Taiwan’s favourite drink, bubble tea, is finally taking off in the capital, and Bubbleology is one of the cutting-edge venues serving up this beverage with verve. Both the novelty and the science behind pearl tea will certainly strike a chord with fans of molecular gastronomy.

The Venue
This tiny café and bubble tea bar is found on Soho’s Rupert Street, home to many up-and-coming restaurants and snack bars. In the front window sit scientific beakers filled with colourful liquids that bubble away, whilst the interior plays host to a range of other, similar scientific instruments, as well as two giant black chalkboards with algebraic formulas debating the ‘theory of tea-volution’. Black and white tiling on the remaining walls gives the café the clinical feel of a laboratory, but colourful floor tiling creates an element of fun. The real apparatus is found behind the service counter, with a clever little machine busily working away at shaking bubbles into tea. A bar-counter with tall stools runs the length of the opposite side wall, and a very small seating area with comfy pouffes and banquettes can be found to the rear.

The Atmosphere
Bubbleology’s laboratory ethos is very tongue-in-cheek, and this fun approach to tea certainly gets the punters talking. The baristas are even dressed in long white lab-coats, with the word ‘bubbleologist’ adorned on the back. The whole place is chock full of both curious Londoners and an already dedicated Taiwanese fan base, making it lively, even if it is a little difficult to get a seat.

The Food
Food options are limited. An attempt is made to serve snacks that are as experimental as bubble tea, and as a result something called ‘cruffins’ are on the menu. These cruffins are the kind of infantile creations made in the privacy of one’s own home in desperate times. Diners can choose from an English muffin or crumpet base, topped with a variety of sweet or savoury spreads and naughty toppings, such as jelly babies, banana and chocolate raisins. A crumpet with chocolate spread and M&M’s (£1.75) is about as sordid as it sounds, but it is hard not to revel in its childish simplicity.

The Drink
For those new to the concept, bubble tea is out of this world. It took off in Taiwan in the 1980s and so, has been a long time coming to the UK. Specialist machines are used to add extra bubbles to the tea, and small tapioca balls, affectionately named boba or pearls, are added to the blend, and sit at the bottom of the transparent cup. Extra-large straws are used to get the full effect of the drink.

Bubbleology serves up a choice of milk teas and fruit teas, served both hot and cold, so expect things like pearl assam tea, vanilla pearl tea, mango green tea and apple green tea. A medium bubble tea costs £3.25 and a large is £3.75. The kumquat red tea (served cold) bursts with fruity flavour and is not dissimilar to iced tea – that is, until you get a mouth full of pearls. These tapioca balls are like a chewy jelly, adding fun and excitement to the drink, but little in the way of flavour. Coconut pearl tea served cold is more like a milkshake, and is super sweet and creamy, but in no way sickly. And although Bubble tea is the star of the show, coffee and water are also available.

The Last Word
Bubbleology aims to bring London up-to-date with the theory of tea-volution, and its bubble teas are exciting to try and refreshing on a hot day. Admittedly, the novelty might wear thin towards the bottom of the glass but the choice of juvenile snacks and the eccentricity of pearl tea should certainly take you back to childhood.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (19)