Mochi at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt, Finally

Fro-yo girl here. Thanksgiving is over and I’m feeling grateful that Culture finally added mochi as a fro-yo topping this month. I waited over three years for this moment.

Their mochi is good (soft and chewy) but small. I like big, pillowy mochi cubes.

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

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Popping Boba vs. Mochi Poll Results

Fro-yo girl here. I recently asked readers, which do you prefer as a fro-yo topping: mochi or popping boba? The poll results are in and mochi won easily, with 54% preferring mochi, 26% preferring popping boba and 18% that hadn’t tried both.

Good choice, readers. The chewiness of mochi and the sweetness complements fruit and tart fro-yo so well. Mochi goes well with sweet fro-yo too.

Popping boba are thin skinned spheres filled with flavored liquid. When you bite into one, the juice “explodes.” Popping boba look like fish eggs and come in flavors like mango, lychee, yogurt, strawberry, passionfruit. This new type of boba appeared first in boba/bubble drinks and then gained popularity in fro-yo shops. I haven’t seen them for sale at grocery stores, though you can buy them online at Amazon (but it seems like the smallest size is a 7 pound tub).

I’m not a fan of exploding food (except for Pop Rocks) and prefer the jellies that also crossed over from the boba drinks world to the popping boba. Or I’d prefer tapioca pearls on fro-yo to popping boba.

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

Farewell My Old Friend, Jubili

Fro-yo girl. I've seen many fro-yo shops come and go, but the closure of Jubili hurts. It was the very first place I tried tart fro-yo. It was one of those life-changing "first" moments that you never forget. My fro-yo preferences were just being formed at that time. I liked the clean, white, modern look of their shop and the free wi-fi. Jubili was also a cereal bar. Later they added cupcakes (Velveteen Sweets).

Jubili was the oldest surviving tart fro-yo shop in SF. Yogurt Bar was the first tart fro-yo shop in SF and it closed in 2009. I never liked Yogurt Bar, so its passing left me unmoved. Jubili was the second tart fro-yo shop to open in SF, back in October 2007.

Here's an excerpt from my December 2007 review...my first fro-yo shop review:

"Fro-yo girl here. Jubili is the place that started it all for me - my first taste of tart fro-yo and I came for the mochi balls. The first time I went to Jubili, they were out of mochi balls (it was 9:30 PM). He said people kept asking for them. Very disappointing, but of course I don't blame them for it. I couldn't stop wondering about the mochi balls, day and night (I love mochi). I even looked for mochi ball pictures online and I only found a few."

I always wondered why Jubili didn't (1) open another location and (2) change the fro-yo flavors. The fro-yo parfaits were so good that I continued to visit Jubili even after the fro-yo shop explosion. They used to be one of the few fro-yo places that opened early, opening at 8 AM.

* My favorite menu item: the fro-yo parfait, with crushed Nature Valley granola bars, mochi and fresh fruit
* My favorite fro-yo flavor: peach tart

I peeked inside Jubili and the furniture and fro-yo machines are gone.

Farewell Jubili. You will be missed.

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

* JUBILI FROZEN YOGURT & CEREAL: 1515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA

Mochi for Sale Online

Fro-yo girl here. When it comes to fro-yo toppings, mochi is my very favorite topping. I've been fond of it ever since I remember (long before I tried frozen yogurt). I remember mum used to make glutinous sweet rice patties for me. She'd add water to sweet rice flour till it formed a dough, shape patties and pan fry them till golden. They were sticky and chewy. Or she'd use the same dough and shape it into small balls that she'd drop into a boiling pot of red bean soup. Those chewy balls coated with red bean soup were the best.

I'm sure fro-yo is responsible for rising mochi sales and the introduction of new mochi products.

There's even several places you can order mochi online, including:
* SunnySweetNovember on Etsy: tiny bits that seem perfect for fro-yo, flavors include vanilla, chocolate truffle, cayenne, lemon, cinnamon, coconut, matcha, hazelnut, butter, almond, orange zest
* Simply Mochi: limited to the Bay Area, these are creative filled dessert mochi, like Oreo Cheesecake
* Fugetsu-do: your traditional Japanese mochi can be ordered from JapanSuper.com
* Nutsonline.com has chocolate covered and black sesame mochi bits

I found some mochi recipes that seem really easy. Baking the mochi probably is better than microwaving it...will have to try with the sweet rice flour that I bought today.

