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
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.
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 $6.90
Taiwanese sausages $3.90
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 $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 $9.80
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 $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 $6.90 each
Taiwanese snacks and drinks
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
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. :)
ReplyDeleteWhilst the pastel-colured tea drinks don't appeal, the takoyaki and other fried goodies do!
ReplyDeleteDear Helen,
ReplyDeleteI 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.
Love the colourful drinks! You're right, perfect fodder for Instagram! And the drinking instructions are a hoot and absolutely eye catching!
ReplyDeleteSuch an unassuming restaurant from the outside, just goes to show don't judge a book....
ReplyDeleteNever heard of. let alone tried plant milk tea, does look good though. Takoyaki and pork sauce with noodles look good. How was the sausage?
Oh wow!! I love pork floss but never had it in a Taiwanese pancake before. Hello fried chicken!!!
ReplyDeleteThat looks so yummy! I love the idea of the matcha tea with foam and oreo soil - so delicious! :)
ReplyDeleteThis place looks great for a cheap snack! Love the pork floss pancake in particular
ReplyDeleteaw cute presentations haha you're right, perfect to ig!
ReplyDeleteI keep seeing this place all over facebook! :) The teas look so cute, but I didn't realise their food looks so awesome too!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I usually think of tea as a healthy alternative to almost any other drink...until now!
ReplyDeleteThen again, if it's that good, what are calories?
I go to Burwood almost every weekend so yay! Another place for some afternoon sugar hit. You should try The Choc Pot too. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favourites from there are the tamagoyaki and the pork floss egg pancake!
ReplyDeleteHow cute are those plant milk teas! Need to give this place a try given its not too far from me.
ReplyDeleteAh 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.
ReplyDeleteKrissie x - http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au
A drink made for Instagram! I'm so there! As for the delicious crunchy fried snacks with crispy soft buns, yes please :)
ReplyDeleteOh 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!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Gourmet Getaways
Look at how pretty those drinks are!! and Oooo PORK FLOSS YUMM! Might go to Burwood for this during the weekend :)
ReplyDeletesweet 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
ReplyDeleteI'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!
ReplyDeleteWow, 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!
ReplyDeleteThose plant milk tea's look awesome! Would love to try the taro flavoured one.
ReplyDeleteI really need to make my way to this place. I keep hearing about their plant milk teas, sounds delicious.
ReplyDeletePlant 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.
ReplyDeleteI'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.
ReplyDeleteI 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 :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not too attracted to the milk teas but the tamago and golden mantou buns are calling out to me!
ReplyDeleteI'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.
ReplyDeletehow cute are the teas? must check this place out the next time I'm in Burwood!
ReplyDeleteThat purple hue is just so incredible!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteHi Padaek - lol. Just jasmine tea with salted foam but I can understand the confusion!
ReplyDeleteHi Gareth - The snag was tasty. Sweet and fatty :)
Hi Gourmet Getaways - Awww more reason to come back sooner :)
i may have eaten here too often... like every single week... love the beef boodles here, my favourite!
ReplyDeleteOh my!!! I love love love pancakes with pork floss, always a winner!!! The Pork sauce on noodle dish is so beautifully presented! Looks yum!
ReplyDeleteOoooh, never had dem rice noodles with pork liver before - adding that to the list. Agreed, those buns = Good value!
ReplyDeleteDidn't even look at the food. I was too distracted drooling over the Oreo crumbs on the drinks! Holy crap. Gotta try that!
ReplyDeleteThe teas look like desserts not drinks, wow so creamy and decadent looking.
ReplyDeleteLoved 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!
ReplyDeleteHi Heidll - Glad you made it :)
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDelete