By: Kelly Nguyen
MandRo Teahouse, a Taiwanese style dessert cafe, recently opened on 200 Serra Way in Milpitas, across from the Calaveras Plaza Shopping Center. MandRo is known for its assortment of bingsoo (Korean shaved ice) which come in several flavors like matcha red bean and strawberry. It also serves a variety of taro ball desserts and milk and fruit teas.
The cafe was crowded on a Friday evening and there was a long line, which was not surprising. Since it’s a smaller cafe, there wasn’t much room to move around. However, there’s some seating outside to compensate for the congestion from inside. When I ordered the mango bingsoo and taro ball dessert, they both took 15-20 minutes to come out, which was a little longer than I expected.
The top layer of the mango bingsoo had the same consistency as shaved ice, only lighter and softer. The bottom layer had a more creamy consistency, which tasted like vanilla soft-serve with a hint of mango flavoring. Both the snowy and creamy counterparts had a natural mango flavor. On the top, there were bite-sized mango pieces, which were just the right amount of sweetness and paired perfectly with the shaved ice. There was also condensed milk on the side, which you can pour on top but I opted out. Overall, the bingsoo was subtly sweet and refreshing, but nothing over the top.
The taro ball dessert had an icy base with grass jelly, taro balls, and creamer. The concept was there, but the overall taste and texture were underwhelming. There wasn’t enough ice to mix around with the herbal flavoring and creamer, which made the dessert more liquidy than usual. The grass jelly tasted the same as anywhere else, but the taro balls were rather bland. I couldn’t taste much of the flavor until a few minutes later when everything melted together; by then, it wasn’t that appetizing and it lacked the true consistency of shaved ice.
Overall, I’d rate the mango bingsoo 4 stars out of 5 and the taro ball dessert 3.5 stars out of 5. Both of the portions were relatively large and definitely fitting for multiple people. The sweetness wasn’t too overbearing, which is usually a concern with most dessert cafes. MandRo also offers a wide variety of dessert and milk tea options with different toppings, so there’s something for everyone. I’d recommend trying MandRo if you’re looking for unique desserts, but it’s nothing special compared to other Asian-inspired cafes, which offer better quality options.