* Microwave mochi recipe: http://www.ehow.com/how_2075110_make-mochi.html
* Baked mochi recipe: http://www.ehow.com/how_4876667_make-mochi-recipe.html

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

Frozen Yogurt FAQs

Fro-yo girl here. I'm wrapping up my coverage of the Frozen Yogurt Conference with some random things I learned at the conference.

It's unclear who first started selling fro-yo in the U.S. but it was probably an equipment manufacturer on the East Coast during the 1970s.

The FDA has not approved of any probiotic health claims for food products.

Gritty fro-yo may be a sign that you need to replace your fro-yo machine blades.

Sugar-free fro-yo is impossible...no sugar added is different. Since fro-yo needs to contain milk and milk has glucose, fro-yo always contains sugar.

Some people think that consumers shy away from green colored fro-yo. It doesn't bother me unless it looks too unnatural.

Most popular fro-yo toppings:
1. Strawberries
2. Reeses peanut butter cups
3. Raspberries
4. Diced almonds
5. Cookie dough pieces
6. Mini gummi bears
7. Oreos
8. Mini M&Ms
9. Cheesecake
10. Heath bar

Mochi was #16...but maybe it's not offered at as many places? Well, mochi is my favorite topping. I liked diced almonds and raspberries. I don't like how the color of the M&Ms comes off and runs into the fro-yo. Ick.

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

Your Votes Are In: Favorite Fro-yo Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. Thank you to the 120 people who voted for your favorite type/category of fro-yo topping. Voters could only choose one of the following: candy, cereal, cookies, fresh fruit, mochi, nuts and sauce. I personally really, really wanted mochi to win...but the people have spoken and my second choice, fresh fruit, was the victor with 45% of the votes. Mochi came in third with 17% of the vote.

Surprisingly, candy came in second with 29% of the vote. An earlier poll revealed that 75% of my readers/voters eat mostly tart fro-yo. Do they add candy on their tart fro-yo? I never do. I thought cereal (1%) and cookies (2%) would do much better.

I usually get fresh fruit and mochi toppings. It's painful for me to eat a cup of fro-yo without mochi, just like I find it painful to swirl my own fro-yo and add my own toppings. The nice thing about fro-yo is that people have their own personal favorite combinations.

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

People Love Fro-yo with Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. It's official - the poll results are in, people love fro-yo with toppings; 85% of respondents always or almost always get toppings with their fro-yo. Twenty two percent always get toppings compared to 5% that never get toppings. I'm not surprised because when I see people at fro-yo shops, they almost always get toppings. I usually get toppings too, unless I don't see any toppings that I like or I don't have enough cash on me to pay for toppings. In my opinion, fro-yo doesn't taste as good without mochi balls.

Take note, toppings matter. Good toppings can't save bad fro-yo, though bad toppings can ruin good fro-yo. There are so many types of potential fro-yo toppings out there though most shops offer the same toppings.

Next month we'll find out what type of toppings people like the best. Mochi balls are in the lead so far (go mochi!)

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

Santa Maria: Fro-yo Mission Impossible

Fro-yo girl here. I think I've been to every fro-yo shop in Santa Maria, a town of 91,972 inhabitants located in Santa Barbara County. Yelp lists Yogurt Creations, Euro Yogurt Cafe, TnT's and Lee's Frozen Yogurt. Lee's either has the wrong address or it doesn't exist. I found the address and it's someone's house (didn't ring the doorbell but I did look for a fro-yo sign even though it seemed highly improbable that someone could operate a fro-yo shop from their home (zoning laws). Euro Yogurt Cafe is now Woody's Yogurt Cafe and they didn't have fro-yo. Well, they had one fro-yo machine and it was out of order.



