Phone: 03 9663 8008
I have developed a bit of an addiction to bubble tea of late. And this particular version at InfoBooth has my vote as one of my favourites. Not only is it smooth, creamy, full bodied and amazingly flavoursome (the black tea flavour anyway), the best selling point for me is that it isn’t too sweet. And the chewy pearls – oh, how I love these. It gives the drink bite 
This delicious and divinely named snack is the Crunchy Milk Toast, which is a Hong Kong style french toast. It is simply a thick slab of white bread that is buttered and smeared with condensed milk (uh huh). It is then thrown under the grill for colour, texture and taste. Apparently it is quite a popular treat overseas that comes in a staggering array of variations.
Info Booth itself is a rather unusual little place. It is a Chinese bookstore / newsagency / cafe staffed by a fairly young crew, and has a staggering assortment of magazines, newspapers (which are eagerly lined up for by half the Chinese population at Friday lunctime) and cutesy hello kitty-esque type nicknacks. The surprising thing about InfoBooth is the cafe. It just doesn’t gel with the rest of the business and the atmosphere doesn’t feel cafe-like at all. Yet in a bizarre way, I like it. One can grab a bubble tea or snack and sit back in a comfy vinyl lounge in your own little alcove for a chat/read. That fact that I don’t read Chinese might be problematic here, unless I bring my own book/paper. So I just have to satisfy myself with the range of teas, french toasts, cheap sandwiches and dim summy type snacks.
I would recommend their Taiwanese tea instead. Try their Mt Ali Oolong tea, Very very good! Once you realise how good plain tea can taste, I can’t imagine you coming back for more of that sugary bubble tea. =)
I do now treat them as prized delicacy not just some Chinese medicine / herbs, =).
Oh, might just take ur word for it and give it a go sometime in the next few weeks. Thanks for the tip!
I’m now completely hooked to Taiwanese tea really.
Used to shun them in favour of Japanese tea but Japanese tea is nowhere near this good, for comparable price point, that is.
I love that place too!!! But i recently discovered Ten Ren tea on corner of swanston st and little collins st and omg, u have to try the Sweet potato and pearl milk tea( get it in a pot, trust me) and u’ll get two little tea cups with sweet potato and pearls, and their green tea jelly and plum jelly is also really really good
:D:D
You always seem to find these gems right on the opposite side of town from where i work… nuts! Oh well… I’ll just have to make a special trip then
Hi doreen – thanks for the tip on Ten Ren tea. I was actually there a couple of weeks ago and had a take-away taro/yam with pearls. I really enjoyed it, so I must go back to sample the sweet potato version. I have also noticed many people (when walking past) eating the jelly. Hmm…it must be really good.
Hi cherrie pie – yeah, I tend to stick to ‘ma block
, more so because my lunch break is not conducive to longer field trips. But I like trying new places out and this end of town is fast becoming quite interesting foodwise 
I’ve never had bubble tea, but it sounds (and looks) rather good.
That’s a lot of variations on Crunchy Milk Toast – who’d have thought?!?
Hey lucy – I love bubble tea. I am just so addicted to the chewiness factor. Some places make them overly sweet though – so don’t be put off on your first try.
I love bubble tea too. Drank so much of it while in Hong Kong. Every cafe I went to I would always get the set lunch and it always came with bubble tea.
These type of cafe/bookstore/newsagency are really the norm overseas. People there like to read their manga while drinking bubble tea.
Hi thanh7580 – you are right on the money, as that is exactly what most of the patrons were doing – reading manga and drinking bubble tea
I felt a bit like a fish out of water, but damn them, the bubble tea is good!
they didn’t have the cafe section open when I visit ed some time back so we went by last week to get their milk tea and toast. Yum!
Hey cin – glad you liked the tea and toast
I’m just bummed they don’t open earlier than 9.30am, else I would be in there for breakfast before work!