Tapioca Express (Irvine, CA)

2636 Dupont Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 553-9988

Okay, the milk tea still tastes freakin' weird. I swear, it tastes...smoky. I feel so confused whenever I take my first sip. Smoky is good in BBQ food, or Yakitori, but not milk tea. The pearls themselves aren't bad though, decently chewy.

This one time though, I had a satisfactory milk tea, when the girl there custom made a peach milk tea for me, with less sugar. It was not bad at all...but hey so far it's 25% of the time satisfactory, which isn't the best rate I'd say. I have noticed that this TapEx is really willing to custom make drinks, which is kind of awesome. I've heard people order combination Snow Bubbles (my example: strawberry and banana).

I have to rate up TapEx not for the boba, but for the amazing combo meals that are available on weekdays until 9pm. I've had the mushroom chicken twice in the last week with half fried rice and half chow mein (it comes with your choice of steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein, or half and half). This stuff is unbelievably good, and it takes a while to come out (piping hot when it does), so you know it's fresh. Mmmmmm tender chicken, succulent mushrooms, and fresh zucchini. Even the chow mein and fried rice are fantastic, not oily like you find in most places. The fried rice is fluffy rather than hard and dry, and the chow mein is a stir-fried with a decent amount of vegetables. (Other entree options include Broccoli Beef, Pork Chop, and Basil Chicken).

This is probably the best Chinese food I've eaten in Irvine (besides Yu's Garden, maybe...) when you take into account healthiness, value, etc. The portion size is HUGE (lasts a substantial 2 meals) and the meal is only $8.50 including tax AND a boba tea. I couldn't believe it when I was eating, that such delicious Chinese food existed so close to me.

My next mission is to try the Broccoli Beef and see if it's also good, or if this is just a fluke (and too good to be true)...