Yogurt Creations and TnT's both have multiple locations in Central Coast. YC is a self-serve fro-yo only format, while TnT's has ice cream, fro-yo, sundaes, smoothies and shakes. YC has the occasional tart flavor (but most flavors are sweet). TnT's apparently has tart fro-yo or is about to offer it due to popular demand. YC has mochi balls and TnT's doesn't. I like them about the same but I think the Central Coast could use some better fro-yo. Or maybe people out there just don't appreciate tart fro-yo?

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.
* LEE'S FROZEN YOGURT: 824 Stansbury Dr, Santa Maria, CA
* EURO YOGURT CAFE (now WOODY'S): 319 Town Center West, Santa Maria, CA
* TNT's: 1102 E Clark Ave Ste 110, Santa Maria, CA
* YOGURT CREATIONS: 2415 S Broadway, Santa Maria, CA

Fro-yo Pictures of the Week

Fro-yo girl here. I wanted to share these pictures before they get too old. First, I did drive by Nubi Portero Center SF. Their sign isn't up and there isn't much to see - it's replacing the Ritz Camera and they've posted a job card in the window.



Second, I found another brand of mini mochi rice cakes at Sunset Super, called SoGo. SoGo is Taiwanese. Sunset Super had two flavors, Strawberry and Green Tea, $2.99 per package. The inside of the package looked moist, so I didn't buy any. The mochi in the strawberry package looked like one big melted together lump (yuck).

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

* SUNSET SUPER: 2425 Irving St, San Francisco, CA

Fro-yo Finds at Marina Foods

Fro-yo girl here. This was my first visit to the new Marina Foods supermarket in Fremont and of course I was on the look out for fro-yo finds. They have plain fro-yo popsicles! They're called Yogo Bar and a pack of nine plain popsicles sells for $4.59. The box says no artificial flavors or colors. I definitely wanted some but I wasn't going to be home for hours.



I also found a new brand of mochi called Awon. Marina had two flavors, plain and green tea, $1.99 for a 10.6 oz. package. The package shows the mochi on fro-yo, in drinks and sprinkled on a dessert. Awon mini mochi is manufactured in Taiwan. The green tea mochi is soft and sweet, with a surprisingly strong green tea (and good) flavor. Yum. I'm going to put some on fro-yo soon.

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

* MARINA FOODS: 46196 Warm Springs Blvd, Fremont, CA

Flavored Mochi Appears at Tuttimelon

Fro-yo girl here. Thanks to Fro-yo Gizmo Geek for the heads up on the new flavored mochi balls appearing in some (but not all) locations of Tuttimelon. I found the strawberry mochi at Tuttimelon Chestnut. The strawberry mochi is about the same size as their plain mochi balls but it’s softer and of course, pink. The strawberry flavor isn’t that strong but it’s nice. The mochi is chewy, sweet, and soft like it should be. They’re not using Wang brand strawberry mochi balls. Those aren’t soft enough.

* Tuttimelon Irving: Apple mochi
* Tuttimelon Cupertino: No flavored mochi spotted
* Tuttimelon Chestnut: Strawberry mochi

Mochi ball status at other Tuttimelon locations: unknown. Any information on mochi ball status would be appreciated.

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

* TUTTIMELON CHESTNUT: 2240 Chestnut St. San Francisco, CA
* TUTTIMELON IRVING: 2150 Irving St San Francisco, CA

New Flavored Mochi at Kukje

Fro-yo girl here. While Kukje Market appears to be out of or no longer carry Dae Doo Food Co. mochi balls, they now have flavored mochi balls! They’re tiny and come on a Styrofoam tray with plastic wrapping. The “mochiquitas” flavors are melon, coconut and strawberry ($3.49 per package). I believe they are manufactured by Wang but it doesn’t say so on the packaging. Look for them in the refrigerated section near the produce department (where the tofu is).

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

* KUKJE: 2350 Junipero Serra, Daly City, CA

New Yogurtland Logo

Fro-yo girl here. Here’s a picture of the new Yogurtland sign. They’re coming out with a new tagline too. I’m told that the San Ramon location is the only one with the new sign so far. I also took a picture of their soft, chewy pink and green mochi cubes, made for Yogurtland in Sacramento. They aren’t strongly flavored. The green tastes like lime and the pink is strawberry.

