Pinkberry Pumpkin Froyo Returns After a Long Absence

 

Fro-yo girl here. FYI, Pumpkin froyo fans: Pinkberry brought back Pumpkin froyo early this year. With a launch date of August 13, Pinkberry Pumpkin froyo was the earliest pumpkin flavor announcement that I saw. Starbucks brought back PSL on August 24.

I went to Pinkberry Los Feliz and ordered the Pumpkin froyo. The texture was icier than I remembered but my memory might not be accurate. Plus, the froyo at that location has been icy lately. The froyo had a lightness that I associate with Pinkberry. It tastes more like pumpkin spice than pumpkin. Pinkberry recommends pairing Pumpkin froyo with whipped cream, graham cracker pie crust, and cinnamon. I like mine with almonds, though they offer a different type of almond now. I’m sure granola and cheesecake bites would also be good toppings.

It’s been years since I’ve had Pinkberry Pumpkin. I didn’t have it last year and I was looking for it (I don’t think they offered it in my area). Yogurtland didn’t bring back their Pumpkin froyo last year either. Luckily, I was able to enjoy Pumpkin Spice froyo at Menchie’s and Pumpkin Spice vegan froyo from Yoga-urt in 2020. I didn’t have Pinkberry Pumpkin in 2019 either but I did have Pressed Juicery’s new Pumpkin Freeze, Yogurtland’s Pumpkin Pie froyo, Menchie’s Haunted Pumpkin Harvest froyo, Yoga-urt’s vegan Pumpkin Spice froyo, and 21 Choices Pumpkin Spice froyo.

It looks like I haven’t had a cup of Pinkberry Pumpkin since 2013. They brought Pumpkin back in 2015 but I was busy trying new flavors, so I didn’t order a cup. Pinkberry Pumpkin was first introduced in October 2010.

Pinkberry's Pumpkin froyo is available for a limited time only, 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.

Update on the Ventura, California Froyo Scene

Fro-yo girl here. Has it really been 11 years since I completed my froyo mission to try every froyo shop in Ventura, California? An update is long overdue. I found out that Yogurtland Ventura closed for good last September. What’s left? What came and went?

Of the shops I mentioned in 2010, only McConnell’s is still open. Wild Cherry and Ugurt lasted the longest of the shops that closed.

Froyo shops that closed in Ventura (in alphabetical order, with dates of operation):

• Chill Cafe, 27 S Chestnut, from 2010-2012. Chill Cafe offered coffee, acai bowls, smoothies, self-serve froyo, hookah, and free wi-fi. It was featured on TV in an episode of Tabatha Takes Over in 2012. The space is now occupied by a bakery, Marie Shannon Confections.
• Fro-yo & Joe, 1129 Petit Ave., from 2009-2010. The ownership changed in 2010 and the name was changed to Mia’s Place.
• Green Forest Cafe, 5936 Telegraph Rd., from 2010-2015. A popular hangout for teenagers, Green Forest was an internet café with boba and froyo in Victoria Plaza.
• Mia’s Place, 1129 Petit Ave., from 2010-2016. Mia’s Place was a coffeehouse that may have offered froyo. It was the successor to Fro-yo & Joe.
• Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, 607 E Main St., from 2017-2020. This was the first nitrogen ice cream shop in Ventura. The ice cream and froyo was made to order. Sub Zero has locations across the US.
• Surf 'N Yogurt, 7770 Telegraph Rd., from 2012-2018: This was the second Surf N’Yogurt in Ventura. Serving East Ventura, it was self-serve.
• TCBY, 1879 Portola Rd., Ste J: I found a listing for this TCBY online. It’s no longer there. I’m not sure when it opened or closed. I don’t remember ever seeing it.
• Tutti Frutti, 2646 E Main St., from 2008-2013. This was part of the large, multi-national self-serve froyo chain. The Ventura shop was located near the Pacific View Mall.
• UYogurt, 5722 Telephone Rd Ste 13, from 2010-2018. It was self-serve. I remember seeing it for sale around 2018?
• Whirly Cups, 377 E. Main St, from 2011-2014. Whirly Cups was near the movie theater in downtown Ventura. It was and independent that offered self-serve froyo and cupcakes.
• Wild Cherry, 5100 Telegraph Rd., from 2009-2017. Wild Cherry had several locations in Ventura County. The one in Ventura was across the street from Ventura College and self-serve.
• Yogurberry, 3301 E Main St. #K331, from 2008-2009. Yogurberry’s kiosk was upstairs in the food court of Pacific View Mall. Yogurberry was a chain of counter serve froyo shops modeled after Pinkberry. I haven’t seen any for a long time but they had locations across the US and in other countries too. They still exist.
• Yogurt Hut, 1038 S Seaward Ave, from 2010 to 2011. The name was changed to Surf N’ Yogurt in 2011. The small self-serve froyo shop was close to the beach.
• Yogurtland, 4960 Telephone Rd, Ste 104, from 2013-2020. It was the best option in town. The shop was in the shopping plaza with Barnes & Noble, Kohl’s, and Starbucks.

