Last year, I was addicted to frozen yoghurt. I was one of those many people making regular trips to Moochi, Noggi or Yogurberry like a pilgrimage back when you could only find them in places like Strathfield or Chatswood. Fast forward to 12 months later and times have changed. In about a year, froyo shops have pretty much dominated nearly every single suburb in Sydney (especially the George Street area near Town Hall) to the point when you literally sigh every time yet another froyo bar opens. As of now, the froyo craze has affected Newtown severely to the point where it is now more known for having way too many froyo joints (at least 5 I think...) rather than its soulful attitude, alternative culture and the many Thai restaurants back in the day.
There are froyo franchises of the usual brands popping up everywhere (Moochi, Yogurberry, Yoghurtland, Noggi etc). Then there are independently owned froyo shops, like Mooberry in Newtown. In fact, this is the creation of John X and Janine who run this as a family business for the love of froyo and desserts. So when I got an invite to a tasting session at Mooberry by John X, I was curious to see how this compared to all of the ever-increasing competition around Sydney. It took a while to happen because I was getting sick very often this season. The last thing I wanted while having a terrible cough, epic sneezing and a sore throat was something cold like frozen yoghurt. Eventually I finally found the time to check Mooberry to see what was so different to the other froyo joints. It was also close to V's birthday and he was equally curious to try this out.
While there is still some of the usual decor that you would expect from a froyo bar (crystal clear colours that dominates the store, neon sign, EDM background music lol), Mooberry adds a few touches to make it a bit more interesting with grass walls, deer head models, picture frames with interesting pics and messages, mirrors and even some empty milk bottles. Kinda makes you think that you are entering into a cafe instead of a froyo bar for a second.
We were intrigued by the promotional deals that Mooberry offers but were sadly disappointed that it's for students only. A good thing to note is while some froyo bars have deals for high school students, Mooberry has deals for uni students with their College VIP card and unlimited toppings for $1 on Tuesdays. Damn you uni students.
The service was impeccable, enthusiastic, helpful and friendly on all the times I've been there since it opened in December 2012. It turns out that Mooberry uses real yoghurt and proper ingredients to make their froyo - none of that artificial stuff. Yes there are the standard froyos and a decent range of smoothies. Yes there are waffles too...but with froyo on the side! But what really stood out was the amount of decadent desserts that they offer. This includes desserts like dark chocolate souffle (which was sadly unavailable on the night), single or double hot shots (e.g. honey, chocolate, espresso and warm nutella) and a coconut affogatto? Helloooooo coffee!
This is for everyone on Contiki...you know why
The way Mooberry works is similar to Moochi and Noggi's model where you order your froyo flavour/s at the counter and the staff makes it for you rather than the self-serve and weigh model like Yogurberry. V and I preferred this method as it is cheaper and we tend to overstuff our froyo tubs. While the Original and Coconut flavours were often available, most of the froyo flavours at Mooberry change on a regular basis. On the night, we got to sample Original, Coconut, Watermelon and Tiramisu (which was their newest flavour).
I personally enjoyed all the flavours while V thought that the watermelon froyo was his favourite but we definitely enjoyed the range of treats that Mooberry offers. The tiramisu froyo had that sweet and creamy taste that I like from a tiramisu dessert while the watermelon had that fruitiness that I immediately noticed. I even liked the vanilla one which tastes like real Vanilla (that I really love) rather than the artificial Vanilla that generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It was smooth, soft and creamy though I would try to eat it as soon as possible because it melts pretty quickly.
Although the churros and the souffle weren't available on the night, there were still waffles! At Mooberry, you get waffles with 2 toppings and a froyo on the side and drizzled with melted chocolate. Sounds very rich and dense if you ask me. We went with Mooberry's famous coconut flavour as our choice of froyo for the waffles with strawberry and banana toppings. Everything on this plate worked so well together from the smooth, heavenly and rich Belgian chocolate to the warm and crispy waffles to the fresh strawberries and banana. And as for the coconut froyo? Tastes like real coconut with a balance of sweetness. Definitely the highlight of our evening.
