For the past couple of months I’ve been developing somewhat of a sweet tooth, but sometimes the sugary sweets and treats that I have at home aren’t enough. I always like going out and trying new places, and over spring break I got to try what are now some of my favorite sweets. Cake, ice cream, drinks: if you’re in the mood for something sugary, I recommend trying these places out!

Feng Cha – Food: 7/10 | Atmosphere: 10/10 | Price: 6/10

This is a teahouse that also does sparkling drinks and cakes. There’s one right around the corner from UTD on Custer Parkway. I like going here every now and then with friends just to sit down and talk, maybe even get some work done. Along with a lot of seating, it also offers board games to borrow and play. Just recently, they even added a claw machine full of anime plushies.

Over spring break, I decided to go to Feng Cha again with my brother. I ordered the “Strawberry Overload,” one of their most popular drinks. It’s a little sour and packs a punch as I added some sparkling water, and the strawberry chunks added to the texture and gave a good mix of sour and sweet. My brother ordered the “Dirty Boba,” one of their other most popular drinks. It’s matcha tea with cheese foam on top, matcha in the middle, brown sugar around the sides, and boba on the bottom.

However, what I was most particularly interested in was the cakes. I usually stick with the “Strawberry Princess,” which is covered in cheese milk foam and strawberry. It tastes similar to the “Strawberry Overload” drink, except it’s much sweeter. The “Cookie Snowfall” is covered in cheese foam and Oreos. It certainly tastes like Oreo, however the sour taste of the strawberry in the “Strawberry Princess” helps compliment the foam better. I also tried the “Tiramisu Treasure,” but the bitter hints of coffee weren’t for me. However, the taste of chocolate was absolutely present, and I most likely would’ve enjoyed it if it weren’t for the coffee. Even my brother, who is a coffee fanatic, says the coffee is a little overwhelming. The “Strawberry Princess” is still my favorite; because they put so much milk foam on the cake, I love dunking the entirety of the cake into the extra milk foam.

Overall, I love the environment of Feng Cha. It’s a peaceful and quiet place to hang out with friends or focus on work. They keep everything very clean, the chairs are really comfy, and the staff is very nice and willing to help whenever they can. They also recently even added some kiosks to order digitally instead. That’s usually my preference when it comes to ordering food since I take a long time to come to a decision. If you’re in the mood to stay outdoors instead, in front of the teahouse is a central grassy area with trees decorated with lights as well as tables and benches to sit and relax at. After eating, my brother and I took a quick walk around the space and just took in the fresh air. If you’re looking for a peaceful place for studying and sweets, definitely stop by Feng Cha!

Aqua S – Food 8/10 | Atmosphere: 7/10 | Price: 7/10

Aqua S is a cafe about 40 minutes from campus known primarily for its ice cream. Every month they theme the location after an anime. For March, they did a “Sailor Guardian Cafe” and decorated the place with Sailor Moon posters, figurines, and cardboard standees. While eating inside, you could watch Sailor Moon on a small television that they had on display. Each food item they offered also followed the Sailor Moon theme, decorated and named after the sailor guardians. I hadn’t gone to Aqua S before this as I wasn’t familiar with the other anime themes they’ve had in the past, but after this visit I’m inclined to try their other foods the next time they have a new theme.

I got the “Moon Princess” ice cream, which was a vanilla soft serve with a strawberry drizzle and sprinkles. The vanilla was some of the sweetest ice cream I’ve ever had, and the strawberry was not overwhelming at all. The sprinkles added texture, and it even had Fruity Pebbles at the bottom. When I got to the bottom, I’d try and slurp up every last bit of ice cream. Even when just the waffle bowl was left, it absorbed just the right amount of ice cream so the texture would be crunchy but not too hard. I wish I could’ve ordered more “Moon Princess” to take home!

I also tried the two cakes that they offered. “The Destined Love” was a vanilla cake with a strawberry drizzle. It’s pretty similar to “Moon Princess,” but in cake form. “Luna Artemis” was a vanilla cake with a chocolate drizzle and a Ferrero Rocher on the top. I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of chocolate flavor in the cake, but that may have just been my craving for more chocolate.

As much as I loved the environment and the food, the biggest difficulty was getting there. Because Aqua S is in the heart of Dallas, you have to deal with the traffic that comes with it. It was very difficult to find parking, and the parking lots next to Aqua S had a lot of dead ends that are difficult to back out of. We ended up parking at the Dallas Museum of Art and walking to Aqua S. Despite this, I really enjoyed the walk; we were able to pass the Perot Museum and walk through Klyde Warren Park. Being able to sightsee made Aqua S feel like a bonus, especially since we were able to continue to take in the environment as we sat outside and ate our ice cream. I highly recommend stopping by when spending time in Dallas or looking for something to do with friends or family.