There are figures of speech about "dessert stomach" or "dessert goes in a separate chamber" to explain why people who feel satiated after a big meal can still find room for something sweet afterward. At the same time, many east Asian restaurants, especially Chinese and Vietnamese ones, offer little or no items that would be seen as desserts from a Western perspective. In both figurative and literal senses, obtaining dessert at Mekong Plaza often involves a separate space like Tea Snow, which serves its two namesake creations and a few other similar sweet treats.
golden milk bubble tea
Tea Snow is sometimes also known as Tea Snow Boba or even Tea Snow Boba & Coffee. The most consistent branding on both signs and the website, though, is just Tea Snow. The shop is found in the heart of the Mekong Plaza Asian shopping center, a quarter mile west of Sycamore/Main station in the Mesa Asian District. Once inside Mekong Plaza, look for Tea Snow near Tasty Pot and the food court. There are both interior and exterior entrances that lead to the counter where drinks and desserts are ordered from an extensive overhead menu.
red bean and coconut cream
After ordering, customers are told to exit the shop and hover in the corridor inside Mekong Plaza while they wait for their order numbers to be called from a small window at the back of the kitchen. A few small tables line one of the walls of the shop but go unused due to a lack of chairs. This appears to be a COVID-19 pandemic adaptation that has not yet been undone, and perhaps never will be. Nevertheless, there is ample seating in the Mekong Plaza food court, and almost everything prepared here is designed and packaged to be consumed on the go.
Q's Creation
The first word in this shop's name, no matter how long it is at any given time, is always "tea," and that's the best place to start an exploration of the menu. The emphasis here is on milk tea, a combination of tea, dairy, and flavorings that is typically heavy on sweetness, although that quality can be adjusted in response to customer requests. Caramel jasmine milk tea combines the vegetal essence of jasmine green tea with a thick layer of sugary syrup that eventually sinks to the bottom. Boba pearls are generally an available addition to any of the tea drinks here.
five color dessert
Beyond tea, most of what is served here is liquid, or at least fluid in format. That can involve multi-layered creations like the Thai dessert with jackfruit on the bottom and additional strata above of pandan jelly, coconut, and pudding. The five-color dessert is made of tiers of taro, grass jelly, coconut milk, pandan jelly, and red and mung beans. The colors actually add up to six, but as they layers are mixed, it's easy to lose count. This drink is best enjoyed first by slurping the liquid with a straw and then spooning the remaining solids out of the cup.
Thai dessert
Sometimes simpler is better, though, and Q's Creation is a straightforward blend of strawberry and watermelon with a restrained sweetness that is highly satisfying in the summer heat. Repeating the summery, tropical theme, Coco Loco is a mix of coconut water with chunks of mango, coconut, and strawberry within. On a heartier note, red bean coconut cream is just two layers, one each of red and white. with a little bit of greenery from grass jelly on top. The flavors are simple, but the abundant red beans make the drink quite filling. A little goes a long way.
Coco Loco
The other word in all the variants of the shop's name is "snow," a confection of ice and flavorings. Snow is available in multiple flavors including Asian favorites such as mango, coconut, and taro. The same tastes are available in different formats as toppings, allowing for some interesting combinations. Unfortunately, though, the snow here never seems as fresh and as vibrant as the liquid sweets. It's the lesser half of the shop, both in terms of space allocated on the menu and quality of product, and sticking to beverages is generally recommended.
mango snow with smashed taro and coconut jelly
If something small is desired, two alternatives are found not behind the counter, but instead in a refrigerated case across from it. Small vessels found within contain either flan with a layer of caramel lurking below a thick custard or sua chua, a Vietnamese style of yogurt made with condensed milk. If the dessert stomach is not as large as the regular stomach, these may be the more logical choices. No matter how large a chamber dessert goes into, it's usually distinct from the main meal at Mekong Plaza, and Tea Snow offers options to complement its neighbors.
66 S. Dobson Rd. #150, Mesa AZ 85202
https://teasnow.com
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