San Gabriel Valley Froyo Guide & History: Arcadia

 

Fro-yo girl here. If you’re looking for froyo in Arcadia, CA, your options are Yogurtland or Ace Yogurt. Ace Yogurt (160 E Duarte Rd.) is your old school froyo shop that first opened in 1990. It’s counter-serve, located in an older strip mall and serves Dannon YoCream froyo, smoothies, shaved ice, froyo pie and fruit salad. They even have Styrofoam cups. Yogurtland Arcadia (633 W Duarte Rd.) opened back in February 2009 in the strip mall anchored by Arcadia Supermarket. It was 30 cents an ounce and self-serve back then. The last time I went there, it was 49 cents/oz.

There used to be many more froyo shops in Arcadia. It was an early froyo hot spot, particularly at Westfield Santa Anita. Westfield Santa Anita had three froyo shops: Tutti Frutti, Cefiore, SweetXO, and Nubi and the Asian buffet restaurant, Kirin Buffet, also offered self-serve froyo.

Here’s the list of former froyo shops in Arcadia.

• Cefiore, 733 W Naomi Ave, Ste E, from 2008-2010: This branch was located in the same shopping center as Burlington Coat Factory and Daiso. The space is currently occupied by Lazy Bunny Tea House.
• Cefiore, 400 S Baldwin Ave, D3, from 2007-2011: Located inside Westfield Santa Anita, this was a counter-serve shop with four tart flavors.
• Nubi, 400 S Baldwin Ave, Ste 762-L, from 2009-2013: Located on the outside of Westfield Santa Anita food court, near Paris Baguette, this was a self-serve froyo shop. The space is currently occupied by Popbar. The same people own Ono Hawaiian BBQ.
• PinGo Yogurt, 633 W Duarte Rd, opened at Arcadia Center in 2007, two years before Yogurtland opened there. I’m not sure when it closed. It took awhile for the shopping center to remove the PinGo sign.
• Q Yogurt, 1220 Golden W Ave., from 2012-2019. Q Yogurt was in the food court by 99 Ranch. I remember seeing the cutout in the wall where the froyo machine used to be, but I never saw the froyo machine. I’m not sure when they stopped serving froyo but they changed the name of the shop to Q Boba. Maybe? They had froyo in 2012 and didn’t have it in 2014.
• SweetXO, 400 S Baldwin Ave, Ste 1260, from 2013-2015: This was the last froyo shop to open at Westfield Santa Anita though it was much more than a froyo shop. SweetXO carried fun gifts, candy, ice cream, frozen popcorn, cupcakes, brownies, etc. The froyo was self-serve and they had the largest toppings bar ever.
• Tutti Frutti, 1108 S Baldwin Ave., from 2008-2010. This Tutti Frutti offered self-serve froyo in the same plaza as Din Tai Fung and JJ Bakery.
• Tutti Frutti, 400 S Baldwin Ave, from 2012-2013: Tutti Frutti had a self-serve froyo kiosk in Westfield Santa Anita.
• Yophoria, 411 E Huntington Dr, Ste 114, from 2010-2011. This self-serve froyo shop also sold soups, waffles, crepes, pancakes, smoothies, milkshakes, etc.

See I told you that Arcadia was once overflowing with froyo. You could even find it at 626 Night Market (some years).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

A-Chino Salted Egg Yolk & Boba Ice Cream Bar Review & Salted Egg Potato Chips Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. Last year, brown sugar boba ice cream bars were all the rage. This year, salted egg seems to be the flavor of the moment. A-Chino’s Salted Egg Yolk & Boba Ice Cream Bars combine the two flavors. I found them at 168 Market in San Gabriel, California for $6.99/box. One box contains four individually wrapped 80g bars. A-Chino is a Taiwanese brand and the ice cream bars are manufactured by Shuang Yeh Foods Co. and imported from Taiwan.

Salted egg is a familiar flavor that I grew up with, since you’d find salted egg in zhongzi, Chinese and Vietnamese steamed buns, and mooncakes. I like salted egg. Potato & Tea in San Marino, CA (closed permanently last year) had salted egg as an option for their flavored fries.

