Fulll: Taste & Be Blessed
Having lived in Taiwan for months at a time in the last half-decade or so, it often feels more like home these days when I’m there in Taipei. If you’ve never been to Taiwan, if I could describe it in one word, it’d be pleasant – the people there are friendly, the food tastes amazing, there’s plenty to do, and stuff in general is pretty great quality.
Because it’s hot and humid there, drinks are everywhere and competition is fierce. In other words, if your drinks aren’t awesome, anybody can walk a block down and find another drink shop that’s better. In time, all the surviving drink shops are sublime and sell some really amazing drinks for pretty cheap.
Coming back to Dallas, that was one of the luxuries I always missed – truly high quality, great drinks at an affordable price. That was until Fulll opened this Summer at the Food Court on 75 and Legacy.
I’m always a bit skeptical of drink shops; and admittedly I’m a snob when it comes to it Asian food/drink places. I even think the highly anticipated 85 degrees in Carrollton and soon opening in Plano can’t come close to the real 85 degrees in Taiwan. I’ll always compare these new shops opening up to the “real thing” in Asia and walk out murmuring, “it ain’t that good”.
But Fulll, I can say, without a doubt is legit. It is the real thing and as close as you can possibly get to the top-of-the-line drink shops in Taipei. Whether you’re in the mood for a cold Grapefruit Green Tea, an invigorating Matcha Latte with Red Bean, a popular Milk Tea with pearl, or a specialty Yogurt Drink, Fulll got your back. And all of their drinks are healthy and made with real, fresh ingredients.
It’s because the owners literally lived, trained, and learned the secrets in some of the hottest drink places in Taipei to bring that goodness to Dallas.
What makes these tea and fruit drinks really good?
First, it starts with simply the quality of ingredients.
Fulll uses fresh and real fruit in all of their drinks. You’ll even find parts of the grapefruit used to make your Grapefruit Orange Green Tea in your cup. The orange, grapefruit, apple, etc are all real fresh fruit squeezed into your drink.
Second, you look at the toppings and the quality of it.
In Taiwan, it’s all about the Boba (or otherwise known as pearls – those chewy black balls), or the other common toppings like Grass Jelly, Red Bean, Aloe, Pudding, etc. Most places are going to have it but is it really good? I think Fulll hits the nail on all of their toppings. Fresh made, boba is cooked just right, not overly done or undercooked – you get the right texture that just pleasantly accommodates the drink and is just the right amount.
Lastly, this one is really hard to judge – but there’s always the secret ingredient of the love that goes into it. It’s hard to explain but even if you have the first two right (which is already a challenge in it of itself), some drink shops are just better because of the people making it.
And I’m talking beyond the customization you can get with it (Sugar levels from 0-100%, Ice Levels from 0-100%) because that’s expected from any great tea shop in Taiwan (and also offered at Fulll). Every time I’ve stepped into Fulll, I’ve seen the owner personally make my drink. Yes, they have hired hands helping out but more often than not, you’ll find the owners themselves hand making the drink. And that’s something a machine or any worker you find here can’t really imitate – someone with hands on experience in Taipei making your drink.
As just an added bonus, there’s a super easy loyalty program they offer. You don’t need to be carrying around some stamp card or punch card, you simply input your phone number at the cashier each time and it’ll tell you how many points you’re away from a free drink.
And shoot, if you’re there around lunch or dinner time, there’s a nice variety of pretty authentic shops to try. Everything from traditional Hakka cuisine, to Korean food, Chinese bakery delights, Filipino cuisine, and even crawfish and cajun food. It’s BYOB, but I think you may as well get a drink from Fulll too if you want to have a great dining experience.
Lastly, this one is really hard to judge – but there’s always the secret ingredient of the love that goes into it. It’s hard to explain but even if you have the first two right (which is already a challenge in it of itself), some drink shops are just better because of the people making it.
And I’m talking beyond the customization you can get with it (Sugar levels from 0-100%, Ice Levels from 0-100%) because that’s expected from any great tea shop in Taiwan (and also offered at Fulll). Every time I’ve stepped into Fulll, the people making the drinks just have that skill and touch to make the drink perfectly balanced. And that’s something a machine or just anybody you find here can’t really imitate.