What’s still open (in alphabetical order):

• McConnell’s, 3241 E Main St., from 2009-present. McConnell’s is a premium ice cream shop that started in Santa Barbara. They make their own ice cream. The Ventura location offered soft serve froyo but I’m not sure if they still do because I haven’t been there in a long time. Some McConnell’s locations have soft serve froyo and some do not.
• Menchie’s, 5944 Telegraph Rd, Ventura, CA 93003, from 2014-present. New ownership took over in 2015. The shop is in Victoria Plaza across from Buena High School.
• Nick the Greek, 440 E Main St., from 2020-present. Part of the fast-growing Greek casual restaurant chain, Nick the Greek offers Greek froyo that’s made in-house and can be topped with baklava
• Surf 'N Yogurt, 1038 S Seaward Ave., from 2011-present. The first Surf N’ Yogurt in Ventura used to be called Yogurt Hut and it's close to the beach.
• Wild Berry, 3301 E Main St, Ste 220, from 2011-present. I was there at the grand opening in 2011. Wild Berry is a self-serve froyo chain. I’m not sure if they’re still open or not. The last Yelp review was in 2016 and the most recent Google review was last fall. Wild Berry is still listed in the Pacific View mall directory.

I heard there were other froyo shops in Ventura back in the 80s and 90s. One was called Checkers and it was in Victoria Plaza.

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.

Xiaobai Xin Li Ruan Yogurt Bread Review

Fro-yo girl here. I found Xiaobai Yogurt Pocket Bread while shopping at Great Wall Supermarket in Rosemead, CA. The packaging has no English, so I don’t know much about it. The shelf tag said Xiaobai Bread Yogurt. One package of 4 individually wrapped yogurt was $4.29. The bread is imported from China.

The bread part was a soft white sandwich bread and it was filled with a thicker yogurt thick custard (not sure what to call it but it had the texture of pudding). The bread was the best part – it was soft and mildly sweet. I didn’t like the filling but it did have a mild Yakult like flavor. The bread was sealed around the filling like a Hot Pocket.

It comes in several flavors: Lactobacillus yogurt, strawberry, vanilla, and peach. I read that it tastes better when refrigerated. It’s meant to be a breakfast item that you can eat on the go.

I liked the cute packaging and bread but could not eat the filling.

2 out of 5 stars.

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

* GW SUPERMARKET: 8150 Garvey Ave #121, Rosemead, CA 91770

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.

Golden Spoon Whittier Grand Opening This Weekend

Source, Instagram @whittiergoldenspoon

Fro-yo girl here. Last October, I wrote about how Golden Spoon took over the Menchie’s space in Whittier, California. They opened during the summer of 2020 and kept the self-serve format. Golden Spoon painted the walls pastel pink and green and changed the signs. I don’t think they had a grand opening celebration due to COVID-19 – that is, until now.

The Golden Spoon Whittier grand opening starts today and continues through Sunday, August 22. Froyo will be $2 all weekend and the first 5 guests will get $2 foryo for the entire month. It looks like they remodeled and repainted the shop again – looks nicer now with white walls.

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

GOLDEN SPOON FROZEN YOGURT: 10122 Carmenita Rd., Whittier, CA 90605

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.

I-Mei Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Ice Cone Review

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve tried quite a few boba ice cream bars (different brands, different flavors) and some boba ice cream (scoopable), but I-Mei’s Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Ice Cone is the first boba ice cream cone that I’ve found. I spotted I-Mei’s ice cones at 168 Market in Alhambra, CA. One 11.29 oz box comes with 4 individually wrapped ice cones. A box was selling for $6.99 on sale, $7.99 regular price.

Brown Sugar Pearl Milk Ice Cone: The cone had a flat top with a layer of brown sugar on top, creamy ice cream underneath, chocolate around the outside of the ice cream part of the cone and inside the cone, tapioca pearls (boba) in the ice cream, and a sugar cone. I found it too sweet, sweeter than the boba ice cream bars. The brown sugar syrup top was very sweet and the ice cream was creamy and very sweet. The boba pearls were soft and chewy but they also seemed sweeter. The sugar cone was thin and not very crispy. There was no tea flavor. One cone is 220 calories, 8g total fat, 35g total carbs, 21g total sugars, and 2g protein. I would not get these again.

3 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.

