Taiwanese boba chain The Alley created a boba tteokbokki drink in celebration of this past April Fools’ weekend.
From April 1st to April 3rd, customers were able to purchase “Pearl-Bokki” for 2,800 won (approximately $2.31) from the popular boba chain’s April Fool’s limited menu available at three South Korean locations: Garosu-gil, Goyang Starfield and Starfield Hanam.
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In a video demonstrating the creation of the unique concoction posted to their Instagram page, the chain’s “Deerioca” pearls can be seen being mixed in tteokbokki – a traditional Korean soul food made of chewy rice cakes in a thick and vibrant sweet-spicy gochujang sauce. The tapioca pearls, essentially tapioca starch and sugar, serve to thicken and sweeten the tteokbokki even further. The Alley finally garnishes the drink with slices of fried garlic before machine sealing the drink like a classic boba.
The chain offers a rather generous description of their new concoction, claiming, “The chewiness of the tapioca pearls paired with the strong flavors of the sauce is really delicious!”
“Pearl-Bokki,” however, received mixed reactions from members of Facebook community Subtle Asian Traits. While a handful of boba fans were interested in trying the drink, most were taken aback by the absurdity of the combination, wishing the unusual drink was truly an April’s Fool joke.
The Alley is a boba chain founded in Taiwan in 2015 by Mao-ting Chiu and now has over 300 locations across Taiwan, China, Japan, Canada, France, Australia and California.