Salted Egg Yolk & Boba Ice Cream Bar: I have to admit that it sounds like a strange flavor, even to me, and I’ve had plenty of salted egg yolk. The ice cream bar has swirls of salted egg flavor throughout and the boba can also be found throughout the bar. The salted egg flavor was not strong. The bar tasted more like condensed milk. They added butter, salted egg yolk powder, and cheese powder. I think I tasted the cheese more than the salted egg. It reminded me of a mild version of Kraft Mac & Cheese. The bar was sweet, firm and a little icy. The tapioca pearls were soft and chewy. Interesting flavor – but I still prefer the tea flavored boba ice cream bars.

One bar is 178 calories, 6g total fat, 23g total carbs, 16g total sugars, and 2g protein.

I’ve tried A-Chino’s brown sugar boba ice cream bars, matcha brown sugar boba ice cream bars, and oolong tea boba ice cream bars. My favorite so far is the oolong tea boba ice cream bar. I gave the salted egg yolk & boba bars an extra half-star for creativity.

4 out of 5 stars.

I heard about Irvins salted egg potato chips last year and saw all kinds of salted egg snacks at 99 Ranch Market but I just tried salted egg potato chips this year. Irvins is the most famous maker of salted egg snacks.

Irvins “originated from a seafood restaurant and transfored our salted egg dishes into the addictive snacks that you love.” Their snacks are imported from Singapore. The snacks are expensive. An 8.11 oz bag of Irvins Salted Egg Potato chips is $18.88 on Amazon. I found Irvins Spicy Salted Egg Potato Chips (3.7 oz) on sale for $7.99 and Fragrance Salted Egg Potato Chips (2.47 oz) on sale for $4.99 at 168 Market in San Gabriel, CA. Fragrance chips are also imported from Singapore.

Irvins Hot Boom Salted Egg Potato Chips: These thinly sliced, fried potato chips are coated in red chili peppers and salted duck egg. They smell like they taste – spicy and rich duck egg. The potato chips are not ridged and they’re crunchy but weighed down by the coating. They’re super flavorful – an explosion of salt, very spicy heat, and sweetness. The salted egg flavor is strong and lingers for a long time. I could not taste the potatoes but that might not be such a negative. I liked it a lot but I’m not sure how often I’d crave them. One serving of 28g is 180 calories, 14g total fat, 200mg sodium, 11g total carbs, and 2g protein. Irvins adds a butter spread and uses MSG. The flavor is very intense, so a little goes a long way.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Fragrance Salted Egg Potato Chips: These potato chips were ridged and sweeter than Irvins. I could taste the salted egg but the flavor was not as strong. I could actually taste the potato and a small kick of dried chili pepper and curry leaves. Since these chips weren’t as flavorful as Irvins, I didn’t like them quite as much – but they were really good! Fragrance’s list of ingredients was much shorter and they don’t use MSG. I’d love to try a spicy version if they have one. Fragrance’s chips seem more natural and healthier. One serving of 28g is 160 calories, 11g total fat, 125mg sodium, 14g total carbs, 1g total sugars and 3g protein.

I’m sure that I’ll be trying other salted egg chips this year and maybe new boba ice cream bars, if they come out with new flavors.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Frozen Yogurt History and Update on Current Froyo Scene in Oakland, CA

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been seven years since I’ve had a post dedicated to frozen yogurt in Oakland, CA. An update is long overdue. Which frozen yogurt shops are still swirling in Oakland? There are four, with the year of opening:

• Tutti Frutti, 2066 Mountain Blvd., 2013 - present
• Tutti Frutti, 4214 Piedmont Ave., 2009 - present. I heard this location closed but people are still reviewing it, so it seems to still be open?
• Yogofina, 6140 Medau Pl., 2010 - present
• Yogofina, 3261 Lakeshore Ave., 2010 - present

The four remaining shops are all self-serve.

Yogurt Delite (4139 Piedmont Ave.) and Yogurt Deluxe (3203 Lakeshore Ave.) were the oldest froyo shops that I remember. Both were full-service shops. Yogurt Delite also had smoothies while Yogurt Deluxe offered ice cream and smoothies. They were open long before the 2nd wave of froyo. Yogurt Deluxe closed in 2018 and Yogurt Delite closed in 2014. Both faced froyo competition on the same street; Mr. Green Bubble and Tutti Frutti on Piedmont Ave. and Yogofina on Lakeshore Ave.