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

Blush Topping of the Month Revealed

Fro-yo girl here. More Blush news! This one gives me a reason to look forward to May. The topping of the month will be strawberry flavored mochi. What a wonderful idea to feature a particular topping and to pick flavored mochi is sheer brilliance.

Update: The strawberry mochi balls are available NOW. I didn't have to wait till May. They're tiny adorable pink balls with the soft and chewy texture you'd expect.

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

* BLUSH: 4640 Tassajara Rd, Ste A, Dublin, CA

Mochi Update: Samjin Yogurt Mochi

Fro-yo girl here. I dropped by Kukje to look for mochi balls and I spotted another Korean brand (Dae Doo Food Co. is the most common brand used by fro-yo shops), Samjin. They call their mochi balls “yogurt mochi.” Kukje had the plain variety for $4.99 a package. The Samjin mochi bits aren’t as uniform in shape and size as the Dae Doo ones and they’re sweeter. If you want to try them before buying a bag, they have them at Tutti Frutti in Danville. I prefer the taste of Dae Doo's mochi.

P.S. Kukje didn't have the rainbow mochi balls.

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

* KUKJE: 2350 Junipero Serra, Daly City, CA
* TUTTI FRUTTI: 37 Railroad Ave, Danville, CA

Mochi Update: Invasion of the Rainbow Colored Mochi

Fro-yo girl here. I first blogged about my favorite topping, mochi balls, in October 2008 and it’s time for an update because the Korean brand that is used by most tart fro-yo shops, Dae Doo Food Co., very recently introduced a colored version of mochi (bingsoo rice cake). The new colored mochi balls aren’t flavored. They taste the same as the white version. The mochi balls come in pink, green, yellow and blue. They’ve been spotted at Fro-ggie and Tuttimelon.

Someone in the US should seriously manufacture mochi balls for fro-yo shops (and make some flavored versions too). I worry that Dae Doo Food Co. won’t be able to keep up with mochi demand.

Since my October posting, several other fro-yo shops started offering homemade mochi balls and they deserve to be mentioned here: Hello Desserts, Yogurtastic, and Pink Swirl. I wish I could say more but I haven’t had tried the homemade mochi at Hello Desserts or Yogurtastic. The Pink Swirl variety comes from a Japanese bakery in Los Angeles, Fugetsu-do: http://www.fugetsu-do.com/buymochi.htm

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

* HELLO DESSERTS: 1698 Hostetter Rd, San Jose, CA
* YOGURTASTIC: 3924 Washington Blvd, Fremont, CA
* PINK SWIRL: 43423 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA
* FRO-GGIE: 1554 Washington Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539
* TUTTIMELON SAN MATEO: 165 E. 4th Ave., San Mateo, CA
* TUTTIMELON POLK: 2125 Polk St, San Francisco

SoCal Fro-Yo Report: Flavored Mochi Balls at Twist

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve found another place in SoCal that’s worthy of extra attention from fro-yoholics, or should I say mochiholics. It’s called Twist and at 28 cents an ounce, they claim to be the cheapest self-serve fro-yo shop in the US. The sheer variety of fro-yo and toppings is astounding: 14 flavors of fro-yo (sweet, tart), over 50 toppings including fresh fruit (and my favorite, pomegranate seeds).

The fro-yo is good but the real attraction at Twist is their flavored mochi balls, made exclusively for Twist.

During my visit they had the following mochi balls:
* Plain
* Pineapple
* Blueberry
* Strawberry
* Chocolate
* Coconut

I tried plain, pineapple, blueberry and strawberry. The mochi balls were soft, chewy and tiny (I prefer larger mochi balls). They should tone down the food coloring though. While I prefer the mochi topping at sno:la, Twist is much cheaper and more convenient (in terms of parking). If there are other places in SoCal where you can find homemade mochi balls, drop me a line – I need to know.

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

* TWIST FROZEN YOGURT: 12105 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Fro-Yo Girl's Wish List for 2009

Fro-yo girl here. A new year of fro-yo is upon us accompanied as usual with hopes and dreams for a better future. What does fro-yo girl wish for? Let’s see.

