Happy Lemon: Yummy Rock Salt & Cheese Drinks

Milk tea and fruit tea stores these days have been popping up like mushrooms in different parts of the metro. Although Happy Lemon is another beverage spot boasting quality tea drinks, it is a Chinese store worth visiting. Branded to offer the world's yummiest drinks, Happy Lemon did not fail to impress me with their line of Rock Salt & Cheese beverages.

Green Tea and Coffee, both with Rock Salt & Cheese

I first came across Happy Lemon at Eastwood. Its unbelievably long line of eager customers caught my eye. Why would these people take the time to get in a line as long as EDSA just to order a drink? (Of course, I'm just exaggerating with the EDSA thing!) Although I was curious to what the fuss is all about, I didn't have the time nor the patience to line up during my first Happy Lemon sighting.

However just a few weeks ago, my date and I were lucky to have caught Happy Lemon without the super long line of customers. We didn't know yet what exactly to order. Good thing though, the staff at the counter was really friendly and told us that their Rock Salt & Cheese beverages are their bestsellers.

Happy Lemon at Eastwood Mall

I ordered a large Cocoa with Rock Salt & Cheese (P100) while my date got a large order of cold Cocoa with Pudding (P95). Their large drinks were not as big as we expected, since Gong Cha's and Chatime's beverages were bigger. However, I was still so excited to taste my drink that I actually forgot that I should take a photo first.

Cocoa with Rock Salt & Cheese and Cocoa with Pudding

The creamy mixture on top of my cocoa drink looked very tempting and sinful. After taking a sip, I understood why people don't get discouraged to get in a long line just to order from Happy Lemon. The rock salt and cheese was a smooth and milky goodness, slightly sweet and slightly salty. It gave the subtle cocoa drink a really strong and delicious flavor. My date's drink on the other hand, was not as tasty as my order. The cocoa was not as strong as we would have wanted, but the pudding was a delight to eat.

Our first Happy Lemon experience was easily followed by another one. But this time, at their newly opened Trinoma branch.

Happy Lemon at Trinoma

As expected, people were flocking by Happy Lemon's stall just to get a hold of their favorite drinks. It was a little surprising though that this is still the scene even on a Monday afternoon. But despite the long line, my date and I still pursued our quest to give their other Rock Salt & Cheese offerings a try.

Green Tea with Yummy Rock Salt & Cheese

I got a large Green Tea with Rock Salt & Cheese (P90) this time. The rock salt and cheese mixture was still the same creamy blend of sweet and salty -- really yummy! The green tea on the other hand, was clean tasting and freshly brewed. It also had a strong green tea taste. People who don't really like plain tea, or green tea for that matter, may not like this. But as for me who loves green tea, and actually almost every kind of tea, it was great. I especially love the taste when the green tea and rock salt and cheese mixture combine together. It tastes amazing!

Coffee with again the Yummy Rock Salt & Cheese

For this trip, my date got a large order of Coffee with Rock Salt & Cheese (P100). My date loved the sweet and salty taste of the creamy mixture on top of his drink. The coffee however, was a bit strong for his liking. As he puts it, it was just okay. Mixing the coffee with the rock salt and cheese didn't do anything extraordinary either. Since the coffee was a little too powerful, it just drowned the sweet and salty creamy mixture.

THE VERDICT

With a growing following in the Metro, Happy Lemon proves to be truly a competitive store in today's Philippine beverage market. With friendly servers and great tasting drinks in their Rock Salt & Cheese selection, it'll probably attract more people to make the lines in every Happy Lemon store longer.

However, being satisfied by their Rock Salt & Cheese line will not be the end for me. With a wide variety of drinks -- lemon series, milk tea, mousse spin, cocoa & coffee, specialty drinks and fresh tea, I will surely be back at Happy Lemon to see if they really hold the world's yummiest drinks.

Taste - 4.5/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Happy Lemon, Eastwood Mall
4/F, Eastwood Mall, E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.,
Bagumbayan, Libis
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines

Happy Lemon, Trinoma
Trinoma Mall, North Ave. cor. Mindanao Ave
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines