Nov. 24, 1999 DAILY BRUIN STAFF
By Jessica Holt, Daily Bruin Staff
Fifteen years ago in Taiwan a specialty tea craze began. Tea houses serving fresh, natural made-to-order drinks like Chai and flavored, frothy iced tea with black pearls popped up all over the place.
This tea craze has slowly infiltrated the United States as a follow up to the specialty coffee trend that began in the early '90s. Coffee stores like Starbucks and The Coffee Bean all feature specialty tea drinks now. Yet only a few businesses specialize entirely in Asian tea drinks in Los Angeles.
Zen Zoo Tea is one of those few. The cozy tea house, located in a quaint strip of businesses on San Vicente at the border of Brentwood and Santa Monica, offers a broad selection of made-to-order, delicious tea drinks and satisfying, flavorful food with a peaceful ambience that soothes and relaxes.
Only in business a year, Zen Zoo Tea's owners Alfred Ritter and Linda Yu have developed a faithful following of tea devotees who are attracted to the palpable personal touch and excellent menu selection.
The place, coated in the warm, muted hues of dark wood, burgundy and amber, feels like a local neighborhood haunt. There's even a bar for tea drinkers to chat with the two amiable proprietors, except the noise level always stays at a quiet lull and these patrons are sipping tea not guzzling beer.
The big draw at Zen Zoo Tea are Ritter's trademarked ZenFusion tea drinks. The fruit infused beverage is prepared per order "martini style." Shaken, not stirred, the drinks are a frosty, frothy mix of freshly brewed tea, ice, a little sugar and naturally flavored fruit syrup.
With a wide array of flavors (honey, lemon, mango, passion fruit, peach, mint and tangerine) customers are assured of finding a taste that suits their fancy. The mint ZenFusion drink is mild and comforting while the mango flavor refreshes and enlivens the senses.
The tea house also serves a Chai drink that puts Starbucks to shame. The special, Indian black tea is mixed with vanilla, cinnamon, cardammon, ginger, sugar and non-dairy creamer. Black pearls - or bo ba nai cha as they are called in Taiwan - can be added to the drink as well ($.50). The Chai drink is spicy and invigorating, sipped through a large straw to accommodate the size of the chewy pearls.
Zen Zoo also features a vast hot tea menu of green, black and oolong teas from Taiwan, China, Japan and India. Ordered by the cup ($1.75), small pot ($2.25) or large pot ($4.00), tea afficionados will be thrilled by the variety. A special list of rare teas, available only by the pot, range in price from $2.50 to $14.50 and were selected by a Taiwanese tea master.
Complimenting the tea list, Zen Zoo's food selections are rewarding, sumptuous dishes that perfectly flatter and enhance the beverages. Traditional dim sum, flavorful rice bowls and zesty salads ranging from $2.95 to $7, round out the stablishment's inventory.
The dim sum, served all day long, comes out steaming hot in orders of three. The shrimp shu mei, chicken shu mei and the vegetable dumpling are tasty appetizers, comforting and savory. Platters can be ordered for $8.95.
The chicken curry rice bowl is a deliciously aromatic dish, generously seasoned with curry, peppers and spices. The succulent chicken impeccably adds flavor to the perfectly prepared rice.
Another treat is the ginger chicken salad at $7. This piquant selection tantalizes the taste buds with a pungent, lively ginger dressing, fresh baby spring greens, cherry tomatoes bursting with tang and tender, shredded chicken.
Zen Zoo also offers vegetarian selections of tofu salad, shitake mushroom and spinach and a mixed green salad.
Desserts like the chocolate chip pecan cookie (which boasts that it will calm the spirit) or the chocolate brownie (which will give passion and power) will likely satisfy any sweet tooth.
The relaxed, peaceful atmosphere, stimulating tea selection and yummy eats all make Zen Zoo Tea a place to become a regular. Ritter and Yu have talked about expanding into Westwood. Let's hope Zen Zoo comes soon.