Yogurtland’s New Fall Flavor, Milk ‘N Fruity Cereal Froyo

 

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland just launched their fall, back to school froyo flavor, inspired by childhood breakfast memories. Milk ‘N Fruity Cereal froyo is a lowfat flavor made with vanilla wafers (from the picture, it looks like it’s supposed to taste like Fruit Loops cereal). I can’t remember the last time I had Fruit Loops. I didn’t like it as a kid. What does it even taste like?

Milk ‘N Fruity Cereal froyo is described as, “Our back-to-school inspired froyo flavor that takes you back to your favorite breakfast childhood memories!” Okay, that doesn’t reveal much. I tried some and it tasted predominantly like vanilla with a hint of fake fruit like the kind you find in powdered drink mixes. The texture was smooth and creamy. It looked white like vanilla. I wasn't a fan; however, the fruit flavor wasn’t that strong so it could be overlooked with the right toppings. Recommended toppings: Fruity Pebbles, Nilla Wafers, and whipped cream.

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.

Monrovia, California Froyo Guide

Pinkberry Monrovia

Fro-yo girl here. Who knew that Monrovia, CA, a city of 36,000 inhabitants in the San Gabriel Mountains (Northeast Los Angeles County), was such a froyo hot spot? Most of the froyo shops were in downtown Monrovia, on or off Myrtle Ave. There are two froyo shops left: Yogurtland and Pinkberry. They’re within a few blocks of each other in downtown Monrovia. The first froyo shops opened in 2008.

Froyo shops of Monrovia:

• AM Donut & Yogurt, 305 W Huntington Dr, used to have self-serve froyo from 2011-2013. The wall still has cutouts though, 3 of them, for 3 froyo machines.
• Cherry on Top, 176 West Foothill Boulevard, was part of a national self-serve froyo chain. The Monrovia location first opened in 2008 and closed in 2015 with an eviction.
• Menchie’s, 606 W Huntington Dr, was one of the better Menchie’s locations in the area. Located at the Huntington Oaks Shopping Center, it first opened in 2014 and closed in 2018.
• N2 Lab, 131 S Myrtle Ave, was open in 2019 and probably closed in 2019. They had a few locations in Southern California and specialized in making ice cream or frozen yogurt with liquid nitrogen.
• Pinkberry, 612 S Myrtle Ave, opened in 2008 and the next closest one is in Los Feliz or Burbank. RIP, Pinkberry Pasadena and Azusa.
• White Tara Yogurt, 346 W Huntington Dr, Monrovia, CA 91016, was a short-lived, self-serve, independent froyo shop that was in business from 2010-2011. It doesn’t look like there were other locations.
• Yogurtland, 104 S Myrtle Ave, opened in 2012 and offers 16 self-serve froyo flavors a day.

While Monrovia hasn’t had the most innovative or unique froyo shops, they’ve kept people in the area supplied with froyo for 13 years and counting.

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.

Menchie’s Spin! Disney Movie Event Recap & Fruity Candy Sorbet Review

Fro-yo girl here. Menchie’s partnered with Disney Channel to promote the new original movie, Spin! The movie premiered on August 13and to celebrate, the first 50 guests at Menchie’s locations at 3 PM local time on August 13 receivved 5 oz of free froyo.

Spin! is the first Disney Channel Original Movie to star an Indian-American. Directed by Manjari Makjiany, the movie is about “Rhea is an Indian-American teen who discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life revolves around her eclectic group of friends, her after-school coding club, her family's Indian restaurant and her tightknit, multigenerational family. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is reignited.”

I visited my local Menchie’s and received my free froyo. I spotted a poster for Spin and also some postcard size promotional cards. It was also my chance to try the new flavor, Fruity Candy Sorbet.

Fruity Candy Sorbet: The color was strikingly bright pinkish red. Fruity Candy Sorbet is made with Swedish Fish flavor. What’s Swedish Fish flavor? It’s supposed to be lingonberry. However, lingonberry is tart and reminds me of cranberry. Fruity Candy Sorbet tasted more like cherry crossed with fruit punch. It seemed extra sweet and had no tartness. I wasn’t a fan. Fruity Candy Sorbet is dairy-free, gluten-free, and made with no high fructose corn syrup. Recommended toppings: Fresh berries

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.

Yoghurppe Japanese Yogurt Drink Review

Fro-yo girl here. I spotted Yoghurppe yogurt drinks at Tokyo Central in Torrance, CA. The drinks were $1.28 each. One small carton is 200 ML and comes in a Tetra Pak with a wrapped plastic mini straw. The drinks are produced in Japan by Minami Nihon Rakuno.

Yoghurppe is “made from raw milk from dairy cows reared at the base of the Kirishima mountain range in Southern Kyushu. After being acquired, the milk undergoes mild lactic acid fermentation using bifidobacterium, acidophilus, and streptococcus thermophilus. This results in a smooth, mild-flavored drink without the sourness of yogurt.” It’s a beverage that’s recommended for children because of the calcium and protein content. It’s made with lactic acid bacteria from Europe.

