Singapore's food and hawker stalls hold hidden pearls of bubble tea

THEY came without warning. On Wednesday, food stalls selling bubble tea on the side found themselves swamped with orders, following the Singapore authorities' decision the day before to deem bubble tea outlets a non-essential service during the nation's partial lockdown.

As popular brands such as Gong Cha and Koi hurried to meet the requirements of the new measures, consumers hunted high and low for places to get their bubble tea fix.

It didn't take long for most to realise that the answer lay in food establishments still allowed to operate.