Cafe review: The Bubbling Teapot provides a welcome place for bubble tea on the East Side – Madison.com
The Bubbling Teapot is thriving on Madison’s East Side, where it’s good to see the bubble tea craze carrying on and not disappearing like so many ephemeral food and drink trends.
Tea with boba, or tapioca balls, was big in Taiwan in the 1990s and started appearing in California first, becoming more widespread in the United States in the early 2000s.
There are plenty of places to get bubble tea on State Street, but it’s harder to come by in other parts of Madison.
That’s why I appreciate that Meena Canaie, 26, opened The Bubbling Teapot in October on East Johnson Street, taking over from the 12-year-old Jade Mountain, where she worked for three years, in two stints.
Canaie has improved upon Jade Mountain, but during two recent visits my daughter and I had our tea orders mixed up.
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Up to one-third of customers at The Bubbling Teapot ask for a custom sugar level for their bubble tea.
My daughter ordered her matcha green milk tea ($5.50) 75% less sweet, but my coconut milk tea ($5.50) was the one that came out with reduced sweetness.
On a second visit, my daughter again asked for the same tea with one-quarter the sugar to be more clear, and I ordered my red bean milk tea ($4.50) with half the sugar. Again, mine was hardly sweet and hers was too sweet for her taste. My daughter doesn’t have the sweet tooth I do.
I asked Canaie later if orders like that are unusual, and she said no. About a quarter of her customers, or up to one-third, ask for a custom sugar level, she said.
The Bubbling Teapot offers an ample selection of bubble teas.
She apologized for the mistakes and said it may have been an oversight by a new employee. Otherwise, the problem could have come in the communication of the percentage.
We ordered the drinks cold and they had ice, which I’m not used to. Canaie said customers can ask to have the ice left out or reduced. The boba, or tapioca balls (60 cents extra), were warm, sweet, soft and plentiful, the way they should be.
The food menu is small and focused on bao (steam buns) and pot stickers, with both items prepared in-house, but not homemade. Canaie said she works with the same local supplier of Taiwanese and Chinese food that Jade Mountain used.
The pot stickers have a slightly brown hue because they’re cooked in tea.
The pot stickers (10 pieces for $8) are the way to go. All three varieties — pork, veggie and chicken — were fantastic and heated in an unusual way, which gave them a slightly brown hue. Canaie said the secret is that they’re cooked in tea.
The meat in the pork and chicken dumplings was of high quality and there was a good variety of vegetables in the veggie ones.
Of the bao, the BBQ pork ($2.20) was best, with a small amount of meat at the center in a lightly sweet sauce. The veggie ($2.10) had a minced green vegetable that Canaie said was likely bok choy. They also had mushroom, bamboo shoot, soybeans and onion inside, she said, but those flavors were hard to distinguish.
Sweet potato and sesame bao.
On an earlier visit, the sweet potato ($2.10) and sesame ($2.10) boa were both delicious, but sweet enough to be considered dessert.
My daughter talked me into ordering the sweet butter toast ($3.50), which the chalkboard menu calls “a returning favorite.” It was a piece of white bread toast spread with butter as sweet as frosting. Canaie said the main flavor comes from milk powder.
Sweet butter toast, which the menu calls “a returning favorite.”
My daughter took a nibble and left me 90% of it. I ate it, but it was too sweet even for me.
Canaie said she plans to expand the food menu, but it’s going to take time. She’s prioritizing adding baked goods, and just added egg tarts, which she made while at Jade Mountain.
“Our building’s age definitely limits how much electricity we can use at once and that affects how much food we can add to our menu, so it’ll be a while before we can add to the food menu. But we are bringing back custard bao this week,” she said Tuesday.
Meena Canaie opened The Bubbling Teapot last month on East Johnson Street. The space was formerly Jade Mountain, where Canaie worked.
The exterior sign is whimsical and welcoming. Inside, a counter in front of the shop’s big windows looks out over Johnson Street. There’s wooden bench seating, plus a comfortable living-room-type chair and a floral couch. The place attracted a good student-aged crowd on both of my visits.
Canaie said her goal is to provide a comfortable place to hang out that isn’t home or work. “Places where people can meet with their friends or have interactions with strangers if they want.”
She said that’s what Jade Mountain was for her and others. The East Side is lucky Canaie is working hard to preserve an important hub for bubble tea, coffee and other sustenance.
The 15 best-reviewed restaurants in the Wisconsin State Journal from 2021
Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery
Daisy Cafe & Cupcakery, 2827 Atwood Ave., opened in 2009 by Daryl Sisson and Kathy Brooks, did well in the warmer months by turning its parking lot into an outdoor cafe. One reason to visit the restaurant for brunch is its otherworldly smoked salmon and pesto omelet with cream cheese, which is served at all times. Another reason is its generous fish fry featuring panko-crusted cod, garlic-Parmesan potatoes, oven-roasted vegetables, homemade coleslaw and housemade tartar sauce. It’s also served any day, any time. Read the full review here.
Wonderstate Coffee
Wonderstate Coffee, 27 W. Main St., which opened a year ago on the Capitol Square, not only has wonderful coffee, but offers an inspired menu with lots of healthy choices. The mushroom sandwich on a sweet-tasting, housemade brioche bun is a standout from a menu of standouts. Inside are sautéed oyster mushrooms, kale, baby Swiss, caramelized onions, an over-easy egg and miso aioli. Wonderstate also does well by its soups. Read the full review here.
