New Kid on the Block : Goodgood Philippines -- Taiwan's Freshest Milk Tea

I can't believe that summer is officially here. It happened so fast. I was still enjoying the cool breeze in January and February then suddenly, *bam!* March rolled in and the temperature started to rise rapidly. We started sweating like crazy, skin started to feel really sticky and I have this intense craving for anything cold and refreshing.

This brought back memories from a few months ago when Paul and I chanced upon a new milk tea place called Goodgood in Banawe, Quezon City. If there's any place in Metro Manila that truly merits the name "milk tea paradise" then Banawe is definitely it. In every block, you can find a shop selling milk tea, boba tea, fruit tea, you name it, they got it. Even brands that may still sound foreign in other areas of the metro has already made Banawe their home.

Goodgood has been growing rapidly with branches in the Scout area, in the Ortigas CBD and even in the foodie strip of Kapitolyo. We visited the one in Banawe which is located beside an automated car wash and a Chinese beef noodle shop operated by an authentic Chinese chef (who smokes like a chimney..so sorry but I don't think I'm visiting his restaurant ever.) It's a very small shop but you honestly don't need a big space to create real good drinks. The choices are quite extensive with 6 types of drinks namely -- tea, fruit tea, classic, cream, smoothie and juice.

One thing that I instantly liked about Goodgood is how they have a lot of fruit-based drinks. This is perfect for kids and for those can't take caffeinated drinks. I remembered who I diligently abstained from visiting my favorite milk tea shop all throughout my pregnancy because I can't take caffeine and I wasn't crazy about any of their fruit-based drinks.



At Goodgood, the choices are endless! I started with the Berried Treasure (Php. 220) which had a good mix of strawberries and blueberries and is definitely high in Vitamin C. This is a perfect drink at the moment as we all need to boost our immune system.

For your classic milk tea, you can go for the tried and tested Hokkaido or Okinawa Bubble Milktea (Php. 100 / Php. 120). Hokkaido has a caramel-y flavor while Okinawa uses brown sugar. Otherwise, go for their best selling Double B (Php. 120 / Php. 140) which is a combination of brown sugar and boba. So, if you want the milk tea taste minus the tea, then Double B is for you. However, if you want your drink with the strong black tea taste then go for the Triple B (Php. 120 /Php 140). Paul was so happy with the Double B as he doesn't like drinking tea but he enjoys the combination of milk, brown sugar and boba pearls.

One thing that makes Goodgood standout is the use of fresh milk in most of their drinks. No artificial powdered milk, no heavy cream, it's simply the freshest cow's milk making it also good for kids to enjoy.

Another drink that I enjoyed was the Strawberry Blonde (Php. 270) which is a super refreshing, citrusy drink of strawberry juice + orange juice + chia seeds. It can be quite filling though so you can actually just have this as a snack and feel satisfied right after. Oh, thinking about this is making me crave for more! It's just so hot that I need more Goodgood smoothies right now.

For the cream-based drinks, I wasn't able to try these but I heard raves about their Chocolate Milk with Cream Cheese (Php. 120 / Php. 150). The earthy sweet blend of the chocolate milk with the subtle saltiness of the cream cheese is definitely one interesting combination. There's also the Strawberry Tea Cheesecake (Php. 160) which can easily entice you by just hearing its delicious-sounding name.

If there's one thing that I noticed it how reasonably priced all the drinks are. The most expensive is at Php. 220 and almost 80% of the menu is priced below Php. 160. They have your usual add ons too like more bubbles, egg pudding, cream cheese, nata, chia seeds and one thing that's most interesting is the Flower Cup (Php. 40). Note that this is the only non-edible add-on but it can truly make you feel happy (and so feminine) as you enjoy your favorite Goodgood drink with some floral add-ons to your cup.

Lastly, in case you're running low in phone battery while enjoying your drink at Goodgood. Fret not as they have ready power banks for you to borrow an to use. All you need is to present a valid ID to borrow a unit. How thoughtful is that!?

Goodgood is located at 949 Banawe, Quezon City. It's also available on Food Panda, Booky or Grab Food. See their menu here.