A combination bubble tea cafe and Asian restaurant in Newcastle's Eldon Square has closed down. Chatime and Wei's Malatang, located next to the escalators near Damaged Society, shut earlier this month.
Ten years in Grey's Quarter
The bubble tea house opened in 2016 at the opening of Grey's Quarter. Of the locations that opened alongside it, Chaopraya, Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny's, SmashBurger, The Alchemist, Tortilla and Chiquitos remain.
Bubble tea is a popular drink originating from Taiwan in the 1980s. Chatime has over 2,500 outlets worldwide, originating in Taiwan in 2005. It opened its first international store in 2006, expanding to over 64 countries since.
Wei's Malatang speciality
Wei's Malatang served hot pots from the Chatime location, offering a mix of Asian cuisines with Malatang as its speciality. Malatang is a traditional Chinese street food dish with meats, vegetables and noodles served in a broth seasoned with Sichuan pepper and dried chilli.
A forfeiture notice dated October 22 was posted outside the Chatime location. Eldon Square has been contacted for comment on the closure.