By Jessica Holt, Daily Bruin Staff
Fifteen years ago in Taiwan a specialty tea craze began. Tea houses serving fresh, natural made-to-order drinks like Chai and flavored, frothy iced tea with black pearls popped up all over the place.
This tea craze has slowly infiltrated the United States as a follow up to the specialty coffee trend that began in the early '90s. Coffee stores like Starbucks and The Coffee Bean all feature specialty tea drinks now. Yet only a few businesses specialize entirely in Asian tea drinks in Los Angeles.
Zen Zoo Tea is one of those few. The cozy tea house, located in a quaint strip of businesses on San Vicente at the border of Brentwood and Santa Monica, offers a broad selection of made-to-order, delicious tea drinks and satisfying, flavorful food with a peaceful ambience that soothes and relaxes.
Only in business a year, Zen Zoo Tea's owners Alfred Ritter and Linda Yu have developed a faithful following of tea devotees who are attracted to the palpable personal touch and excellent menu selection.
The place, coated in the warm, muted hues of dark wood, burgundy and amber, feels like a local neighborhood haunt. There's even a bar for tea drinkers to chat with the two amiable proprietors, except the noise level always stays at a quiet lull and these patrons are sipping tea not guzzling beer.
The big draw at Zen Zoo Tea are Ritter's trademarked ZenFusion tea drinks. The fruit infused beverage is prepared per order "martini style." Shaken, not stirred, the drinks are a frosty, frothy mix of freshly brewed tea, ice, a little sugar and naturally flavored fruit syrup.
With a wide array of flavors (honey, lemon, mango, passion fruit, peach, mint and tangerine) customers are assured of finding a taste that suits their fancy. The mint ZenFusion drink is mild and comforting while the mango flavor refreshes and enlivens the senses.
The tea house also serves a Chai drink that puts Starbucks to shame. The special, Indian black tea is mixed with vanilla, cinnamon, cardammon, ginger, sugar and non-dairy creamer. Black pearls - or bo ba nai cha as they are called in Taiwan - can be added to the drink as well ($.50). The Chai drink is spicy and invigorating, sipped through a large straw to accommodate the size of the chewy pearls.
Zen Zoo also features a vast hot tea menu of green, black and oolong teas from Taiwan, China, Japan and India. Ordered by the cup ($1.75), small pot ($2.25) or large pot ($4.00), tea afficionados will be thrilled by the variety. A special list of rare teas, available only by the pot, range in price from $2.50 to $14.50 and were selected by a Taiwanese tea master.
Complimenting the tea list, Zen Zoo's food selections are rewarding, sumptuous dishes that perfectly flatter and enhance the beverages. Traditional dim sum, flavorful rice bowls and zesty salads ranging from $2.95 to $7, round out the stablishment's inventory.
The dim sum, served all day long, comes out steaming hot in orders of three. The shrimp shu mei, chicken shu mei and the vegetable dumpling are tasty appetizers, comforting and savory. Platters can be ordered for $8.95.
The chicken curry rice bowl is a deliciously aromatic dish, generously seasoned with curry, peppers and spices. The succulent chicken impeccably adds flavor to the perfectly prepared rice.
Another treat is the ginger chicken salad at $7. This piquant selection tantalizes the taste buds with a pungent, lively ginger dressing, fresh baby spring greens, cherry tomatoes bursting with tang and tender, shredded chicken.
Zen Zoo also offers vegetarian selections of tofu salad, shitake mushroom and spinach and a mixed green salad.
Desserts like the chocolate chip pecan cookie (which boasts that it will calm the spirit) or the chocolate brownie (which will give passion and power) will likely satisfy any sweet tooth.
The relaxed, peaceful atmosphere, stimulating tea selection and yummy eats all make Zen Zoo Tea a place to become a regular. Ritter and Yu have talked about expanding into Westwood. Let's hope Zen Zoo comes soon.
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