The season of the frozen yoghurt has come and gone and now we might just be entering into the era of bubble tea. If you’ve not tasted one yet, head to Candy Café to clue yourself in the newest trendy snack.

The Venue
Still a well guarded secret hidden in Chinatown, Candy Cafe is a first floor venue with cheerful bright orange colours and slick tall stools in tune with the exotic, almost space-age look of some of the food. There are a few simple booths in dark wood, seating four people comfortably, although the clientele seem to prefer the tall tables and stools. A large screen projects Chinese music videos and the magazines on a rack provide added entertainment. The space is clearly geared towards the youth of Chinatown – there is even a light panel installed in the ceiling which is slightly reminiscent of a nightclub.

The Atmosphere
Candy Cafe originally opened its doors for the workers of Chinatown, as the menu used to be only in Chinese. However, bubble tea proved to be a popular commodity and the menu is now available in English. Although the denizens of Soho mainly buy drinks to take away, the local Chinese community comes in to relax for a while. Students in their twenties make up the largest part of the clients – judging by their cool outfits and make-up, it’s evident that Candy Cafe is fashionably trendy. It all sounds very authentic, and although environment may seem daunting to newcomers the staff are welcoming and keen to explain the rich history behind their traditional recipes.

The Food
Any respectable foodie has to pay a visit to Candy Cafe. Learning about the mesmerising variety of desserts they serve is a necessity for anybody interested in exotic food. Most recipes are typical of Taiwan and other Asian countries and they’re a good representation of Eastern desserts, all well priced at just a few pounds each. Kaya butter is a sweet coconut jam which can be spread over white or brown buttered bread. The taste is very well rounded and sweet and it’s ideal with hot tea or coffee. Another specialty is the dry dumplings. These are chewy balls of glutinous rice flour which are steamed and then dressed with a crumbly mix of peanut, coconut and sugar. The consistency is a surprise and the chewiness of the dumplings is a good contrast with the dry toppings. Rather indulgent, this is a good dessert to be washed down with Ipoh coffee.

For a hot summer day, their puddings are ideal and there are a lot to choose from. Some are served with sago pearls (small, transparent tapioca pearls swimming in sugar syrup), including the mango sago pudding which is made with fresh mango and is naturally sweet, refreshing and yet very rich. The taro and red bean flavours are typically Oriental, with an interesting consistency. They’re the perfect way to prime your taste buds for something sweeter.

The homemade soya desserts mix cold, dense, not too sweet soy jelly with a variety of sweet toppings: the exotic langan sea coconut topping has the consistency of a jam and matches well with the cold pudding. The kiwi flavour, instead, is not as sweet and is very refreshing. Other specialties include soya puddings and pomelo and mango sago cream. The first, served in many flavours, is a bright coloured pudding with a custard-like cream inside, served with sago and syrup. The consistency is a bit odd and the mango flavour – bright orange – tastes a bit soapy, although very summery. The latter, instead, is nicely surprising. Sweet and sour thanks to the fresh pomelo fragments, this dessert is served at room temperature and it is a good balance between indulgency and lightness.

For a truly new experience, try the crystal snow ice (£3.80), a bowl of shaved ice covered with sweet fruit and syrup. This looks like an everyday ice cream but the two are actually quite different. With the crystal snow ice, you taste the sweetened fruit (the fresh taro is great although the tangy kiwi is rightfully popular) and the cold shaved ice separately, rather than as a uniformly blended product. On a cold day, opt for a sweet dessert soup (£2.60 – £3.20). They come served in a ceramic bowl with a lid and the base is made with coconut cream and sago pearls. The banana flavour is comforting and filling but the black sesame dumpling – also served in sugar cane syrup or soya milk – is traditional, surprising and not to be missed as the sandy crushed sesame, sweet and crunchy, reveals itself in a rare combination of contrasting textures.

The Drink
The drinks are just as exciting as the food. The specialty at Candy Cafe is bubble tea; if you’re unfamiliar, bubble tea is a chilled drink containing fruit juice with or without milk. It has a milky appearance, is brightly coloured and typically served in a tall glass with a fat straw, so you can suck up the chewy tapioca tapioca pearls sitting at the bottom. The combination is just fantastic and bubble tea is definitely one of the best summer drinks. At Candy Cafe it comes in 30 flavours and you can pick from typical tapioca pearls of aloe vera, glass jelly, qq jelly or even pudding. The honeydew and honey peach are particularly recommended since they are sweet and yet very refreshing. The taro milk – a Chinese root vegetable – and sweet corn are also recommended and the rich coconut is ideal warm in cold days.

Candy Cafe also serves bubble tea juice, which is juice is mixed with the tea of your choice with tapioca bubbles added to the bottom. Rather than cold, milky bubble tea, bubble tea juice is clear and served hot. Flavours range from passion fruit to soursop along with more familiar choices like blueberry and Assam tea. Flavours like kumquat lemon and calamansi plum give you an unadulterated taste of the Far East but you may find them too strong.

The surprises do not end here. Other chilled drinks include homemade soy milk with glass jelly. Served with sugar syrup, since the milk is unsweetened, this soy milk is the real thing and not the Westernised version often found in supermarkets. The very sweet jasmine green tea with crystal jelly, instead, is ideal for lovers of authentic tea. For hot drinks, their specialty is Ipoh white coffee, a Malaysian specialty. The Arabica beans are roasted with margarine for a very full bodied flavour and then brewed as normal, making a white coffee which is less acidic than typical brews. Most of the drinks, hot and cold, use non-dairy creamers, making of Candy Cafe a paradise for the lactose intolerant.

The Last Word
With tapioca pearls, aloe vera jelly, taro, kumquat and many other exotic flavours, this cafe boasts the best selection of drinks and desserts in Chinatown and the only London venue to serve many of these very traditional specialties. Not to be missed for the adventurous foodie.

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