Have you heard the joke about the polar bear and the giant squid? Neither have I, but Bubble Crush depicts both fearsome creatures within painted cutouts on a white brick wall. There has to be a joke in there somewhere. Until those words materialize, I’m simply left to enjoy boba tea at Xiaodan Wang’s Monterey Park shop, which reminded me a lot of Boba Guys, only with a polar bear logo instead of an aardvark.

Bubble Crush promises “no powder, no creamers, no fruit syrups” in their selection of milk teas, fruit teas, cheese teas, tiramisu milk teas, and matcha. I opted for a toasty Roasted Oolong Tea with Cheese Foam ($4.50) that tempered the tea’s judicious sweetness with thick, savory cheese cream and a dusting of slightly bitter matcha powder. I made sure to add bouncy Boba ($0.50) to keep the bear and squid occupied.