Way back in 2007, High Street Car Wash at 569 High St. added a froyo shop called Kiwitiwi. It was my first time having froyo at a carwash. I think it lasted until 2010. Freshens was also open in 2007 at the Oakland International Airport. I’m not sure when it closed. Freshens had the worst froyo. Other froyo shops that followed:

• Good Bellies, 2010- 2014. It was a cute eatery that also had froyo.
• Honeyberry, 2014-2016. Primarily a roti bun shop, they had one froyo machine.
• iYogurt, 2010-2014. Located in the Vietnamese part of town, self-serve.
• Miam Miam Lounge, 2010-2014. This was the best, most innovative froyo to have graced Oakland. The owners also owned an award-winning Italian housewares company. They worked with pastry chefs to develop their own froyo recipes and performed extensive taste tests before launching.
• Mr. Green Bubble, 2010-2012. This boba shop is still open but they stopped serving froyo around 2012.
• SoGreen Yogurt, 2009-2010. The space was taken over by Yoppi Yogurt. Their tart froyo was pretty tasty and they specialized in green tea froyo.
• Tutti Frutti Chinatown, 2010-2013. This was a tiny self-serve froyo shop. They even sold sushi and vegan soul food for a time.
• Yoppi Yogurt, 2012-2015. Yoppi converted the SoGreen space to a self-serve froyo format. 

I named Oakland as a froyo hot spot for 2010. In 2010, “Oakland saw the most fro-yo activity. Multiple new locations of Tutti Frutti and Yogofina led the way. Mr. Green Bubble, iYogurt, and Miam Miam Lounge also opened in Oakland in 2010. Last year was a slow year for new innovative fro-yo shops. The one innovative newcomer of note was Miam Miam Lounge in Oakland.”

Sadly, Oakland’s seen many sub-par froyo shops over the years and there’s no decent place to get froyo any longer. There isn’t even a Yogurtland or a Menchie’s. Pretty sad.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Wei-chuan Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Icebars Review

Fro-yo girl here. I first spotted Wei-Chuan frozen yogurt bars at a Chinese market in West Covina, CA. I didn’t have my cooler bag and ice with me, so I didn’t buy them at the time. I was also hoping that I’d see them again somewhere closer to home. Luckily, I spotted them again at Great Wall Supermarket in Monterey Park. Great Wall was selling Wei-Chuan frozen yogurt bars for $2.99/box.

One 10 oz box contains 4 individually wrapped bars. The bars have zero trans fats. Wei-Chuan is a local company that manufactures food products in the US and is headquartered in the City of Industry, CA.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt: The bar had little fragrance. It was pale pink and looked icy. The bar was firm and icy. It had a faint cream/milky flavor with a hint of yogurt. I liked that it wasn’t too sweet and tasted a bit like yogurt but the strawberry flavor was very faint and the bar was bland (but inoffensive). The bar was not tangy. One bar is 80 calories, 3g total fata, 11g total carbs, 9g total sugars, and 1g protein.

The list of ingredients was nice and short: yogurt culture, ice cream mix (cream, sugar, nonfat milk powder, guar gum), water, sugar, frozen strawberries.

Available flavors: Strawberry, Blueberry, Peach

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GREAT WALL SUPERMARKET: 421 N Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Noosa Greek Yogurt Review

 

Fro-yo girl here. Noosa has been known for its Australian (Aussie) style yogurt ever since I remember, so I was surprised when they introduced the Noosa Greek product line. It turns out that Noosa Greek is a rebranding of Noosa HiLo. I reviewed Noosa HiLo back in 2019 when it was introduced. The name and design have changed so that it’s clearly positioned as a Greek yogurt product. HiLo was high protein and low sugar but it was not called Greek yogurt. I liked HiLo but preferred the original Noosa line.

Noosa Greek comes in 5.3 oz cups with a more traditional cup shape. The flavors are blended and the high protein aspect is still emphasized. Noosa Greek is lower in sugar than the regular Noosa line.

I found Noosa Greek at Gelson’s in Sherman Oaks for $1.25 each (sale price) or $1.79 each, regular price.

