While walking home after midnight from a screening of Moon in the East Village, Chris and I slid into a restaurant with a mouthful of a name: Saint’s Alp Teahouse.
As it turns out, the tea is a mouthful too. A team of mad chemists in Hong Kong have discovered infinite combinations of tea, coffee, juice and tapioca, creating the most extensive and inventive drink menu I’ve seen. Here’s a taste: Iced Mint Green Tea, Sesame Milk Tea, Matcha Aulait, Green Barley Milk Shake and Mulberry Sorbies.
You can order your drink with or without gummy tapioca pearls, which are extracted from sweet potatoes, cassava root and brown sugar and rest at the bottom of the glass. It’s practically a meal. If you’re hungry for more, the surprisingly cheap small plates and desserts start at $2.
Sumiyaki Coffee is a winner, Choco Mint Delight less so.
There are just two Saint’s Alp locations in the states – Chicago and New York. The other 38 stores are sprinkled throughout Hong Kong and Macao. For proof of authenticity, visit the website, which has limited English.
And while you are there, check out the pop art advertising prints, which you can download for free. I don’t know about you, but I never thought of sitting naked, shoulder-to-shoulder with a friend in a vat of tea as a “leisure moment.” But I downloaded it anyway.
My idea of a leisure moment looks more like this: return to the Teahouse, order everything on the menu and share with friends. Info: Saint’s Alp Teahouse, 39 3rd Ave. at 10th Street, 212-598-1890
Thumbs up, Green Tea Sponge Cake.
