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Bubble Tea at The Sapa

July 3rd, 2009 by Naomi

The Sapa Coffee and Tea is located at 9 Center Street in Burlington, Vermont. Along with Vietnamese style coffee and a decent selection of loose-leaf teas, they also offer fresh fruit juices and, my main reason for checking this spot out, bubble tea. Let the trumpets sound, I have found bubble tea in Vermont.
The bubble tea is a little pricey, at $5 a cup (you can sit in or take it to go), but definitely worth it, for me, as an occasional trip down memory lane. I tried out the strawberry. What is wonderful is that the ingredients are fresh. No artificial flavour powder here! Berries and milk and tea were blended together with ice. They use the larger dark brown tapioca pearls in their bubble tea, which I prefer, but I felt like there weren’t quite enough. I could have gone for less crushed ice, as well. Despite that, as a bubble tea fiend, I was still smitten.
The shop itself has a great friendly atmosphere and looked pretty cosy, but I opted for the travel version.
Considering this place is about two minutes away from my apartment, I ought to visit more often.

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Meiji Apollo: Strawberry Chocolate

June 28th, 2009 by Naomi

But these have been around for ages, Naomi, and everyone has tried them.  Where have you been?

Apollo is quite the classic, but it’s one of those candies that always got pushed aside for something more intriguing.

And for good reason, it seems.  I love Meiji, we all know that, but I was honestly pretty disappointed by these.  At first glance, what’s not to love?  The packaging is perfect; strawberry and chocolate is my all-time favourite flavour combination; and the candy itself is adorable and unique. Something, however, though I’m not entirely sure what it is, about these makes them fall short of spectacular.  Whatever it is leaves me finished after a couple pieces, which is not like me at all.  I rarely have any self control when it comes to candy.  I think there’s something about the strawberry flavouring that rubs me the wrong way.  I feel similarly about strawberry Pocky.  It’s too sweet, perhaps.

I will say that I …appreciate Apollo chocolate.  If you’ve never tried it, you should, just to say that you have.  It’s pretty readily available on the web.  It’s also readily available at Borders, but I would not recommend paying the $2.50+ for it.  I didn’t.  In fact, I got the box for free because the poor individual at the cash register couldn’t find the correct SKU# and the folks behind me in line were beginning to get impatient.

At first I felt a little bad, but that went away pretty quickly.  Retail is not a job for the easily flustered.  I know what it’s like, man, behind the reg’, but you gotta just stand your ground.  Without the intrepid, the exhausted, the underpaid, folks wouldn’t be able to buy a thing.  They need us!

Besides, with the amount of money I regularly spend supporting the American economy, I feel like I deserved it.

If you’re the guy at Borders who gave me the Apollo, thanks!  You allowed me to write this entry for free.  If I actually remembered what book you were reading, I promise that I wouldn’t tell.

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Junko Mizuno Solo Show in Toronto

June 3rd, 2009 by Naomi

I think I have a couple Canadian readers?

June 18 - July 26.

Narwhal Art Projects
680 Queen St. West
Toronto, ON, Canada
647.346.5317

Hosted by Magic Pony and Narwhal Art Projects.

Red Tresses and Freckles is Junko Mizuno’s premiere Canadian solo exhibition. Injecting her unique style of kawaii noir into beloved Canadian folklore, Mizuno creates bewitching portrayals of female fortitude and fantasy.

Red Tresses and Freckles runs from June 18 to July 26. The opening reception is June 18 from 7-10pm. Junko Mizuno will be in attendance.

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