The Hilltop
The Hilltop, 4173 County Road P, Cross Plains, was founded in 1938, and has been a restaurant ever since, undergoing expansions along the way. Its 6-ounce, center-cut filet mignon with sautéed mushrooms and onions was the best steak my friend and I had ever had. As an appetizer, the dynamite shrimp are ridiculously addictive. I agreed with my friend who called her meal at The Hilltop “freakishly good.” Read the full review here.
Takara Sushi Station
Takara Sushi Station, 696 S. Whitney Way, brings unlimited sushi and other items direct to booths with a conveyor belt system. Almost all of it was first-rate on a recent visit. Read the full review here.
The Harvey House
The Harvey House, 644 W. Washington Ave., which opened in July, bills itself as a modern-day supper club, and its atmosphere, prices and service elevate it into the upper echelon of Madison dining. The restaurant even landed at No. 8 on Esquire magazine’s “Best New Restaurants in America, 2021.” The highlight of a recent meal was the Superior walleye that had a crisp crust made with an ingenious thin layer of buttery rye bread. Read the full review here.
Oliva
Oliva, 751 High Point Road, which opened in 2008 at High Point and Old Sauk roads, is as good as ever. Chef/owner Mehmet Dayi goes heavy on the tomato sauce with fantastic results, making it hard to choose between his Mediterranean and Italian fare. It just depends on what you’re in the mood for. Service in the large dining room is excellent, even on busy nights when the staff is stretched thin. Read the full review here.
Villa Tap
Villa Tap, 2302 Packers Ave., has such a popular fish fry that owner Chris “Chico” Warren shuts down his grill on Fridays, and adds an extra fryer for the Icelandic cod, walleye, lake perch, bluegill and jumbo shrimp. The cod dinner features three thick pieces of fish, hand-cut by Warren, that are lightly and flavorfully breaded, with no greasiness. Read the full review here.
Kettle Black Kitchen
Kettle Black Kitchen, 1835 Monroe St., is an intimate, charming restaurant that opened in August in a spot that formerly housed Joon, Burgrito and Double S BBQ. Don’t miss chef/owner Brian Hamilton’s French onion soup, shrimp and grits cakes with bacon, and sour orange pie. Read full review here.
Marigold Kitchen
Marigold Kitchen, 118 S. Pinckney St., reopened in July after it was closed for 16 months due to the pandemic. With its smart, cheery, urban feel and signature breakfast potatoes, the cafe has been a Madison favorite for 20 years, and its recent change in ownership has been seamless. New owners Kristy Blossom Heine and Clark Heine, who took over the business from John Gadau and Phillip Hurley, had lots of experience as Marigold employees. Read full review here.
International Catering Collective
The International Catering Collective bus, 709 Atlas Ave., is parked in front of Gaylord Catering, offering some of the best, thickest clam chowder on Fridays. It’s loaded with potatoes, carrots and tender clams. While some clam chowders derive most of their flavor from cream, this one had much more going on. The Friday haddock is also first-rate. Read the full review here.
D’Vino
D’Vino, 116 King St., which means “of wine,” is just the type of rustic Italian restaurant and wine bar King Street needed. Chef Dino Maniaci and Jason Hoke opened the restaurant in March of 2020. The tortellini con pesto with puffy cheese tortellini, an exceptional pesto cream sauce, and roasted tomatoes and asparagus cannot be beat. Read the full review here.
Marquette Hotel Cafe
The Marquette Hotel Cafe, 414 S. Baldwin St., offers one of the most reasonably priced breakfasts in town with excellent coffee and amazing pastries, through a self-ordering system. The omelets, breakfast sandwiches and fruit cups prepared by former Manna Café kitchen manager, Chris Stephens, are all must-haves. Read the full review here.
Hone
Hone, 708 1/4 E. Johnson St., in the former Forequarter space, was the most interesting new restaurant I got takeout from during the pandemic. Mike Parks, Hone’s owner, discovered many of the restaurant’s eclectic offerings during his nearly eight years in the United States Air Force. Don’t overlook the orange scallops, five perfectly seared specimens in a winning curry yogurt sauce. Read the full review here.
Ancora Cafe + Bakery
Ancora Cafe + Bakery, 611 Sherman Ave., which opened in February in Maple Bluff, makes the loss of Manna Cafe easier to accept. The sundried and tomato & goat cheese scones are worth a visit on their own. Also enticing is the cafe’s egg & cheese sandwich on a tender brioche roll with pesto aioli, and its breakfast burrito with scrambled egg, sausage, cheddar, pico de gallo and salsa roja. Read the full review here.
Louisianne’s Etc.
Louisianne’s Etc., 7464 Hubbard Ave., Middleton, has loyal customers that kept it going through the pandemic by getting carryout every week. The restaurant has stayed consistent over its 29 years because it has had the same head chef, Kevin Ostrand. He does great things with catfish and jambalaya. Vegetarians will be happy to discover the fettuccine with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and black olives sautéed with mushrooms in garlic butter and finished with sherry cream. Read the full review here.
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