• Soy fro-yo: It already exists but is hard to find. Soy milk is mainstream now and there are plenty of lactose intolerant individuals. I’m not lactose intolerant but I love soy milk.
• Kefir fro-yo: The new Starfruit in Chicago offers kefir fro-yo. I’m definitely intrigued.
• New fro-yo flavors: I hope more fro-yo shops follow the example set by Culture and Chill by coming up with new fro-yo flavors. I’m hoping for two flavors in particular: honey and Meyer lemon.
• Mochi at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt: Everyone knows that I love Culture and its homemade toppings but I still miss my mochi balls. I also wish I didn’t have to drive 40 miles for their fro-yo.
• More homemade mochi all over: What can I say, mochi balls are my favorite fro-yo topping. Maybe some place will even offer moffles (mochi waffles)?
• Tuttimelon’s growth continues: Tuttimelon already has the most locations in the Bay Area (5 in 2008) and there are 9 more on the way (for now). I’m all for the world domination of Tuttimelon!
• Fro-yo at Target and Trader Joe’s: They carry yogurt parfaits and are responsive to trends. Adding fro-yo wouldn’t be so difficult.
• Tart fro-yo in your local supermarket freezer section. There’s a real market opportunity here that I’m sure someone will see and pursue in 2009.

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

Spotlight on Tart Fro-Yo Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. The vast majority of tart fro-yo shops have very similar fruit and dry toppings and they normally carry anywhere from a dozen to 50 different types of toppings. Most of the toppings, other than the fresh fruit, come in boxes and cans. A few shops don't even have fresh fruit and may offer up defrosted frozen or canned fruit instead.

Strawberries are the most popular fresh fruit topping but other common fruit toppings include:

• Kiwi


• Pineapple


• Mango


• Blueberries


• Raspberries


• Blackberries


• Bananas


• Watermelon


• Cantaloupe


• Honeydew


• Pomegranate seeds

Less common fruit toppings include:

• Peaches (canned are more common than fresh)


• Cherries (canned are more common than fresh)


• Plums


• Grapes


• Pluots


• Mandarin oranges


• Lychee


• Longan


• Jackfruit

Mochi balls are my favorite non-fruit topping and they're available at most fro-yo shops. Other common dry toppings include:

• Cereals (Fruity Pebbles, Cap'n Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles usually, but also Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, etc.)


• Granola


• Chocolate chips


• Yogurt chips


• Carob chips


• Graham crackers (crushed)


• Almonds


• Marshmallows


• Coconut


• Dried cranberries (and other dried fruits)


• Crushed cookies (chocolate chip, Oreo, Teddy Grahams, etc.)

Occasionally you'll see the following:

• Brownie bits


• Cheesecake bits

If the fro-yo shop also sells traditional sweet fro-yo, chances are they'll have crushed candy toppings (Butterfinger, gummy bears, mini M&Ms, Jelly Bellies, Nerds, Twix, Kit Kat) and sprinkles. I personally don't like to have candy toppings on my tart fro-yo.

You may also find various syrups (chocolate being the most common), honey and condensed milk.

Some Asian fro-yo shops have Asian toppings such as:

• Chestnuts


• Jelly (different types, like rainbow jelly, coconut jelly)


• Red beans

You can customize your treat further with flavored powders like green tea, chocolate, green apple, etc. I've seen the powders at YoSwirl in Fremont, TrendyBean in Santa Clara and Tuttimelon.

Once in a blue moon, you'll come across a place that makes their own toppings. In the Bay Area, there are two places that do this (both in Palo Alto) and deserve special recognition:

* FRAICHE YOGURT: Homemade granola, homemade mochi balls. Unfortunately, their fro-yo is flavorless.
* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: The best place for homemade organic toppings, the variety changes all the time and includes mini chocolate meringues, a seasonal granola, mini chocolate chip cookies, brownies, coconut crunch, homemade apple cake, etc. These are all made on the premises by the brilliant Toppings In Chief, Mary. Right now they have spiced apples! Absolutely amazing - no other place comes close.

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