Froyomind

OC residents, rejoice! There’s a frozen yogurt shop near you! Thank goodness, ’cause gas prices aren’t exactly cheap nowadays.

Introducing: Yogurtland in sunny, spacious Irvine, California.

Location:

14775 Jeffrey Road, Ste J
Irvine, CA 92618

This Yogurtland location is conveniently surrounded by a variety of Asian restaurants, a Wienerschnitzel, and Mexican food, so you can compliment your diverse meals with a hefty scoop of frozen yogurt. The parking lot on a Saturday afternoon is needless to say, jam-packed, but luckily there are enough spaces to go around.

Curious passers by may be enticed to stop by, as the “Now Open” sign and wide-open door upon first glance are quaint and inviting.

The concept behind Yogurtland is simple - it’s self serve frozen yogurt, so it’s like getting in line for a big frozen yogurt buffet. And the price based off of weight so whatever you choose to fill up your cup with, the end result is always 30 cents per ounce.

Step 1. Pick your cup!

In support of Saturday’s “Live Earth” campaign, I chose plastic over Styrofoam. Although secretly, I am beginning to stir up the crazy notion that I should start carrying around my very own frozen yogurt mug to refill wherever I go. This is also how I feel about people who are Starbucks-addicts. They should all bring their own cups with them each time they order a drink, to save them from having to throw out a perfectly nice new cup every single time. Do you ever wonder how our landfills are able to sustain such massive quantities of trash? I digress.

Back to..

Step 2: Choose your flavor(s). I like to diversify and try a little bit of other unusual flavors, but you know you can’t go wrong with the plain tart.

Unfortunately, this time around, I wasn’t brave enough to sample their chocolate, however I mixed it up with taro. Taro is a taste I’ve come to love over time, but it’s always hard for me to explain the taste. Guess you’ll have to try it and find out yourself!

Step 3: Fill’er Up!

Step 4: Get a load of all the toppings.

From fruits, to nuts, to cereals, to candies… what’s it going to be?

M0chi’s concoction consisted of a swirl of blackberry, taro, and plain tart - with an array of puffy rice cake (mochi!), colorful gummy bears, and what appears to be generic lucky charms.

Spoon went for the more traditional approach, a hint of green tea,a whole lot of plain tart, a few strawberries and mangos, and don’t skimp out on the rice cake (mochi!).

Here’s a side view of all that frozen yogurt goodness.

The verdict:

Consistency is key. The difference between a good yogurt and an excellent yogurt is the way it swirls into your cup. The way it sticks to your spoon as you savor each bite. If the frozen yogurt melts too fast, then you have less time to enjoy the yogurt, which bumps it into the not-so-good kind. I don’t want to go Joey Chestnut on my froyo, I want to spend as much quality time enjoying my frozen yogurt as I can.

Yogurtland frozen yogurt’s consistency is not as delicate as Pinkberry’s. I don’t know what it is, but Pinkberry seems to have mastered the consistency of theirs to give it the perfect amount of ice versus cream. Yogurtland’s version may taste just as good, but goers be warned, the yogurt is a little icier here, given the hard time it has from pumping out of the machines. Due to its icier nature, Yogurtland yogurt seems to melt a wee bit faster.

Flavor, however makes up for shortfalls in consistency. The plain tart is delicious, the perfect amount of tart, and the taro as mentioned, was a pleasant encounter. The green tea however, wins at Pinkberry by far. Peanut butter is also another flavor I’ve noticed popping up at frozen yogurt shops California-wide, but I have still yet to discover one that has mastered it. Blackberry was very strong, and I’m still debating now whether that distinct empowering taste was something I’d like to try again. Overall, I highly recommend the plain tart and taro.

A word on the ambiance of Yogurtland, it’s very welcoming, modern, and again, something about being able to choose your own flavors and toppings is a definite plus. If you love mochi, you don’t have to worry about holding back, load your cup up with as much mochi as you want! The only negative I found with Yogurtland, and consequently, San Diego’s Yogurtworld, is that they’re a little less concerned with cleanliness as the Pinkberries of the world. It seems when you give your customers freedom to fill, it can lead to more frequent spills and disregard for the store’s appearance. As much as you can reason this is beyond the store’s control as it is most likely due to the customers’ negligence, it’s still the store’s responsibility to up-keep their physical appearance to the best of their ability. Simply put, nothing a part-time worker can’t fix by occasionally wiping down the machines or sweeping the floor. The exterior of this Yogurtland is very cute, while the front may seem like hustle and bustle, disappear to the back near the boba shops, and you’ll find a cute enclosed fountain-pool area, and a few benches to sit down and enjoy your frozen yogurt.

Yogurtland is worth the trip, and can be the perfect fix to your froyo craving. Get ready, as we start seeing Pinkberry clones popping up everywhere, Yogurtland won’t be far behind. You’ll be seeing them soon at the following Cali locations:

• Huntington Beach
• San Diego
• Torrance
• Beverly Hills
• Hollywood
• Rowland Heights
• Northridge

And we’ll be there for each one to give you the latest scoop! Stay tuned.