June 11, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

E-Tea for two -- or more

by Grace Rauh

T ucked at the bottom of Castro Street, opposite the train station, e-Tea & Coffee offers one-stop shopping for anyone with a sweet tooth. It's a kid-friendly dessert cafe where you'll find cakes, ice creams, dessert crepes, sundaes, milkshakes, smoothies, pearl teas and fresh juices.

If you can't make up your mind, just step inside the cheerful lime green- and orange-colored café (formerly the site of the Double Rainbow). Colorful pictures on the walls can help an indecisive customer choose between the fruity Gemini specialty drink and a gooey sundae.

Smoothies, fruit juices and e-Tea's 12 specialty horoscope drinks (named after zodiac signs) are the best picks on the menu. The dessert cafe does offer a few savory sandwiches and crepes, but these are made with poor-quality meats and aren't appetizing.

The drinks, however, are inventive, fresh and fun. I'd stick with them. On my first visit I tried an individual mocha cake ($2.95) and the berry blossom smoothie ($3.50). The pink drink arrived in a tall plastic cup with a lid and tasted fresh, fruity and creamy. The smoothie was made with oranges, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and French vanilla ice cream and is lighter than most milkshakes. The refreshing drink is a great pick-me-up and is easy to carry out.

The round mocha cake boasted layers of coffee and chocolate mousse that rested on a thin chocolate-cake bottom. A bit of chocolate shaped like a coffee bean adorned the circular treat and I found the cake moist with a smooth texture.

However, my second venture into e-Tea's cake counter was not as positive as my first. On a later visit, the cakes in the display case all looked very tired -- and appeared to have been sitting out too long. Digging my plastic fork into the raspberry mango cheesecake ($2.95) only confirmed my suspicions. Although the cheesecake's interior was creamy and rich, the outer layer had toughened. The texture put me off and I was quickly dissuaded from wanting to try other cake options.

Thankfully the menu includes an array of fresh juices, including everything from kiwi to papaya milk. I chose the fresh watermelon juice ($3.50) and was thrilled with my find. The fresh juice was sweet, incredibly refreshing and a wide pearl tea straw allowed small chunks of watermelon to make their way out of the cup and into my mouth.

The basic pearl milk tea ($1.69) is a great deal and I enjoyed the tapioca balls at the bottom of my cup. Unlike beverages served at other downtown teashops, my cold milky drink from e-Tea was not very sweet. The pearls were chewy and had a pleasant consistency.

The cappuccino frost or Libra specialty drink ($3.50) was sweet and filling. The blended drink was made from espresso, chocolate, vanilla ice cream and milk, but I wanted it to be richer and creamier.

The drink that won the highest praise from all my dining companions was the Gemini specialty drink ($3.50). This fruity concoction combined honeydew melon, kiwi, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, peaches and orange sherbet. The drink was divided into two layers: a light and subtle green section made with the kiwi and honeydew, and a brighter, denser layer at the bottom, holding the rest of the fruit.

I could dip my straw just into the top for a taste of the refreshing honeydew and kiwi and plunge to the bottom for a burst of robust flavor, reminiscent of a bite of sorbet. And then, I swirled the layers together, to try another fantastic mix of flavors.

To test the Double Rainbow ice cream selection, we ordered the Mexico taco sundae ($4.50). I picked mint chocolate chip ice cream, coffee almond fudge ice cream and "It's a goody" -- vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate chips -- to go in the waffle cone shaped like a taco. The ice cream was delicious, but the sundae as a whole was under-whelming. The server added meager amounts of whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and only sprinkled peanuts on top when we requested them.

The chocolate, banana and strawberry dessert crepe ($4) was a tasty treat. The sliced fruit was covered with Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread, and wrapped in a thin crepe with whipped cream and chocolate sauce on top. A lighter and thinner crepe would have been more pleasing, but the overall combination made for an excellent dessert. Unlike the savory crepes, the dessert crepe arrived on a plate and was easy to eat with a fork and a knife.

Before embarking on a dessert-a-thon, my dining partners and I felt we ought to fortify ourselves with some lunch fare first. Unfortunately, everything we tried was unappetizing.

The curry chicken crepe ($4.50) and meat-with-veggies crepe ($4.95) weren't worth their affordable price tag. The mild curry sauce was thick and non-flavorful and it covered hunks of chicken, potatoes, onions and carrots. The meat with veggies included ham, avocado, corn, lettuce, alfalfa spouts, pineapple, tomato, cheddar cheese and mayonnaise. Both crepes were folded into cardboard cones, but they were unwieldy and difficult to eat.

The avocado turkey sandwich ($4.25) was also inexpensive, but down the street at Subway, sandwiches pack more flavor and quality for a similar price. At least the white roll tasted fresh.

I would happily return to e-Tea & Coffee to try more smoothies, fruit juices and specialty drinks. I'll just eat my lunch elsewhere.
Free wireless Internet for customers Reservations: no Credit cards: yes Parking: no Outdoor seating: yes Alcohol: no Booster seats and high chairs: no Private dining and banquet facilities: no Catering: yes Takeout: yes Noise level: moderate Bathroom cleanliness: excellent

e-Tea & Coffee, 135 Castro St. in Mountain View; (650) 625-9888; www.eteacafe.com

Hours: Sun.-Thurs. 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.

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