Profile

TKettle is a boba shop first, serving up black and green teas dotted with chewy, sweet tapioca balls. The balls are prepared throughout the day to maximize freshness, and the teas cooled for hours so they don’t get watered down in their iced iterations. There are also coffee slushes and fresh-fruit milk shakes. Beyond beverages, TKettle has gained a following for its dumplings, made fresh in a Queens basement by dumpling legend Sun Le. Limited to 100 servings per day, the dumplings are served steamed, with taut, thin, slightly chewy skins that have the mottled, individualized look of handmade. The three fillings—pork, veggie, and a house blend of shrimp, pork and sea cucumber—are juicy, flavorful, and packed with scallions. Diners can also partake of the Korean export BBQ Chicken, which shares the space. The shop itself is the cleanest thing on St. Marks Place, with white walls and a sparkling white tile floor, offset by modern orange chairs and light fixtures. A narrow passageway connects the front counter to a back seating nook adorned with a glassed-in panel of three-by-thirty stacks of—what else—tea kettles. — Ethan Wolff

House dumplings, $6.50 for ten; large bubble tea, $3.65