Mochidoki is Back!
Big news for all mochi lovers! Mochidoki— the beloved, New York-based mochi ice cream company known for their imaginative Japanese-inspired desserts — has reopened their first brick-and-mortar location: an interactive flagship in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood (176 Spring Street) for both takeout and delivery.
Now, Mochidoki isn’t just any mochi ice cream. With its perfectly pillowy consistency and an array of flavors, there’s a significant difference between the mochi ice cream here and ones you can find at the grocery store. To lead flavor innovation at the flagship, Mochidoki recently announced a new Culinary Director, Natsume Aoi, formerly the Executive Pastry Chef at the highly-acclaimed Morimoto, who also trained under Jean Georges at Mercato in Shanghai. Growing up in Japan, Aoi learned to make traditional Japanese desserts under the watchful eye of her grandmother -- an experience she combined along with her classically-trained French pastry technique to offer a new kind of mochi ice cream, Mochi Creations (Mochidoki's signature flavors with artful toppings) in distinctive flavors like:
Espresso Cup with espresso mochi ice cream, a tempered chocolate cup and cinnamon meringue
Kakigori with red bean mochi ice cream, white chocolate glacage, a flurry of tempered white chocolate, shredded coconut and pandan jelly
Mandarin with the creamsicle-like mandarin orange mochi ice cream, dark chocolate glacage, pistachios and orange jelly
PB&J with black sesame mochi ice cream, almond butter, slivered almonds and raspberry coulis
Matcha Latte with matcha mochi ice cream, a swirl of kinako cream, white chocolate pearls and silver leaf
Cobble Hop with summer 2020's milk candy mochi ice cream, white chocolate glacage, granola and mixed berries
Alongside new Mochi Creations, Mochidoki SoHo offers signature flavors a la carte, such as Coconut with toasted shaved coconut, Black Sesame, a vegan lineup including Lychee and Chocolate, and more -- using only the highest-quality, natural and non-GMO ingredients. Mochi is available in single pieces, or in customizable boxes. Beverages including Nitro Matcha, Nitro Cold Brew, and Matcha Lattes are also available.
Mochidoki’s direct-to-consumer website has also expanded its delivery zones this summer. Now, residents in AZ, CA, NV and UT -- along with 26 other states nationwide -- can order the treats online with two-day shipping (perfect for kids, cookouts, or sending as a gift during this time of distance).
So what are you waiting for? Get your mochi on.
Dessert Goals: Joy Edition
In preparation of their dessert-only food festival, which began this past weekend and will continue on to the next, Dessert Goals held a preview on Saturday, October 13th, providing a special sneak peek of all the sweetness to come. As New York’s first all-dessert festival, this year’s Dessert Goals: Joy Edition provides a taste of the city’s dessert scene, featuring works from New York’s best experts on everything sweet, from trendy novelties to exotic delicacies to plain simple deliciousness.
In the spacious, waterfront location of Sound River Studios in Long Island City, over twenty unique dessert vendors set up shop amidst a mirage of rainbow colored streamers, balloons, and candy bracelets. Fitting with the theme of Joy Edition, the event was pet-friendly and welcomed pups to join in on the fun. With desserts and puppies, it doesn’t get much better.
The collection of the desserts themselves can only be described as a diverse medley of all the goodies NYC has to offer, spanning from the fresh lightness of Meringueshop’s 100% vegan aquafaba-based dragon fruit gelée meringue treats, to the all-out decadence of Sugar and Water’s “dossants” aka donut croissants aka flaky, buttery, sugar powdered goodness.
Other innovative creations include I CE NY’s rolled ice cream, Stuffed Ice Cream bouquets, and Keki Modern Cake’s purple yam “bouncy” cheesecakes while more classic delights include maple walnut pie from Petee’s Pie Company and traditional Canadian butter tarts made by BTarts. Whether it be creations or originals, Dessert Goals has something for everyone, not excluding those with dietary restrictions; Smoothme’s all natural “nice” cream, made with frozen fruit and coconut cream, is the perfect sweet treat for health-food enthusiasts and vegans (and frankly, those of us who could use some fruit after eating six donuts). Dessert Goals: Joy Edition covers all the bases: desserts you never knew could exist, desserts you’ve always wanted to try, matcha everything, and Instagram-worthy treats almost too beautiful to eat.
Photo credit: Liang Shi / @omgdessertgoals and ratya Jankong / @pj_photographer )