Restaurant Review: Tealicious Blend

TEALICIOUS BLEND

11 St Anne Street, St. Albert | tealiciousblend.com

Instagram: @tealiciousblend

Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew

What started as a small home-based pandemic project has now grown into Tealicious Blend, a cute shop in St. Albert that offers not only a wide range of bubble tea but food options as well! Named as Favourite Handheld on the Edmonton Food Faves We Crave 2024 list, I had to make the drive up to St. Albert to check them out for myself! Located in a strip mall type of shopping area in the heart of St. Albert by the river you'll find Tealicious Blend's storefront. The outside signage advertises bubble tea, Korean egg sandwiches, wings, salads, and more. Stepping inside of the restaurant space on my Saturday evening visit I was greeted with a cheerful atmosphere straight out of any K-pop lover's dreams! (They were quite literally playing 'Golden' from KPop Demon Hunters as I walked in.) Faux cherry blossom branches decorate the space while bright lime green benches serve as seating. There's even a claw machine filled with plush versions of bubble tea that customers can challenge themselves to win (and people were continuously attempting to do so!). Everything about Tealicious Blend is upbeat and you can't help but feel the joyful and lighthearted vibes for the duration of your visit. The menu centers around two main items: Bubble Tea and Korean Egg Sandwiches. There's a small handful of other food offerings; including a bowl of tonkotsu ramen specially for "cold season" and even some hamburgers. However, most customers likely come in to try the popular Korean sandwiches. Tealicious Blend also has three different combos to choose from if you really want to build a meal out of your visit. I started my journey with a bubble tea - which sounds simple but with so many flavours to select from it always takes me way too long to make a decision. Milk tea is always a solid option and they're also serving the ever-trendy brown sugar type of bubble tea that is all the rage these days. In the end I found myself landing on the Taro Cheesecake ($8.50 for large) from the Cheesecake Series Milk Tea part of the menu. This drink is also on the "Best Sellers" list, which made it seem like a safe bet. As is standard in most bubble tea establishments, you are welcome to specify your preferred sugar level. For me, I always just want to enjoy my beverage as intended.

I think that I also just really wanted something cute and purple to sip on if I'm being honest!! Taro milk tea was mixed with swirls of whipped "cheesecake" and the bottom of the cup was filled with chewy tapioca pearls. This bubble tea was very good and almost impossible to stop sipping (until there was none left). Taro, a tropical root vegetable, is known for its distinct purple hue and nutty vanilla-like flavour. Mixed with the sweet and tangy taste of the cheesecake, this bubble tea flavour could not go wrong! Next time I'll be interested to try Tealicious' Classic Milk Tea, the Match-A-Green Smoothie, or the Brown Sugar De Luxe. So many bubble teas, so little time!! For my meal I knew that I had to try one of the signature Korean Egg Sandwiches and I was pretty excited about it! There are twelve types to choose from, each one sounding interesting and delicious in its own way. Ultimately, my choice was made easy because they serve a Spam Egg Bite Sandwich ($8.95) and I think that I've made my position toward Spam pretty clear.

Fluffy scrambled egg, Spam, cheddar, cabbage, mayochup, egg bite sauce.

Served in the most adorable cardboard sleeve, I have heard these sandwiches described as thiccc... And that was no lie. Also known as Korean egg drop sandwiches, the common denominator is always a fluffy, perfectly folded egg and soft buttery bread. Milk toast or brioche is commonly used. I personally can't go wrong with Spam and I love the salty mystery meat with my whole damn heart - especially fried up with a nice sear on. The cheddar added a sharp and melty edge and the cabbage (a classic Korean sandwich ingredient) brought a satisfying crunch. They might use the term "mayochup" at Tealicious Blend but in my world it's called fancy sauce!! Mayonnaise and ketchup combined is pretty fancy, no? Sinking my teeth into every bite of this formidable sandwich was a delight and a celebration of delicious flavours that came together in the most satisfying way. The value of this sandwich cannot be overstated, in fact every Korean egg sandwich on the menu is under $10 except for one. I can't wait to return so that I can try some of the other available types! I see you Spicy Beef Bulgogi!

I'm sure that there are other restaurants in the Edmonton area that do Korean egg sandwiches... But are they as good as these ones? Certainly worth the drive to St. Albert, I loved my experience at Tealicious Blend! From the uplifting environment, to the delicious food, to the excellent value, there's nothing not to love about this cute bubble tea shop! 감사합니다!