TeaLight

For a while I've been looking for a boba place that makes smoothies with real fruit because I've grown out of the boba slush made with flavored syrup phase of my life.

I'm so glad that I stepped out of the box and tried something completely different from the usual mango-peach type stuff. I've been here three times this week. The first time, I got a mango-peach smoothie with boba which was good, but they had so many interesting and exotic choices that I felt I wasn't being adventurous enough...

Kale Avocado Smoothie with or without boba. I only have eyes for you.

With an extensive drink menu and Chinese food made to order, TeaLight is TeaLightful!!

I am admittedly not the biggest fan of Chinese food because I often times feel completely knocked out from food coma after a meal. However, the food I had at TeaLight was not too heavy handed and the drinks I had were not only great tasting, but also super filling. Another plus was that the food was relatively affordable.

Here are a few of the things that I ordered:

Kale Avocado Smoothie- A surprisingly sweet and refreshing smoothie that made me wonder if there was actually any kale or avocado in it! Don't get me wrong I enjoyed sipping every single delicious drop of my smoothie. It was smooth and creamy probably from the avocados. However, the kale taste was overpowered by what seemed to be pineapple juice. I probably would have enjoyed more kale flavor but I thoroughly enjoyed this on a super hot day.

Beijing Style Noodle - A just okay version of this classic noodle dish. I found the rich black bean sauce mixed with beef thoroughly enjoyable. I also enjoyed the slices of cucumber that help add crunch to each bite of the dish. However, the noodles were overdone so I did not enjoy it as much as I could have.

Pork and Pickled Fried Rice - A pretty good fried rice dish that I would eat again! With the little kick of pickles in each bite, it really added a nice addition to your typical fried rice. It also wasn't overly oily like some fried rice dishes.

One of the minor downsides was the slow service. I do appreciate that they make their food to order but the wait for the food was pretty long especially since it seemed like there was only one person working!

Parking is readily available in the parking lot in the shared plaza. It can get busy depending on the time so you may have to circle around for awhile before finding a spot. There are some spots behind the supermarket if you are totally having a hard time finding parking.

Overall, TeaLight has good affordable Chinese food, but you should definitely come for the Kale Avocado Smoothie!

- Locale Destination -
It's on E Colima Rd and Fullerton Rd in Rowland Heights.

It's in a corner shopping center (Yoshinoya Plaza) with lots of "Asian" (mainly Korean) shops and restaurants. Right next to "Paris Baguette". Inside is kinda warm and cozy decor with yellow and brick walls. They also have an outside seating. Lots of picture menus are very helpful. It's clean - "A" sign. I think it's run by Korean owner. Very friendly service. She let me taste the "kale slushy" because I was a first timer! She also gave me the frequent card :) Cash only - you can use a debit card but $1.50 for the charge. Bring cash! You don't see the price unless you check the paper menu. I think all drinks are like $4 or so for 16 oz. Decent parking size, yet full of dumb Asian drivers. Be careful - they really don't see anyone in the parking lot and park embarrassingly... Free Wi-Fi password: tealight1688

Menu: Drinks (tea, smoothies, slushy, milk, and juice) and foods (appetizers and rice & noodle dishes). Food menu aren't so big, which I don't mind.




- Gluttony Expedition -
Milk with puddings (taro and egg) and boba: They put caramel sauce in it, which makes the milk sweet and better. Boba was soft. The puddings were small chunks. Not bad!

Kale slushy: kale, pineapple, and apple type sweetness. Hint of greenness from kale but not bad. I can take only half the portion. It's a bit too big for me - 16oz for $4, I believe.





- Conqueror's Deduction -
Good service and good drinks.
I enjoy checking out the spots in Rowland Heights by my Yelp buddy, Kenzie K.

This place is a pretty awesome place! When you put an Asian tea place and jamba juice together, you get TEALIGHT! I love that they are willing to let us try their samples before making our decision. Definitely, the kale slush is a MUST. The kale slush has a taste of pineapples, and it just makes me feel good and healthy inside when I drink it. The slush is made to order, so you can hear them blending up the fruits and veggies in the back, and it usually takes about 4-5 minutes. I also got the popcorn chicken medium spicy and it was really good! You can see how little batter they use and that you get a lot of chicken compared to other tea places. I will be back!

Oh yeah, don't forget to show them your yelp check-in for 10% off!

The day I went, I got the special of the week which was milk boba for $2.50 and mild popcorn chicken for $3.99. The popcorn chicken tasted pretty good, the milk boba was pretty good too.