Despite getting full from the froyos and the waffles, we must not forget to try Mooberry's signature coconut affogato. This came with an espresso shot to pour over the coconut froyo. While V was generally not a coffee person, he thought this treat was nice to have on a warm evening. As you can see I poured a bit too much espresso that the froyo was drowning in it. Thankfully there was that balance between the bitter coffee, the sweet coconut and the refreshing froyo. For some reason we didn't get the coconut shavings in the coconut affogato though I was too exhausted from work to notice this. Despite that, I wouldn't mind ordering this again next time.
After all the food, we realised that we were still thirsty...and surprisingly hungry for savoury food. We couldn't help but wanted to try out one of the 9 flavours of smoothies that they have. They even have "Sneaky smoothies" for the chocoholics. Like myself when I ordered the'Cheeky Chocolate , which consists of Belgian chocolate, Tim Tams and froyo :p. It was thick, cool and refreshing for my liking. Good to try once the warmer weather hits our shores.
V decided to go with the Mango Passion smoothie (Mango, Passionfruit and Original froyo), which I've noticed was one of their more popular smoothie flavours. I tried a little bit and thought it has a nice tangy flavour while V gave this flavour the thumbs up.
While I'm still over the froyo trend that is escalating across Sydney and even as far as Wollongong, Mooberry is actually a breath of fresh air to the tiresome trend with decadent desserts that will satisfy our cravings and decent quality frozen yoghurt. It is these desserts and the real tasting froyo that differentiates itself over the many other froyo bars that are popping up on King Street these days. Will certainly come back here again to try out the dark chocolate souffle and the churros next time I'm in Newtown.
Disclaimer 1: The Random Foodie and co dined at Mooberry, courtesy of John X and the Mooberry team. Opinions are still personal.
Disclaimer 2: Some of the items may only be available on their Winter menu. Things may change on the menu now that it's Spring. Sorry guys.
Mooberry - Real Froyo and Smoothies
160 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042
(02) 9557 4208
https://www.facebook.com/MooBerryFroyo
There are froyo franchises of the usual brands popping up everywhere (Moochi, Yogurberry, Yoghurtland, Noggi etc). Then there are independently owned froyo shops, like Mooberry in Newtown. In fact, this is the creation of John X and Janine who run this as a family business for the love of froyo and desserts. So when I got an invite to a tasting session at Mooberry by John X, I was curious to see how this compared to all of the ever-increasing competition around Sydney. It took a while to happen because I was getting sick very often this season. The last thing I wanted while having a terrible cough, epic sneezing and a sore throat was something cold like frozen yoghurt. Eventually I finally found the time to check Mooberry to see what was so different to the other froyo joints. It was also close to V's birthday and he was equally curious to try this out.
While there is still some of the usual decor that you would expect from a froyo bar (crystal clear colours that dominates the store, neon sign, EDM background music lol), Mooberry adds a few touches to make it a bit more interesting with grass walls, deer head models, picture frames with interesting pics and messages, mirrors and even some empty milk bottles. Kinda makes you think that you are entering into a cafe instead of a froyo bar for a second.
We were intrigued by the promotional deals that Mooberry offers but were sadly disappointed that it's for students only. A good thing to note is while some froyo bars have deals for high school students, Mooberry has deals for uni students with their College VIP card and unlimited toppings for $1 on Tuesdays. Damn you uni students.
The service was impeccable, enthusiastic, helpful and friendly on all the times I've been there since it opened in December 2012. It turns out that Mooberry uses real yoghurt and proper ingredients to make their froyo - none of that artificial stuff. Yes there are the standard froyos and a decent range of smoothies. Yes there are waffles too...but with froyo on the side! But what really stood out was the amount of decadent desserts that they offer. This includes desserts like dark chocolate souffle (which was sadly unavailable on the night), single or double hot shots (e.g. honey, chocolate, espresso and warm nutella) and a coconut affogatto? Helloooooo coffee!
