The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Taiwanese food culture is known for its diverse range of street foods, night markets, and traditional dishes influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and indigenous cuisine. Bubble tea, also known as boba tea or pearl milk tea, is a Taiwanese drink that has gained popularity worldwide in recent years. The drink consists of a base of sweetened tea, often mixed with milk or fruit flavours, and is topped with tapioca pearls, giving it its signature chewy texture. In Cairo, bubble tea has become increasingly popular in recent years, with a growing number of cafes and restaurants offering a variety of flavours and toppings to cater to the city’s diverse tastes.

Whether you’re looking for a refreshing drink on a hot day or a unique dessert, Pao just opened in Twelve by the Platform to give people a taste of Taiwan right in the heart of Sheikh Zayed.

We headed over to their aesthetically pleasing store that boasts a spacious outdoor area and a very cool colourful indoor section. As we browsed their menu, the Creme Brulee Milk Tea (135LE) caught our attention – freshly brewed Assam tea, tapioca, homemade creme brulee, and brown sugar syrup. This drink is more sugary than other options, but we wanted to try the creme
brulee twist, so we opted for only one pump of brown sugar syrup. We could hardly contain our excitement as we saw the barista torch the crème brulee. Even though it was a bit on the heavy side, it would be amazing if you considered it a dessert rather than a drink. The drink was creamy, sugary, and had the occasional crème brulee flavour slip into your mouth, which is great for crème brulee lovers, as opposed to our other order, which was the Jasmine Green Tea with Passion Fruit (124EGP) – cold jasmine green tea with our choice of passion fruit tapioca. This one had a great breezy, summery feel to it. The passion fruit had just the right
amount of sugar to balance out the tartness. This one would suit all fruity tea lovers, and you can also choose the flavour of your tapioca, like lychee, peach or berries. 

We saw that Pao had more options on their menu, such as coffee, taro tea and croffles, but we only wanted to try their boba this time. Our whole experience was excellent; They even allowed us to sample a few tapioca flavours before making our final decisions. The atmosphere was cosy and inviting, with cute decorations and comfortable seating.