Vanilla Bean: The yogurt looked different than it did when it was called HiLo. The HiLo version had vanilla bean specks and was thicker. Compared to the regular Noosa Vanilla Bean, Noosa Greek Vanilla Bean has a milder vanilla flavor and no wildflower honey and it’s smoother, less sweet, and not as thick. I still found it to be sweet enough but regular Noosa has more flavor and a better texture.

Strawberry: I didn’t see the strawberry bits that I found in Strawberry HiLo but the strawberry flavor was quite pronounced. The yogurt was thick and smoother than regular Noosa. It was definitely less sweet with a little sourness and tang. This or Mixed Berry was my favorite. It has a little honey.

Mixed Berry: Very nice, thick, tangy, and fruity. The fruit flavor wasn’t as pronounced/strong as regular Noosa. It was a bit sour and a bit tangy.

Blueberry: Seemed more watery and not as thick as Strawberry and Mixed Berry but it was tangier than both.

Available flavors: Plain, Mixed Berry, Peach, Strawberry, Blueberry, Vanilla Bean (the same flavors offered by Noosa HiLo)

One serving (vanilla bean) is 170 calories, 7g total fat, 14g total carbs, 12g protein and 12g sugars

Ingredients: Whole milk yoghurt (Grade A pasteurized milk, live active cultures), Vanilla blend (water, cane sugar, vanilla extract, natural flavor, pectin, locust bean gum, vanilla bean, lemon juice concentrate)

The size is just right for breakfast or a snack. Noosa Greek yogurt is almost as good as regular Noosa.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Purple Rice Yogurt Drinks in Los Angeles (Finally) at The Alley

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been looking for purple rice yogurt drinks in Los Angeles for over a year now, with no luck. A new purple rice yogurt was about to open in Arcadia last spring and then the pandemic struck. I don’t think they ever opened? Then one of my Yelp friends mentioned ordering a purple rice yogurt drink from The Alley. I’ve actually been to The Alley’s Pasadena location but at the time, they did not have purple rice yogurt drinks.

The Alley Pasadena has original purple rice yogurt, matcha purple rice yogurt, peach oolong purple rice yogurt and a create your own yogurt (drink) option. The drinks are $5.95 each and feature fresh yogurt (not made in-house) and sweet glutinous purple rice, aka forbidden rice. You can specify your desired sweetness level. It’s a cold, tangy yogurt shake with chewy bits of sweet rice.

Original Purple Rice Yogurt: I was a fan since I obviously love yogurt and I appreciated the simplicity of the yogurt flavor with the chewy sweet rice bits. I’m sure they added ice too, because I encountered some icy bits. The yogurt is plain and sweetened (I asked for 25% sweetness and it was plenty sweet for me) but not super thick. It tastes like lightly sweetened plain yogurt that’s mildly tangy. While the basic purple rice yogurt might be too simple for some but it’s also healthier than boba drinks (apparently). And they have variations in case you’re looking for more flavor. I think I’ll try another one soon.

For a history of purple rice yogurt drinks and health benefits, see IFYA’s post, Now Trending: Purple Rice Yogurt Drinks.

The Alley, a Taiwanese chain, has locations in Southern California, Las Vegas, New York, Hawaii, Taiwan, China, Japan, Canada, France, and Australia.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

National Frozen Yogurt Day Recap: Pinkberry

Fro-yo girl here. It is now officially National/International Frozen Yogurt Day! I’m used to going to more than one froyo shop on NFYD. It’s a special day and there’s always room in my freezer for froyo. This year I just went to Pinkberry for the BOGO free offer, since Yogurtland didn't have an offer for NFYD. Pinkberry didn’t have any NFYD signs posted. Oh well, at least they acknowledged NFYD with an offer.

I’ve been going to Yogurtland for NFYD/IFYD ever since their first NFYD in 2011. This would have been NFYD #10 but they decided not to celebrate this year. I asked a few Yogurtland locations about NFYD and even walked by Yogurtland yesterday to look for NFYD signs. Nothing. A few Yogurtland locations are celebrating on their own, but it’s not a chain level celebration.

