Weirdest Places for Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Fro-yo can happen anywhere. All one needs is the space for a fro-yo machine, a refrigerator, a sink, an area to chop fruit, and room for toppings.

Here's a look at some of the unusual places that offer fro-yo in the Bay Area.

1. CLEAR OPTOMETRY: 138 E 3rd St., San Mateo, CA. One side of the store features a swanky eyewear store with frames from Chanel and other brands, the other side features a dessert bar with delicious fro-yo and several flavors of mochi toppings. Yum. This is my favorite "weird" place for fro-yo. Get your eyes examined there or buy eyeglasses, get free fro-yo!


2. KIWITIWI: 569 High St., Oakland, CA. Part car wash, part convenience store, part fro-yo shop. It would qualify for the strangest place if it didn't have the convenience store as well. While people who are waiting for a car wash have time to sit around and enjoy fro-yo, the fumes from the car wash are less than pleasant.


3. MICHAELI'S WINE & SPIRIT: 2198 Union St, San Francisco, CA. It's not unusual for liquor stores to have delis but this is the first time I've seen one with fro-yo too. What a great idea! I'd rather have a corner fro-yo shop than a corner liquor store.


4. BLONDIE'S PIZZA: various locations. Greasy, cheap pizza and now fro-yo? Blondie's reminds me of college and certainly college students are among those who enjoy fro-yo. I didn't like their tart fro-yo but the sweet flavors might be better.

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

Spotlight on Mochi Balls

Fro-yo girl here. I'll be honest. Mochi balls are the reason I first tried tart frozen yogurt. When I first heard of mochi balls, I couldn't stop thinking about them, wondering what they were like. Most fro-yo shops seem to use Dae Doo Food's bingsu rice cake. Made in Korea, these mochi balls come in a light blue package and can be purchased from the refrigerated section at Kukje in Daly City (and probably most Korean markets). A package costs $2.99. The main ingredients are:

• glutinous rice powder


• sugar


• corn syrup


• salt


• wheat flour

I found another brand of mochi balls, German Bakery, at Kukje. The balls had a stronger rice flavor and were more uneven in shape and size than the Dae Doo brand. However, the mochi balls were harder and not as fresh tasting as Dae Doo's.

I love how the sweet, chewy mochi balls add texture to the fro-yo experience. The downside is that they do become stale. You can spot a stale mochi ball by looking for a dried out, hardened texture.

A few fro-yo shops in the Bay Area make their own mochi balls and these deserve special mention:

* Coco Swirl - made by the owner's mom on a daily basis, comes in white and pink. The pink color comes from strawberries. Add as much as you want since it's a self-serve joint.
* Fraiche Yogurt - the best homemade mochi topping, big, chewy, soft squares. I find their fro-yo bland and not tart.
* Clear Optometry - offers the most variety, six flavors of mochi topping: strawberry, green tea, lemon, orange, original, Ghirardelli chocolate.

Of the three, I recommend trying Clear Optometry.

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

* KUKJE SUPER MARKET: 2350 Junipero Serra Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
* COCO SWIRL: 35 Crescent Dr Ste E, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
* FRAICHE YOGURT: 644 Emerson Suite 110, Palo Alto, CA 94301
* CLEAR OPTOMETRY: 138 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401