As we walked around Castro, we stumbled upon a quaint Hong Kong fusion cafe. It was quite a surprise, as only a few months prior we had enjoyed an assortment of ube-flavored delicacies at Café 86, the predecessor which had been located on the same lot. The employee working at the counter, the only one there, explained to us that T. Castle had opened in November, and she had previously been employed at Café 86. Glancing around the room on a Sunday morning, sunlight streaming through the front windows and the hum of relaxing music playing, we noticed that the minimalist design reminded us of the 2018–2020 DIY era due to a mixture of real and fake plants, along with framed prints spanning the walls. There were also oat, soy, and almond milk substitutes on a shelf.
Since we got there right at opening time, 11 AM, we were the first customers of the day. However, due to severe understaffing, it took a long time for us to receive our orders. This proved to be a recurring theme over the hour we spent there as we observed five additional instances of people waiting for an exorbitant amount of time for a drink or waffle. We noticed that the demographic of many of the customers were Trader Joe’s-tote-bag-wielding men and women, as we spotted a whopping four of them, although Coco admittedly counts as one. Whether this is correlation or causation remains uncertain.
Between the three of us we ordered the corny puffy dog, boba-filled egg puff waffle, Oreo lover soft serve ice cream, Thai tea, and house milk tea.
Corny Puffy Dog (6.5/10)
It is extremely hard to report on the history of the corny puffy dog because there is truly nothing like it. Hot dogs are a known staple in street food, but T. Castle’s waffle-wrapped dog appears to be unprecedented in culinary chronicles.
The corny puffy dog entails a hot dog in an egg puff waffle topped with corn, cheese, grilled onions, mayo, paprika, and green garnish. At first, we were at a loss for exactly how to handle the dish, given that any attempt to hold it like a normal hot dog was futile, as the soggy waffle would have easily crumbled under the weight of all the toppings. The next option was to cut it into smaller bites, which proved difficult due to an absence of knives. Surprisingly, the plastic spoon ended up being more effective than the fork in this matter. The meat itself was fairly good, but not that different from any ordinary hot dog. Similar to an average hot dog, the waffle-to-meat ratio was satisfactory and provided a good balance. However, the same cannot be said of the corn ratio; the flavor of corn somehow became the overpowering factor despite being, well, corn. We also noted that while there was certainly a wait for the corny puffy dog, it was served steaming hot.
Boba-filled Egg Puff Waffle (7.5/10)
The egg puff waffle—also known as the bubble waffle or gai daan jai (“little eggs”) in their birthplace of Hong Kong—originated in the 1950s as a resourceful effort by street vendors to make use of damaged eggs that could not be sold but were still safe to eat. They are still one of the most prominently sold street foods in Hong Kong.
This innovative golden waffle replaced the classic square-pocketed waffle with airy bubbles, many of them filled by chewy boba. However, the distribution was quite uneven. The waffle achieved the perfect texture: simultaneously warm, chewy, soft, and fresh. While the boba was fairly average, it served its purpose; there just wasn’t enough of it.
Oreo Lover Soft Serve Ice Cream (7.5/10)
Soft serve is a lighter and airier version of ice cream. Its origin is debated; most cite the soft serve machine made by Charles Taylor in 1926 as the discovery of this dessert. Today, the Taylor company soft serve machines are found in McDonald’s all over the world. Another story claims that soft serve was born in 1934 when Tom Carvel’s ice cream broke down and he sold the melted ice cream. Dairy Queen also claims that its founders J.F. McCullough and his son Alex invented the formula for it in 1938.
This soft serve consisted of a cup of vanilla ice cream topped with a layer of Oreo cookie crumbs. Appearance-wise, it was quite plain and underwhelming. In terms of taste, the ice cream itself was unlike any soft serve that we have had before. While soft serves are usually airy, this version was creamy and almost had a sticky texture. It was unexpected but delicious, and we would go back to enjoy it again. Our only critique was that, like many of the menu items, there were no size options, and we agreed that it was too much for a single person to eat.
Specialty Drink: Thai Tea (7.5/10)
Even though Thai tea as we know it originated in Thailand, tea itself was introduced to the country through Chinese migration and international trade. The drink was then locally modified to include condensed milk and ice, gaining popularity in the 1980s and eventually spreading internationally.
The Thai tea was bold and aromatic, which we really enjoyed, with the tea flavor standing out more than the milk or sugar. It was refreshing and energizing, making it an ideal drink to wake us up and start the day. However, the experience could still have been improved if provided with adjustable sweetness levels and size options.
Boba Milk Tea Series: House Milk Tea (7.5/10)
Boba tea was born in Taiwan in the 1980s. Tapioca balls, often called pearls, were added to a tea base to add a chewy texture to the smooth tea. Today, it has spread all over the world and boba tea shops are commonplace in any city.
The house milk tea with boba was very average. We did appreciate that the 25% sweetness that we ordered was honored. At other boba tea shops, milk teas are overwhelmingly sweet, even when the sweetness is 25%; so, it was a pleasant surprise to receive a drink that was decidedly not sweet.
Overall, we thought that the cafe was mediocre, but would still recommend it as a place to stop by when no one else is waiting—especially to try an item with the egg puff waffle.
