademoiselleinsydney said…

    Oh my!!! I love love love pancakes with pork floss, always a winner!!! The Pork sauce on noodle dish is so beautifully presented! Looks yum!

     
  • At 7/05/2014 10:18 am, Anonymous Adrian (Food Rehab) said…

    Ooooh, never had dem rice noodles with pork liver before - adding that to the list. Agreed, those buns = Good value!

     
  • At 7/06/2014 3:23 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Didn't even look at the food. I was too distracted drooling over the Oreo crumbs on the drinks! Holy crap. Gotta try that!

     
  • At 7/08/2014 1:12 am, Anonymous Sara | Belly Rumbles said…

    The teas look like desserts not drinks, wow so creamy and decadent looking.

     
  • At 7/12/2014 11:03 pm, Blogger Heidii said…

    Loved it! I was watching Anthony Bourdain's Layover- Taipei and remembered your post about TeaPlus, re-read it, and gave it a go today. Loved the meal, the Tamago, the chicken basil and plant tea! Thanks for the blog post!

     
  • At 7/13/2014 6:44 pm, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Heidll - Glad you made it :)

     
  • At 7/20/2014 11:01 pm, Anonymous Amanda @ Gourmanda said…

    I love the gorgeous plant milk tea - I've seen photos of it on Instagram recently, and was definitely fooled into thinking it was a pot plant! It's very cute!

     

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