Town Crier Articles

You may have noticed a shiny new sign hanging over the vacant space between Conte's Bike Shop and the old Dudley's Bistro location on Courthouse St. The new tenant will be a combination location of Kung Fu Tea, a decade-old international startup specializing in the wildly popular bubble tea phenomenon, and TKK Chicken, a Taiwan-based veteran of the overseas fast food market dating back to 1974.

 

For owner Feiyan Lin, it will be her second Kung Fu Tea location and she hopes to repeat the success of a buzzing location in Newport News near Christopher Newport University. The interior is sleek and adorned with bright colors, vibrant music (that isn't too loud) and includes tables, chairs, and even a comfy couch for patrons to enjoy Kung Fu Tea's vast selection of potables spanning from bubble tea to milk tea to smoothies and espresso. If you've never had bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, boba milk tea, or simply boba) it's definitely worth a whirl. Kung Fu Tea USA describes it as "a Taiwanese drink that was invented in Taichung in the 1980's. Typically, tea is mixed with milk or fruits and topped off with chewy tapioca balls (bubbles, boba, pearls). Customers can go classic tea or slush, milk tea or punch—and more. All drinks can be customized in three steps: Topping Level, Sugar Level, and Ice Level. Toppings range from bubbles and popping bubbles to different types of beans and jellies. Bottom line: you can't go wrong and trust your baristas (also known as Kung Fu Masters) to guide you to your new favorite drink.

 

Joining Lin's lineup in this location will be the launch of her first TKK Chicken location and even though they've been overseas for over 40 years, they've only been on the domestic scene since 2018 with locations in New York and throughout the Northeast, Detroit, Oklahoma, and Texas. New Town will be the growing empire's eleventh location. The menu includes flavorful Taiwanese style fried chicken in original, crispy, and spicy crispy varieties as well as sandwiches, tenders, and a very Westernized selection of sides like seasoned fries and biscuits. Most notable, however, is one of TKK's signature dishes called Kwa Kwa Bao, a mixture of sticky rice and shiitake mushrooms stuffed into chicken skin and fried to crispy brown (and yes your author will be waiting in line to try this decadent delicacy on day one).

 

Construction is almost complete and Lin expects to be open for business sometime in March, though a firm date hasn't been set. If you would like to dream (and maybe drool a little) about TKK's deliciousness, you can get started by visiting the websites for TKK Chicken or Kung Fu Tea!