Pucker up

Founded in Shanghai, Happy Lemon is a tea shop chain that recently opened in the new Safeway shopping center near Sacramento City College. Its drink menu is expansive, but the smiley cashier was ready to answer questions, give delicious suggestions and even tasty samples. Feeling adventurous, I ordered the Green Tea with Salted Cheese ($3.95). She advised me to drink it at a 45-degree angle to get both the smoothie-quality green tea flavor, followed by the sharp, sea salty-sweet cream that floats on top like seafoam. Its aroma is a tad stinky like cheese, and it’s the strangest balance of sweet and salty. I drank the entire thing and left as happy as the cute lemon mascot that greets customers inside. 3660 Crocker Dr., happylemon.com.