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Table Hoppin
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TABLE HOPPIN’
Gong Cha brings bubble tea to Theater District
Barbara M. Houle
Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
The idea of a “new normal” didn’t curb the enthusiasm of entrepreneurial spirit for Jason and Hannah Vuong, Gong Cha franchise owners who last year opened a bubble tea shop at 24 Southbridge St., Worcester.
First-time business owners, the couple signed a lease in 2019 and faced a delay in opening when the pandemic put the brakes on renovations at their location, once Pickwick’s restaurant. It was a difficult decision to hold off plans, said the Vuongs, but they eagerly anticipated the grand opening which was held Sept. 4. The couple paid attention to the ambiance of the shop, creating a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere.
Bubble tea (or boba) is a drink that has been around for a while, originating in Taiwan.
The tea is made with either oolong, green, or black tea and can have many variations from milk tea to fruit juice tea. A wide range of ingredients and flavors can be added to it. The beverage includes signature “bubbles” or tapioca balls.
Gong Cha’s list of Top 10 drinks include Milk Foam Green Tea, Pearl Milk Tea, Earl Grey Milk Tea with 3 J’s, Passion Fruit Green Tea, Milk Foam Dirty Brown Sugar Milk Tea, Strawberry Milk Tea, Taro, Match Tea Latte, Lemon Ai-Yu with White Pearl, Passionfruit Yogurt Slush. You’ll find so much more on the local shop’s menu, including the Original Bubble Waffle and Bubble Waffle with Pearl. Waffles are made fresh to order. FYI: Gong Cha’s milk teas are made with plant creamer, all nondairy with the exception of the fresh milk series.
Don’t worry if you’re new to bubble tea, employees at Gong Cha are very helpful, according to the Vuongs, who post daily specials and promotions on Instagram and Facebook. Social media plays an important role in the business, they said.
The shop, currently open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, offers takeout and delivery, with plans to include indoor seating sometime in May. “We have tables and chairs set aside and will set them up as soon as we consider it safe,” said the owners, who also will add a few outside seats. For now, customers order inside the shop or online. Call (508) 373-2100; visit www.gongchausa.com. Note: There is parking in the alley next to the shop, or park off street.
Jason Vuong left a career in banking, his wife, healthcare, to open what the Gong Cha franchise reports as the newest of its Massachusetts stores. It’s also regarded as one of the largest, according to the Vuongs, who proudly showcase it.
Not only do the Vuongs love the Gong Cha brand, but also the business location next to The Hanover Theatre and across from the Francis R. Carroll Plaza near the Federal Courthouse. The city’s plan to expand Carroll Plaza to make it pedestrianonly, extending the plaza to the front door of the theater as well
Jason and Hannah Vuong, owners of Gong Cha which is beside the Hanover Theatre on March 17.
CHRISTINE PETERSON/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Tea
Continued from Page 18D
as the addition of outdoor tables and seats was the draw to the the location, said the Vuongs, adding that they are thankful for help from the Worcester Economic Development agency in their search for a location. “We very much want to be a part of the city’s emerging growth,” said the couple.
Jason Vuong grew up in Worcester, Hannah Vuong in Leominster. The couple, married eight years, have two children. Vuong credits his wife with having the dream of owning a business and helping to realize it for both of them.
It’s National Bubble Tea Day on April 30, but don’t wait until then to visit the local Gong Cha to enjoy one of its beverages. Note: A bubble tea emoji is on the list of Unicode emoji characters, credit to bubble tea’s continued popularity.
Bocado to host Spanish wine dinner
Bocado Tapas Wine Bar, 82 Winter St., Worcester, will host a wine dinner from 7 to 10 p.m. March 30, featuring five courses paired with Spanish wines.
Cost is $100 per person, including tax and gratuity. Visit www.nichehospitality.com for more info. Tickets must be purchased in tables of two, three or four, due to limited space and safely seating guests with only the people in their party, according to Niche Hospitality Group. It will be Bocado’s first wine dinner in more than a year.
On the menu for the Greeting: assorted cheeses and charcuterie; main courses: Grilled Asparagus, served with chilled smoked shrimp; Seared Ahi; Lamb Croquette; Roasted Sirloin; Strawberry Flan.
Patio season kicks off at 110 Grill 110 Grill locations will host “patio season kickoff parties” on April 1, with a rain date of April 8.
Live music on the patio and food and drinks are on tap to celebrate the season. Seating is first come, first served. Featured cocktails from Ghost Tequila will be Pomegranate Margarita and Watermelon Margarita. Use your loyalty account and receive a $10 bonus reward for a future visit.
Locally, there are 110 Grill locations at 123 Front St., Worcester; The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in Millbury; 207 Mill St., Leominster; The Shops at Highland Commons in Berlin; 1 Lumber St., Hopkinton; 115 Apex Drive, Marlboro.
While We Were Out
Ever wonder what chefs did when restaurants were temporarily closed?
The chefs I interviewed during the pandemic weren’t exactly cooking up a storm. “Projects around the house” was the answer I heard most often.
Bill Brady, owner/executive chef of Brady’s in Leominster, in addition to “lots of projects in the restaurant and around the house,” hit the outdoors with his wife, Kim, and collected a couple hundred gallons of sap from their maple trees, turning it into maple syrup. In season, the couple also have a large garden and Brady is a bee keeper. Who knew?
Whether you choose indoor or outdoor dining, takeout, delivery or catering, show support for local chefs and restaurateurs.
We look ahead to a season of great food!
NEW ON DVD
‘Promising Young Woman’ is an unapologetic kick in the teeth of misogyny
Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
“Promising Young Woman”: Carey Mulligan gives a memorable performance in this daring raperevenge fantasy, the directorial debut from Emerald Fennell, an English actress and showrunner on “Killing Eve’s” second season.
Mulligan is Cassie, a medical school dropout turned coffee shop clerk who spends her nights in bars looking for men to take her home. In smeared makeup and too-tall heels, with a convincing head loll, she seems drunk and helpless, going along with their coercions before dropping the act and enacting her revenge, Tribune News Service critic Katie Walsh wrote in her review.
“Fennell’s film isn’t all that gory, but it has the attitude and tone of a horror movie, rendered in cupcake colors. Cassie utilizes her ultra-feminine presentation of long blonde locks, florals and garish makeup as armor, a disguise, and as a weapon in her war,” she wrote. “It’s a reflection of the film’s internal logic that nothing is what it seems, the script is built on constant reveals that walk the viewer down one path before ripping the rug out.”
See WOMAN, Page 20D