There were still MANY NFYD offers from other froyo shops, franchises (e.g., Orange Leaf, TCBY, 16 Handles, sweetFrog) and independents.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Go Greek Yogurt Woodland Hills Has Closed

Former Go Greek location

Fro-yo girl here. Go Greek Yogurt quietly closed its Village at Westfield Topanga Woodland Hills location several months ago. The closure initially seemed temporary and due to COVID-19 but the location is no longer listed on the Westfield Topanga website or mentioned by Go Greek since last spring. Due to COVID-19, I did not visit the Village at Westfield Topanga last year. 

Google still lists the location as temporarily closed, while Yelp lists it as permanently closed. The last Yelp review was posted in August. It seems to have closed in April 2020? It's definitely closed, since another business is in the process of renovating the space.

One Medical, a primary care clinic, will move into the Go Greek space. How boring. The Village is such a cute outdoor mall but a lot of the tenants are not interesting (e.g., Wells Fargo, UCLA Health).

Go Greek Yogurt opened in Woodland Hills in 2015. It was one of the original tenants of the new Village at Westfield Topanga, the outdoor mall adjacent to Westfield Topanga. Yogurtland was also an original tenant. It closed in 2018. I reviewed the Go Greek Woodland Hills location in 2015 and returned a few more times over the years. The grand opening celebration was held on November 7, 2015.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

GO GREEK YOGURT: 6250 CA-27 Suite 1587, Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

National Frozen Yogurt Day at Menchie’s & a New Flavor, Rich Dark Chocolate

 

Fro-yo girl here. The official National Frozen Yogurt Day is this Saturday, February 6, but I’m up for celebrating it early. It makes it easier to take advantage of multiple NFYD offers. First up, Menchie’s! They had a buy one, get one free offer today (US locations). Also, if you use the Menchie’s app on NFYD (February 2), you’ll be entered into a contest. Twenty lucky people will win $20 uploaded to their Menchie’s app account.

In other Menchie’s news, Menchie’s has a new featured flavor for February, Rich Dark Chocolate made with Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate. February happens to be National Chocolate Month and National Dark Chocolate Day was Feburary 1. Also, Menchie’s offers Valentine’s Day froyo cakes that can be customized. They even have mini sizes.

I was fortunate to find Rich Dark Chocolate froyo at Menchie’s Valley Village (Los Angeles) today. Though chocolate froyo is not a favorite of mine, I really liked this new flavor. It might be the best chocolate flavor that Menchie’s has ever introduced.

Rich dark chocolate froyo: The texture was definitely smooth, creamy and dare I say, luxurious. It didn’t look darker than the typical chocolate froyo but it seemed less sweet with a little bitterness from the dark chocolate. Really good! I might have added too many chocolate toppings but it’s National Chocolate Month. Recommended toppings: Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Chips, Nilla wafers, nuts.

This flavor has no artificial colors or artificial flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, and it’s gluten-free. It's available for a limited time, while supplies last.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Flavor at Yogurtland: Small Batch Super Tart

 

Fro-yo girl here. I was pleasantly surprised to hear about a new TART froyo flavor from Yogurtland. Small Batch Super Tart froyo is plain tart “on a whole new level” and the supply is limited since they only made a small batch. The launch date is February 1. Last year, Yogurtland did not introduce any new tart flavors.

Small Batch Super Tart was created in honor of Yogurtland's 15th anniversary. It's a reimagining of their Plain Tart flavor.

Small Batch Super Tart froyo: It’s quite similar to Yogurtland’s Plain Tart. I was expecting it to be very tart and it wasn’t. It seemed a little creamier and sweeter than Plain Tart. I guess it was a little more tart but I noticed the additional sweetness more than the tartness. Small Batch Super Tart is gluten-free and nonfat. Recommended toppings: Fresh fruit, mochi, popping boba.

I noticed prices have gone up at some Yogurtland locations. Yogurtland San Gabriel is now $0.56 cents/oz. It was $0.52/oz in late 2020. Yogurtland usually raises prices around the beginning of the new year. Also, there was no mention of National/International Frozen Yogurt Day at Yogurtland San Gabriel. I asked about it but they didn’t know of any NFYD plans. They had Valentine’s décor up though. It’s still full service with no indoor dining allowed.

Use the Flavor Finder feature on the Yogurtland website or app to find Small Batch Super Tart froyo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.