Page 3 - Dining Out - Sep 25, 2022

Restaurant Insider with Anne Lee
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the first The Alley location was born De- er cember 2019.
AL: What separates The Alley from the other boba tea shops?
SM: We pride ourselves on quality. Our tapi-
arl oca, which we call “Deerioca” in reference to a,” our mascot deer logo, is first made by hand ey in Taiwan. It’s shipped here and we cook it be in-store all day, every day. Each batch is only e- used for two hours, otherwise we dispose of ity it to ensure freshness. We are also commit-
ted to make our own sugar cane syrup. The idi boiling process creates the most original re flavor with a sweetness that is delicate, but isneveroverpowering.Wehand-pickthetype he of tea leaves that we use, so each cup of tea
nt has its own determined aroma and taste. nd
AL: How did the deer become the logo?
SM: The deer logo was inspired from the utHarry Potter movies.You can see the refer- ence to Diagon Alley next to The Alley sign.
an
inAL: There is a new limited-time Grape o,Series Boba Tea line. Please tell us more inabout the items.
reSM: To honor the harvest season, we are nd featuring the Grape Lulu Series, which come
with either fresh red or white grapes. It’s served in three different variations and blended: peach oolong tea only, peach oolong tea and snow velvet cream (cream cheese foam), and yogurt for a heartier choice. This will be available until October.
AL: What are the most popular drinks that you serve?
SM: Our drinks come in two sizes, regu- lar and large ($4.99-$7.99). Some specific drinks (due to the ingredients and aesthet- ics) will come in their own sizes, such as our blended Strawberry Mochi Smoothie, which has a layer of fresh mochi made in-house and fresh strawberries.
We have the Brown Sugar Deerioca Se- ries. Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brûlée, is our most popular drink. It’s our signature brown sugar boba, creme brûlée pudding, a little bit of sweet cream and finished with your choice of milk (organic, oat or soy). You may also have it with taro instead of the pudding and finished with ube cream. Also, in this series, you can order it with matcha or cocoa brown sugar.
In our Original Brewed Teas Series, the teas are handpicked and exclusive to The Alley. You can order from seven options
and customize the drink with a variety of toppings. If you are more of a milk tea-lov- er, we have our Milk Tea Series. Our most popular is the Royal No.9 Black Tea (our signature blueberry-flavored black tea). Our peach oolong tea is mild with earthy notes. This particular tea is versatile and we use this in our mixed drinks and specialty beverages.
We offer the Lulu Fresh Fruit Series, with fresh strawberry, mango or orange options blended with ice with our peach oolong tea — it’s more like a slushie. We use organic milk for all our milk drinks; oat and soy are available as a substitution and our milk teas are all non-dairy.
AL: What is the Par-tea Box?
SM: We offer catering options, and this one in particular is a boba tea party in a box ($35) designed for five to 10 people. You have a choice of brewed tea or milk tea. Then, add additional toppings for $7 each: brown sugar boba, regular boba, creme brûlée pudding, crystal boba, coconut jelly, rainbow jelly, green tea jelly or aloe vera. Order it in-store or ahead of time for larger orders.
We just started catering options, where
The Alley Ala Moana Center
mall level two, Ewa Wing
1450 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 808-278-9216
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays
1. (Top, from left) Red Peach Oolong Grape Lulu, Snow Velvet Grape Lulu, Yogurt Grape Lulu, (bottom) White Peach Oolong Grape Lulu, Snow Velvet Grape Lulu and Yogurt Grape Lulu
2. (From left) Ube Taro Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk, Matcha Brown Sugar Deerioca Milk, Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brûlée Milk
we can bring The Alley to you. We set up a made-to-order (maximum two hours, which is the shelf life of our “Deerioca” tapioca pearls) menu with anything non-blended. Please call the store for more information.
AL: Anything else you want to share?
SM: We want to work with the community and partner with local businesses to offer food options. One in particular is the icon- ic Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery that created a Pork Char Siu Sou (Chinese roast pork pastry puff) that we cook to order. It’s $4.99 for one and $8.99 for two. And, for Valen- tine’s Day, we did a collaboration with MW Restaurant and made macarons.
Besides quality and fresh ingredients, great flavor profiles and variety, we also pride ourselves on beverage aesthetics. Every drink is as great to look at and pho- tograph as it tastes. Our customers love creating memories that way.
AT THE KAHALA
RESERVATIONS
OpenTable 808.739.8811 KahalaResort.com
MOVE TO THE MELE WITH NATHAN AWEAU
Join The Kahala for an incredible evening of contempory Hawaiian melodies with the award winning and multi-talented Nathan Aweau. Melt into his hauntingly beautiful vocals while enjoying Kahala dining favorites, including our ahi poke musubi, Plumeria Beach House pork tonkatsu, grilled vegetable grain bowls and more.
NATHAN AWEAU LIVE AT PLUMERIA BEACH HOUSE
ONE NIGHT ONLY
RESERVE NOW
This performance is brought to you by the The Kahala Initiative for Sustainability Culture and the Arts (KISCA)
Wednesday, October 12, Seating starts at 5:30pm, Performance from 6:30pm
Dining Out / September 25 - October 1, 2022 / 3
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