KEN HUNTS FOOD: Opening Of Black Ball Dessert @ Pulau Tikus, Penang.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Opening Of Black Ball Dessert @ Pulau Tikus, Penang.

In the recent two months, there were two Taiwanese dessert outlets opened in Penang, and the latest one being Black Ball Taiwanese Dessert. Black Ball Taiwanese Dessert is a one of the biggest chains dessert outlets with more than 20 outlets. In conjunction with their Grand Opening on 20th of December, they are having their Buy-2-Free-1 opening promotion. Similarly to Bing Bing Taiwanese Dessert House at Straits Quay and ZenQ Desserts at Gurney Plaza, their signature dishes consist of Taro Balls. As for the exact location of Black Ball Taiwanese Dessert, its located at Burmah Road, Pulau Tikus; opposite to Tan Mark Book store and few shop lots away from Sukhothai Beef Noodles House. Finding parking could be a problem especially during peak hours, you can park your car right in front of Black Ball if there are empty spaces. Price-wise, Black Ball offers quality Taiwanese desserts with the fairly cheaper price compared to Bing Bing and ZenQ.

Black Ball Signature Hot with Milk Added (Rm6.50), the dessert consisted of Taro Balls, Pearls, Red Beans, Grass Jelly etc. The Taro Balls were not as impressive as compared to ZenQ Desserts in my opinion, the warm herbal jelly might have affected the texture of the Taro Balls too.

Black Ball Signature Cold (Rm6.50). I would prefer this cold version over the hot version, especially with the scorching hot weather in Penang recently. Similarly to the hot version, it comes with some Taro Balls, Taro Q, Pearls, Red Beans and Grass Jelly.

"Jiu Fen" (九份) Taro Balls Crushed Ice (Rm6.50). As the name suggested, "Jiu Fen" is a famous tourist attraction in Taiwan which has many dessert outlets. Like our Malaysian version of Ice Kacang, it has some Taro Balls, sweetened beans (花豆) and Pearls to go with it. Instead of the casual Rose Syrup used in our Ice Kacang, Black Ball offers Brown Sugar syrup instead. The sweetened beans were rather unique, it tasted more like the canned kidney red beans in tomato sauce but surprisingly, it works well with the crushed ice.

This is their Black Ball Combo - Black Ball Crushed Ice (Rm6.50) with some Pearls, Lotus Seeds, Taro Balls and Barley. A thin layer of Grass Jelly was then topped on the crushed ice. Unlike the "Jiu Fen" crushed ice, this set comes with gigantic size of lotus seeds and barley. Its definitely a set for lotus seeds and barley lovers.

Moving on to the drinks, Black Ball gives their customers absolute control on the sweetness in their drinks, one can opt to have either normal (100%) of sugar, 75% of sugar, 50% of sugar, 25% and non-sugar; which is a very good idea especially in this health-conscious society. Other than that, ice level (the amount of ice used) can be controlled as well.

Choices are more when it comes to drinks in Black Ball. Their Fresh Milk With Grass Jelly (700cc, Rm5.90) was impressive, the flavor of the fresh cream milk was very strong, in fact, stronger than the well known brand - Chat Time. The smooth and chewy grass jelly blended well with the milk. Suitable for those who adore the milk-y taste.

Winter Melon Tea With Sky Pearls (700cc, Rm5.90). This was one of my favorites among the drinks we had that day. The winter melon tea possessed a very strong flavor of winter melon and the best of all, the drink was not sweet at all (you can always ask for more sugar if you prefer a sweeter version). The specialty in this drink, was none other than their Sky Pearls. You will definitely be amazed by the texture of the sky pearls, they were so chewy. They were also being described as the white version of "pearls". Sky Pearl is definitely a must-try in Black Ball. Recommended.

QQ Cranberry Lemon Juice (700cc, Rm5.90) was definitely a hit especially among the ladies. The sweet and sour nature might be a factor contributing to this and surprisingly, the cranberry flavor was quite strong. It worked perfectly fine with the Pearls and Coco Jelly. Recommended.

Their Signature Xian Cao (仙草) Tea With Grass Jelly (700cc, Rm5.90) was normal to my liking, more like an ordinary grass jelly I can find any where, except the fact that the grass jelly flavor was much stronger.

3Q Passion Fruit Green Tea (700cc, Rm5.90) was another hit, the Passion Fruit flavor was just strong enough to my liking but slightly on the sweeter side, and of course, you can always ask for a less-sugar version if you want to. Similarly to the Cranberry Lemon Juice, the drink comes with some Pearls and Coco Jelly.

Yogurt Green Tea (700cc, Rm5.90) was not something easy to be accepted by all. It has a very odd aroma which I presumed to be the yogurt used. Although the drink was a bit sourish and was very appetizing, but I just find the flavor does not suit my taste buds at all.

Bo Ba Milk Tea (波霸奶茶, 700cc, Rm5.90). Indeed, this drink has a funny and amusing name but the taste was not shabby at all. Uniquely, the milk tea still possessed the distinctive flavor of the tea which ordinary milk tea does not have anymore. Extra marks given to this drink due to the generous amount of Pearls added. Its a drink that milk tea lovers should not miss.

Customers will be given this gadget once they have placed their orders. It will signal you when your order is ready to be collected at the counter by giving a "beep" sound and the red lights surrounding the gadget will be blinking. Slight vibration can be detected as well. Return this gadget and receive your dessert/order at the counter.