I recently started working in Soho, which of course has been the perfect excuse to eat even more delicious things.
As my wallet and waistline can both testify, there are some downsides, but I am enjoying discovering interesting lunch places, new bars and fun snacks.
Researching a good place to get a bubble tea, I came across a review of a rose milk tea at Cuppacha. Rose is a favourite of mine, perfumed and sweet, but aside from rose cream chocolates, not very common in UK dishes. This has always seemed bizarre to me, given the long association between England and roses.
Luckily other cultures are much more appreciative, and there are some amazing Middle Eastern and Indian desserts to enjoy. However after reading about, and later buying, a rose milk boba tea, I started to wonder what other rose delights might lurk within my new work neighbourhood. After a mixture of online and onfoot research, this is the first post of my findings, focused on non-alcoholic drinks. I’ll be following up with one on cocktails, one on food, and another on the shy sister – violet.
Tried:
Rose and Cardamom Lassi, Dishoom – (pictured top of post) I got this to go, and enjoyed the mild rose taste and acid yoghurt tang, though I couldn’t discern the cardamom.
Syrap Bandung, C & R Cafe Restaurant – (pictured above) At my first sip, I thought maybe this was made with UHT milk. Researching online, it sounds like a mix of evaporated milk and water is commonly used. The rose flavour was strong, but it wasn’t as sweet as I had expected.
Rose Milk Tea, Cuppacha – Thankfully for me, I couldn’t taste any tea. This was a delicious rose milkshake which I pimped with traditional boba.
Rose Latte, Roro – Stopping in to eye their cakes, I noticed a rose latte on their drinks list. Slightly concerned it might contain coffee (yep, I don’t like tea OR coffee), I ordered it anyway, and had it cold. It seemed to essentially be a rose milkshake – which was fine by me.
Rose Milk, Govinda’s – (pictured above) The cheapest by far, I was delighted to stumble across this prepped and ready-to-go at the counter. I’m planning on going back for dessert!
Research-only:
Seen on menus either online or in windows.
Rose Latte, Farm Girl Cafe – This one definitely has coffee in, so I’m hoping to persuade H to try one at some point.
Bandung, Rasa Sayang – Another bandung option. I’ve not had it here, but they do great food and hard-to-find traditional desserts.
Rose Mint Tea, Comptoir Libanais – If I liked tea, I think this would be up my street!
Cold Brew Cooler, Hoppers – According to their website, this contains “Mango White Tea – Green Apple – Nutmeg – Rose”. Sounds good to me!
Virgin Rose and Lime Mojito, Dum Biryani – I’m quite keen to try this one day. Rose and lime is a good combo.
Rose Milk, Bubbleology – I imagine this will be similar to Cuppacha’s milk tea offering, so I plan to give this a go one day.
Assorted teas, Yumchaa – I popped into the Soho branch to see what they had on offer. There are a few different blends containing rose petals, and I also spotted one with rose hips in. I teetered on ordering a latte, but was worried it would be too much tea for me.