Original Yoghurppe: I was hoping it would taste like yogurt but it tasted more like Yakult. And it’s very sweet but with little tang. It’s a thin consistency similar to milk. They added sugar and high fructose corn syrup. One serving is 120 calories, 0g fat, 27g total sugars and 2g protein. That's a lot of sugar for a small carton.

Apple Yoghurppe: The apple flavor masked that awful Yakult flavor, so I liked it better but it was still very sweet and didn’t have real yogurt flavor.

Hmm, I like the sourness of yogurt…it’s sad when the sourness is removed or masked.

2.5 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.

Smorgasburg Ice Cream Alley 2021 Report

Fro-yo girl here. Ice Cream Alley 2020 at Smorgasburg LA was cancelled due to COVID-19 (Smorgasburg, the outdoor food event held at The Row in downtown LA, wasn’t held for over a year) but they brought it back for National Ice Cream Day last month (July 18 to be specific). Ice Cream Alley is open every Sunday from 10 AM – 4 PM through Labor Day weekend.

List of Ice Cream Alley vendors (during my visit):

• Afters Ice Cream “Test Kitchen" – ice cream made fresh with liquid nitrogen
• Churro Boss – ice cream and churros
• Happy Ice – Italian ice
• Lei’d Cookies – cookies and ice cream cookie sandwiches
• Madame Shugah – vegan ice cream and cookies
• Scoops on Tap/Smoreology: ice cream s’mores sandwiches
• Sweet & Hollow – chimney cones with ice cream
• Tasty Food 626 – Asian ice cream
• Van Leeuwen – ice cream scoops, vegan and regular
• Wanderlust Creamery – scoopable ice cream

I noticed they had the same photo backdrop and inflatable ice cream cone from previous years. Smorgasburg was busy but Ice Cream Alley wasn’t as busy as the rest of the market. I didn’t see any frozen yogurt, unfortunately and nothing new or innovative (but then once I didn’t see froyo, I lost interest). The only thing that tempted me was the matcha escape bar at Wanderlust.

SMORGSABURG LA: ROW DTLA, 777 Alameda St., Los Angeles

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.

August 2021 Featured Flavors from Menchie’s

Fro-yo girl here. This month, Menchie’s has not two but THREE featured flavors: Vegan Wild Cherry Sorbet with a Touch of Lime, Fruity Candy Sorbet made with Swedish Fish, and S’mores frozen yogurt made with Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. I wanted to find a Menchie’s with all three flavors but only found two of the three featured flavors.

Vegan Wild Cherry Sorbet with a Touch of Lime: It was icier and not super smooth, but I enjoyed the flavor and texture as it reminded me of a Slurpee or Icee. The lime added a little tang but the cherry flavor was much stronger. Vegan Wild Cherry Sorbet with a Touch of Lime is gluten-free and is made with no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup. Recommended toppings: Raspberries, Skittles, and gummy bears.

S’mores froyo made with Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is labeled as new on the Menchie’s website but they introduced that flavor back in 2019. Maybe they tweaked it? Anyway, I did like it because the marshmallow and chocolate flavors were mild and it didn’t seem super sweet. The texture was smooth and creamy. Recommended toppings: Nilla Wafers, Hershey’s Kisses, graham cracker crumbs, whipped cream.

I noticed they had Swedish Fish available at the toppings bar. I’ll have to try Fruity Candy Sorbet made with Swedish Fish later.

FYI, Menchie’s is partnering with the Disney Channel to promote Disney’s new movie, Spin!, which premieres on August 13. On August 13, the first 50 guests in line at 3 PM will get 5 oz of free 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.

Grand Reopening of Menchie’s Redondo Beach & Other Menchie’s Updates

 

Fro-yo girl here. Last April, I posted that Menchie’s in Redondo Beach, CA was temporarily closed and had been for many months. Google marked it as permanently closed and the phone number had been disconnected. While I thought the location had closed for good, it did reopen, possibly in late March. I just visited and saw the grand re-opening banner. It’s open 7 days a week and self-serve froyo is back. I noticed they had generic cups and spoons though.

Menchie’s in Westchester, CA did close for good. According to Menchie’s website, Menchie’s Santa Monica on Ocean Park Blvd. has reopened. Their Facebook page was removed though.

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

* MENCHIE’S OCEAN PARK: 2901 Ocean Park Blvd, Ste 107, Santa Monica, CA 90405
* MENCHIE’S WESTCHESTER VILLAGE: 8815 S Sepulveda Blvd, Westchester, CA 90045
* MENCHIE’S REDONDO BEACH: 2515 Artesia Blvd. Ste E, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

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.