Hannah Sit

ASEL Asian Treats and Tea is a unique new Asian dessert place.

I love all things boba. Whenever I meet up with my friends or go shopping with my mom, I always make sure to get boba beforehand. Therefore, I was really excited when I heard that a new boba place named ASEL just opened less than 15 minutes from my house on Randall Road in Batavia. I knew I had to try it out. As a result, I now have a new favorite boba place. It is so different from any other place I have been to, but in the best way. Everything is elegant and classy in a way that’s atypical for Asian stores and restaurants. Additionally, I ended up meeting the owner, Sani Cha, who is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and is part of what makes me want to go back again. 

Cha grew up in Thailand, a southeast Asian country on a peninsula between India and China, and frequently traveled around Asia with her husband, Eric, who is Korean-American. When they came to the U.S., they found that the desserts that they loved in Asia were not relatively available here. 

“We travel to Thailand and Korea all the time because he’s Korean and I’m Thai, and we always love dessert in Asian countries, and we can’t find anything like that in the U.S., and that’s why we were like, it would be nice if there’s some kind of those business open up in the U.S.,” said Cha. 

And that is what they have created with ASEL: not just a typical boba shop, but an Asian desert place with the foods they love themselves. Some of the specialties include their speciality “golden boba,” which is a honey-based boba that is lighter and sweeter than a traditional boba. There is also bingsu, which is like a Korean version of shaved ice — but better. Then there is my favorite, croffles: croissant batter in waffle form. And do not forget the matcha, a popular Japanese green tea. 

“We have boba coming in [the] place, and then a matcha bar, because I personally love matcha so much that I have to add matcha to the place, and that it became the combination of Asian dessert treats and tea and coffee,” said Cha. 

That same thoughtful deliberation goes into their production process as well, with many of the ingredients directly shipped from Asia. The matcha powder is from Kyoto in Japan, the bingsu ingredients are from Korea and even the bingsu machine is from an Asian country. 

“We want to deliver to our customers,” said Cha. “I want everyone to experience good quality. If I go to the cafe and the quality doesn’t meet my expectations, I don’t like it. I don’t want to sell something that [makes] people feel that way.” 

Naturally, I had high expectations after hearing this, and I was not disappointed. After sitting down at one of the many tables, I realized just how standard-raising this place is capable of being. Their croffles are heavenly, with the perfect texture and taste. Even the whipped cream on top tasted delicious. The croffles were sweet yet not too sweet; savory but not too savory. In other words, ASEL makes the Goldilocks of croffles. However, the bingsu was my favorite, by far. Though I ordered a small, the portion felt way bigger than a small. And the texture of the ice was like snow, so finely shaved. My order came with a strawberry sauce that was flavorful and sweet. And the cheesecake pieces on mine were the cherry on top. It is like shaved ice, only more refined and polished and a work of art. ASEL does an upscale take on food that elevates it to something higher, at accessible prices.  

And another thing I love about this place is that Sani is not trying to make this place cute, pastel-colored, with K-pop figures or cutesy Sanrio plushies. Instead of following the stereotype so many Asian businesses have set, she is creating her own aesthetic — elevated, refined, modern yet cozy —in a way unlike anyplace else. However, she still finds ways to incorporate her heritage into the cafe. K-pop music echoes softly in the background, before transitioning to Taylor Swift, and next to a faux tree is a map of Asia. 

“It’s not just the dessert. It’s also [the] aesthetic, the feeling, the experience. Because when you walk in our cafe, you can feel like, okay, this is different,” said Cha. “The warmth and the comfortable, relaxing, atmosphere are what we want.” 

This place is cool, cozy, yet elevated. Cha is always moving, talking to people and smiling at them, and the food is amazing. It is a wonderful atmosphere, so friendly and welcoming, with a certain area of elegance, like that girl who walks into school not looking like she is trying too hard but still somehow with every hair in place, yet with a smile that instantly makes you feel at home. Cha and her husband have poured tons of heart into this business, and I am impatiently awaiting the next time I can come back. 

“We want [customers] to know that this is gonna be the place that they can feel like home when they stop by and we will make a homemade dessert for them that they can’t find anywhere else. … It’s like our heart to this business,” said Cha.