Chatime is a global bubble tea cafe franchise with over 1200 locations all over the world. We first tried Chatime in Toronto. Recently, Chatime opened 3 locations in Vancouver: Broadway, Downtown Vancouver Robson Street, and also in Richmond at 9100 Blundell Road. They praise themselves for fresh tea, non-powdered flavorings and also customization. You can choose the sweetness level, amount of ice and level of steeped tea.

We were invited by ChineseBites along with few fellow bloggers for their grand opening tasting to try their top Bubble Tea flavors.

We always wondered why there isn’t a good bubble tea shop in Downtown Vancouver or even near Chinatown. I am quite happy that Chatime has opened.

Chatime has quite a large selection of beverages: Bubble tea, Fresh Tea, Mousse / Tea Latte, Smoothie and Slushes and even Coffee.

Chatime Top 10 Bubble Tea Flavors

1. Pearl Milk Tea
2. Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea
3. Taro Pudding Milk Tea
4. Brown Rice Green Milk Tea
5. Taiwan Mango QQ
6. Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea
7. Mango Smoothie
8. Red Bean Pearl Milk Tea
9. Matcha Tea Latte
10. Chocolate Mousse

What is surprising and disappointing to us is that they do not have Malt (or Wheat Germs). Pearl Castle makes one mean Wheat Germ boba.

• Customization add ons:
  8 toppings available: pearls, grass jelly, coconut jelly, red bean, coffee jelly, aloe vera, rainbow jelly, pudding.
• Ice level: regular, less, no ice
• Sugar level: extra, regular, less, half, slight, no sugar (0% / 30% / 50% / 80%)

Pearl Milk Tea: How can you review a bubble restaurant if you don’t try their signature boba. We liked their Chatime Roasted Milk Tea vs their regular milk tea more because of the denser and more robust flavor. We later learnt that 30% sweet with half ice is the way to go.

Matcha Tea Latte: Definitely a drink you need half sweet. Give it a good mix before you drink it also. Otherwise the flavor just sits at the bottom.

Over Chatime is pretty tasty. However, service can be slow during peak hours and staff may not speak English fluently. There are some seating available and free WiFi if you are a Telus customer.

Chatime is always part of the vicinity reward program. Don’t forget to get your card. Every 10 points gets you 1 free drink.

More: Foodology | The Food Queen

Chatime Bubble Tea 日出荼太
URL: http://chatime.com
Cuisine: Bubble Tea, Boba, Dessert

Hours:
Monday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 – 11:00 pm

1274 Robson street, downtown vancouver, BC
(604) 911-9119

Lumiere Skin Health & Wellness Centre in Vancouver Downtown has been opened for around seven months now. It is located inside the Rogers building on 470 Granville Street. Not readily visible, I would have never found this place had I not seen deal on SocialShopper.

The SocialShopper deal is $69 for Complete 90-Minute Spa Package Including Aromatherapy Full Body Massage, European Facial and Much More (Value $198).

Lumiere Skin Health & Wellness Centre uses BABOR Cosmetics. I had never heard of Babor prior to my visit to Lumiere, but Babor is a skin care brand from Germany. It combines European botanical tradition with leading edge technology to produce benefits with proven effectiveness for every skin type and condition.

Lumiere Skin Health & Wellness Centre is a boutique studio owned and operated by Marvice. Services are by appointment only and seldom any walk-ins. On Saturdays, you will need to be buzzed in to access the building.

Marvice greet me with tea, a skin consultation with the Reveal Imager. Bascially this is a camera which takes a photo of your face and shows you where your brown spots are, pore sizes, inflammation spots, etc. I’m happy to report I have great skin with minimum brown spots.

Guess my mom was right to always apply sun screen and cleanse my face twice daily.

Next was a foot soak in lavender oil and followed by a relaxing full body massage. The massage was thorough, albeit too gentle. I wish, Lumiere had asked for my pressure preference for my massage upfront. I hate to interrupt and request a deeper massage.

The full body massage was followed by a soothing European facial using Babor Cosmetic products. First we cleansed, exfoliated and than moisturized with a hydrating mask. During the process, a little steam machine would hydrate my skin. Warm and cold towels were used in between for facial presses.

Overall, the experience at Lumiere Skin Health & Wellness Centre was very pleasant. The environment was clean and brightly lit, and clean slippers and robes were provided. There is one room for massages and facials so it’s a very quaint spa.

It’s always nice to test spas and salons first before committing to one you love. I would recommend purchasing the SocialShopper deal for $69 for Complete 90-Minute Spa Package Including Aromatherapy Full Body Massage, European Facial and Much More (Value $198) to test the salon first.

Not yet a SocialShopper member? Join Now.

Lumiere Skin Health & Wellness Centre
URL: http://lumierespa.ca
Business: Day Spa, Skin Care
470 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1V4
(604) 801-9881