This is for everyone on Contiki...you know why
Forgot to ask for toppings on the night but from previous visits, they do offer a generous selection including pearls, choc pieces, golden gaytime crumble and even mini macarons for 70c extra. You can also get Belgian mini wafers for $1 extra.
Toppings!
The way Mooberry works is similar to Moochi and Noggi's model where you order your froyo flavour/s at the counter and the staff makes it for you rather than the self-serve and weigh model like Yogurberry. V and I preferred this method as it is cheaper and we tend to overstuff our froyo tubs. While the Original and Coconut flavours were often available, most of the froyo flavours at Mooberry change on a regular basis. On the night, we got to sample Original, Coconut, Watermelon and Tiramisu (which was their newest flavour).
Tiramisu and Watermelon froyo
I personally enjoyed all the flavours while V thought that the watermelon froyo was his favourite but we definitely enjoyed the range of treats that Mooberry offers. The tiramisu froyo had that sweet and creamy taste that I like from a tiramisu dessert while the watermelon had that fruitiness that I immediately noticed. I even liked the vanilla one which tastes like real Vanilla (that I really love) rather than the artificial Vanilla that generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It was smooth, soft and creamy though I would try to eat it as soon as possible because it melts pretty quickly.
Original froyo
Although the churros and the souffle weren't available on the night, there were still waffles! At Mooberry, you get waffles with 2 toppings and a froyo on the side and drizzled with melted chocolate. Sounds very rich and dense if you ask me. We went with Mooberry's famous coconut flavour as our choice of froyo for the waffles with strawberry and banana toppings. Everything on this plate worked so well together from the smooth, heavenly and rich Belgian chocolate to the warm and crispy waffles to the fresh strawberries and banana. And as for the coconut froyo? Tastes like real coconut with a balance of sweetness. Definitely the highlight of our evening.
Belgian waffles with melted chocolate, froyo and two toppings ($12.90 for one/$17.90 for two)
Despite getting full from the froyos and the waffles, we must not forget to try Mooberry's signature coconut affogato. This came with an espresso shot to pour over the coconut froyo. While V was generally not a coffee person, he thought this treat was nice to have on a warm evening. As you can see I poured a bit too much espresso that the froyo was drowning in it. Thankfully there was that balance between the bitter coffee, the sweet coconut and the refreshing froyo. For some reason we didn't get the coconut shavings in the coconut affogato though I was too exhausted from work to notice this. Despite that, I wouldn't mind ordering this again next time.
Coconut affogato ($6.50)
After all the food, we realised that we were still thirsty...and surprisingly hungry for savoury food. We couldn't help but wanted to try out one of the 9 flavours of smoothies that they have. They even have "Sneaky smoothies" for the chocoholics. Like myself when I ordered the'Cheeky Chocolate , which consists of Belgian chocolate, Tim Tams and froyo :p. It was thick, cool and refreshing for my liking. Good to try once the warmer weather hits our shores.
V decided to go with the Mango Passion smoothie (Mango, Passionfruit and Original froyo), which I've noticed was one of their more popular smoothie flavours. I tried a little bit and thought it has a nice tangy flavour while V gave this flavour the thumbs up.
While I'm still over the froyo trend that is escalating across Sydney and even as far as Wollongong, Mooberry is actually a breath of fresh air to the tiresome trend with decadent desserts that will satisfy our cravings and decent quality frozen yoghurt. It is these desserts and the real tasting froyo that differentiates itself over the many other froyo bars that are popping up on King Street these days. Will certainly come back here again to try out the dark chocolate souffle and the churros next time I'm in Newtown.
Disclaimer 1: The Random Foodie and co dined at Mooberry, courtesy of John X and the Mooberry team. Opinions are still personal.
Disclaimer 2: Some of the items may only be available on their Winter menu. Things may change on the menu now that it's Spring. Sorry guys.
Mooberry - Real Froyo and Smoothies
160 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042
(02) 9557 4208
https://www.facebook.com/MooBerryFroyo
