Gong Cha

Following on from my success at Presotea, I decided to visit another Taiwanese bubble tea stronghold, Gong Cha. This brand launched in Taiwan in the same year (2006) but has grown even more rapidly than its competitor, expanding into more than 1500 stores across Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, The Philippines, Cambodia, Korea, America, Macau, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia.

The Haymarket store I visited is a hole-in-the-wall across from Market City. The tiny counter accommodates four people, so there’s pretty much always a queue extending onto the footpath of the busy corner. Staff are taciturn and intent upon the business of dispensing bubble tea. They don’t offer much by way of ...read more