Chun Tian Tea Company Shenzhen Bay MixC 椿田熟成茶行 深圳灣萬象城 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城) has long been a hotspot for Hongkongers, especially since the opening of its Phase Two (二期) last December. Now, the luxury shopping mall is set to make another splash with the soft opening of Pink Street (粉紅大街) — an entire avenue of trendy cafés, restaurants and boutiques under the same roof.

I was on a mission to track down a tea brand that’s been blowing up on social media..

Founded in Shanghai back in 1924, Chun Tian Tea Company (椿田熟成茶行) is a premium milk tea brand known for its “Oriental Aesthetics” and its signature “Aging (Mature) process”. While the storied tea company started off in Shanghai, it has become a major viral sensation in Shenzhen since 2025.

The star of the menu is their "Black Warrior" series including their standout "Black Warrior Matured Pu'er with Sweet Potato Pearls" (黑武士熟成普洱薯丸) and a new tiramisu-flavored creation.

Golden Brick Silk Stocking Milk Tea (金磚絲襪奶茶) (¥22) — But for milk tea, I am a total purist.

This one features a silk stocking milk tea base (絲襪奶茶) with a floating ice made with the same milk tea. To me, the flavor was vivid, brisk, and intensely aromatic—almost reminiscent of Ceylon tea. It was refreshing yet complex, and it completely lived up to the hype.

It was nice to finally cross this social media sensation off my list. Even better that it was a weekday and there wasn't a lineup at all.

Food Rating: 6.3/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop B1-51, Pink Street, Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城粉紅大街B1-51号铺

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/20/GGuM

Taste Four Taste 嚐 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I am spending some well-deserved me time in Houhai (后海), Shenzhen this afternoon. With plenty of time left before my train departs, I decided to sit down for a proper lunch at Elements Shopping Mall. 

Taste Four Taste (嚐) has officially replaced Tasty Congee & Noodle (正斗粥麵專家) as my go-to spot for noodles and congee in recent months. In fact, I’ve been coming back for one particular dish so much so that I just can’t help myself.

Stir-fried noodles with barbecued pork (乾炒叉燒麵) ($132) — They have a different version of this with flat noodles but there was no question in my mind about which one tasted better.

This came with incredible "wok hei" (鑊氣) resulting in the springy and slightly chewy texture. I also like the fact that it's not over-seasoned with soy and salt, and that the noodles didn’t end up greasy the way they often do at other places we’ve seen in Hong Kong.

I used up all 15 minutes I've got for this meal to fully enjoy my stir-fried noodles. Now, it's time to run to the rapid train station!

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 1005-1006, 1/F, Fire Zone, ELEMENTS, 1 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kowloon

Tel: +852 2433-7711

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm daily

Right Tea-rific 威水茶檔 by Flower Drum 鋒膳 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Right Tea-rific (威水茶檔) is a modern cha chaan teng in Wan Chai, brought to us by the team behind Flower Drum (鋒膳). I’ve been intrigued by the photos of their egg tarts and pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油) doing the rounds on social media over the past few months. With an early meeting in Wan Chai this morning, it gave the perfect excuse to drop by for a quick breakfast.

Despite the limited space, I managed to get a seat without having to share a table with a stranger.

A closer look at the menu made it clear their breakfast offering isn’t quite the usual Wan Chai tea restaurant fare. You won’t find classic satay beef noodles or that familiar instant-noodle combo with egg and luncheon meat. Instead, the lineup leans more towards polished, “classy” sandwiches and homemade bakery goods.

Iced milk tea (凍奶茶) — The tea was pretty strong and it would likely be better off with a little more condensed milk for a smoother, rounder profile. But despite being slightly off balance, I thought I thoroughly enjoyed that tea base (茶底).

Pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油) — Not exactly how I drew it up. I was looking for a bowl of instant noodles but when that wasn't unavailable, I improvised.

This was quite decent. If the bun was served hotter so the butter could melt a bit more — I think it would taste even better.

Flower Drum is known for its barbecued meats, so I was honestly surprised their menu doesn’t feature a few of its signature items like char siu. Adding those would likely make the fans very happy.

P.S.  There’s no breakfast set served here, ladies and gentlemen. It’s à la carte only.

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop D, G/F, Harvard Commercial Building, 105-111 Thomson Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wan Chai

Tel: +852 6805-1818

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 4:00pm daily