Place has opened up recently, I think it was a korean restaurant before. The place inside was pretty warm when I went there. The lady who rang me up was nice, I think she was marking stuff out of the menu.

Boba was $0.25 extra. $10 min on visa and mastercard credit. No min on debit use.

Upon ordering, the girl worker offered either kale smoothie or taro smoothie to sample. I obviously got the kale smoothie because I love kale. To me, it was too watered down and the kale didn't shine. Therefore, I opt for another drink.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tealight-boba-and-smoothies-rowland-heights?select=XzRXFeCNur0u7194PlgtkA

I got the strawberry peach green tea. It was their number 5 most popular drink and I thought it was pretty good! There was bits of strawberry and peaches inside the drink. You could taste all the components and the sweetness of the fruits balance nicely with the green tea.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tealight-boba-and-smoothies-rowland-heights?select=6rMiHSZMq-7jIUGyf5Vqnw#Q2-64DkIgcwgkFRrg5XUCQ

My best friend ordered the honey jasmine milk tea. From a first look, it just looked like regular boba. I didn't get to try this, but she finished all of it before we got home. So I'm guessing she really liked this.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tealight-boba-and-smoothies-rowland-heights?select=6rMiHSZMq-7jIUGyf5Vqnw#6rMiHSZMq-7jIUGyf5Vqnw

Cute little place. I want to come back to try the asian snacks!

Menu pictures
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tealight-boba-and-smoothies-rowland-heights?select=6rMiHSZMq-7jIUGyf5Vqnw#kt03VeNkxeRi3lx2oMdfPg
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/tealight-boba-and-smoothies-rowland-heights?select=6rMiHSZMq-7jIUGyf5Vqnw#I0uo37U24OVHk-tvoUxYaA

TeaLight is so awesome that I drove from Pasadena to get tea and snacks.

+ lots of parking (and not the typical AZN parking either)
+ great service; knowledgeable staff
+ delicious drinks (loved trying 2 samples and ended up getting one of them)
+ variety of drinks (not just traditional boba and fruit smoothies but blended drinks with coffee and some with veggies - so healthy haha)
- need a blender cover/silencer (very loud; some customers were screaming their orders)
- need a larger trashcan/easier to find
+ spacious location; lots of sitting room to hang out with friends
+ SUPER DUPER POPCORN CHICKEN (quality over quantity for sure; less than other places but it's battered so well)
+ try the crispy tofu too (same batter as the chicken and really interesting texture; not your every day tofu)

Can't wait to come back!

Pretty chill boba spot. The cafe itself is super small and there's only a few tables.
It's definitely a good place to come and grab a drink to study.

They have a good variety of drinks ranging from smoothies, milk teas to healthier options.

We ordered the large milk tea and almond milk tea. Pretty decent. The prices are really reasonable too compared to other boba places like Ten Ren.

Expensive and not worth it at all. I figured I would pop in to get a drink and a light meal.My crispy calamari fried rice cost $6.50 and my black sesame slush was $3.99 which would have been fine if they tasted good. Too bad the food tasted terrible.

The guy taking my order gave me a weird look when I ordered the black sesame and suggested that I order a fruit smoothie instead. When I asked him why, he said, "Westerners don't like the taste of black sesame." This caught me off guard because I spoke Chinese just as well as he did and I look Chinese. My drink tasted okay.

According to the picture in on the menu, the crispy calamari fried rice looked like egg and veggie fried rice topped with crispy calamari bites fried in batter and dusted with seasoning. That was NOT what I received. The fried rice had the squid pieced sauteed into it without crispiness or any seasoning. In fact, the dish had only the taste of salt. It was pretty bad.

The pictures on the menu were probably taken back when the staff here cared about the taste of their food. They don't care anymore.

My first impression was, "Great menu with quick bites, snacks, and drinks!"

Their drinks are not your typical Asian sweet drinks loaded with condensed flavoring and sugar. You have actual fresh ingredients like kale, fresh fruits, and juices blended in. The menu options are great, and the prices are amazing. Their pickled pork belly fried rice was my favorite dish. It's a great place to get your fix of the original Taiwanese snack of popcorn chicken and rice, with a nice twist on your typical Asian drinks. The restaurant is kept very clean, and the food was made fresh.

There is a lot of good Asian food and drinks in the area, and plenty of options, but TeaLight is a great stop if you're not interested in waiting in long lines or waits to eat! It's definitely a hidden gem in the plethora of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean restaurants.

The lasting impression? "We can't wait to go try more of their food!"