ULIKE TEA

You know the problem with Houston food? There are too many average places. But what's average really? Well, let me take you to ULike Tea. You see, our definition of "average" varies from foodie to foodie. Most of us probably define an average place as somewhere we didn't like, but didn't quite hate it enough to call it bad. But truth is, we like most things. Going by that definition, most places are good. Great, even. The ample population of 5-star reviews across Google Maps will tell you that. There's a reason I set my "should try" threshold at 4.5 stars and above, rather than something like, 3. Some also say that an "average" place is a place that's merely forgettable. An experience they can barely remember and don't have much to talk about. This definition is fine, too. Personally, I take a slightly different approach. For me, an average place is a place that turns out exactly how I expected it to. Somewhere that didn't disappoint me, but didn't quite impress me either. And that brings us back to ULike Tea. You see, ULike Tea is not forgettable. It was actually kinda special. They bank hard on the popular Vietnamese street snack "bánh tráng trộn" (rice paper salad) and fully commit to different variations of that, as well as certain cool-type Vietnamese "chè" desserts. And then they built their boba-based beverages menu around this concept. The menu itself is quite exciting, and very few places actually do this. I commend them on that part. And ULike Tea is not bad, either. I didn't dislike it. Hell, if you just asked me out of the blue, I'll probably just shrug and say I liked it. And yet, I struggle to see what the sell is here? If authenticity was the point, why bank on the exotic menu in the first place? There's a difference between authenticity and deliciousness. To seek authenticity is to seek familiarity. To diners who know nothing about Vietnamese food, a bánh tráng trộn menu is too unfamiliar. To those already acquainted to this dish, there's nothing to see here. And truth be told? An authentic Vietnamese restaurant in some Midwestern town is cool. An authentic Vietnamese place in Houston? That's a dime a dozen. If being special and avant-garde was the point, then I'm disheartened to say you failed. The bánh tráng cuốn (basically bánh tráng trộn but rolled) I ordered wasn't a particularly GOOD bánh tráng trộn, nor is it a bad one. It's just... bánh tráng trộn. Exactly what you'd get out the gate in middle school. Except now you're paying Houston sit-in café prices for it instead of 10,000 VND/box. You see what I mean? Other dishes I ordered had this problem too. The popcorn chicken is just popcorn chicken (at least they didn't use chicken breast; kudos to that). The panna cotta dessert is just chè khúc bạch, the Vietnamese coffee with egg foam was creamy and good, but also too similar to any other decently self-respecting boba place in the area. For such an exotic menu, everything just tastes too auntie-out-the-school-gate-y for me to feel anything other than a passing sense of mediocrity about it. TL;DR Go if you like bánh tráng trộn, I suppose. You already know what you'll be getting.

The owners and staff were SO KIND to us! They were patient when I was deciding what to drink and made sure I knew what was on the menu. We came during slow hours and the staff offered to take our pictures and they gave us a Polaroid photo too! We got the Crème Brûlée Milk Tea boba and it was really good! Their tapioca pearl are also very easy to eat— not hard at all. I also enjoyed that they played classic 2nd generation KPOP songs (with some new). I love a good place with cute photo stations and great music taste!! The kind customer service is a plus too! 💕🧋