Yo Mama

Yo Mama~
Yes, Your Mama!
Ok, lame joke aside. Yo Mama is my first froyo experience in HK.
I’ve had my fair share of eating froyos back in the states ranging from Red Mango to Pinkberry to Yogurtland, etc. Thus, I never craved froyo enough to get it here in HK yet. But while taking a stroll in Wan Chai this past weekend, my awesome aunt wanted to get some when she saw Yo Mama across the street, so I said to myself: Why not? Let’s do it.
They had the Green Tea flavor ready and available but they were out of the Original Tart flavor, and asked if I would mind waiting 5 — 10 minutes until original tart was ready. My aunt got the green tea and since I’m not usually a green tea /​matcha flavor fan, I taste tested the green tea and decided to wait for the original flavor instead of settling for something I wasn’t crazy about. I don’t mind the wait since I was kind of excited to get froyo with red bean (for the very first time!), since I absolutely love red bean! I feel like only in Asia would you be able to find red bean as a topping — so, I’ll take it! I also got an additional topping, blueberries, to balance things out, as well as to make the overall froyo healthier. :)
To my surprise (I always think it’s better to start off with low expectation and be happy with the results than to start off with high expectations and be disappointed!), the original tart was pretty good. It tasted great with the red bean and blueberries. The red bean and blueberries kind of cancelled /​balanced each other out, because the red bean was on the sweeter side and the blueberries were more on the sour side. I enjoyed the froyo, so I would be willing to come back to Yo Mama in the future; though since I’m not a huge huge froyo craver, it is uncertain when the next time would be. As for the next visit, I’ll probably just get original tart with red bean instead of getting two toppings. The original tart and red bean flavors together should be enough to balance out the two flavors.
Yo Mama had really cute wall decorations — paintings of froyos with various toppings. Although the store was very small, the different paintings and color of the wall matched the store well and made the atmosphere feel warm and comfortable.
Given that I wasn’t hungry, the regular size was more than enough. The cost of froyo is priced competitively compared to the froyo stores in states, and since the froyo actually tasted good, it is certainly worth the value. If you like froyo, definitely give this place a try. They also have a third flavor aside from the Original Tart and Green Tea — Chocolate Hazelnut, which I didn’t know /​see until I left the store.

Hong Kong went through a frozen yogurt hype a couple of years ago and Yo Mama was one of the establishments that started it. I still remember my first time trying it at the basement of Times Square inside the supermarket Citysuper — I loved it. The yogurt, or ‘froyo’ as many call it, was smooth, icy and refreshing. I would always get the same two toppings: strawberry and mochi. Back then, it was $ 28 (or cheaper, actually — I don’t quite remember!) for the regular size; now it’s $ 31.
I don’t love Yo Mama as much as I did before, mainly because I’ve started to like frozen yogurt that is more ‘yogurty’, and the frozen yogurt at Yo Mama tastes more like ice cream than yogurt to me. However, if I happen to pass by Yo Mama (which I don’t as often anymore as the one in Times Square is gone), I sometimes still get one. I find that their regular size is just right for me, so I never opt for the large. They used to just have original and green tea flavor, but now they have more flavors like caramel and dark chocolate. I haven’t tried these, but between original and green tea, I like original a lot more because I find that it is more refreshing, and it complements my favorite topping (strawberry) very well. The green tea flavor doesn’t really taste like green tea to me. Yo Mama has one of the largest selections of toppings among all the other frozen yogurt shops I know in HK. Unfortunately I don’t take advantage of this — I like sticking to just get strawberry and mochi. The mochi is amazing — very soft and chewy. I would recommend Yo Mama to anyone and if you’re not sure what to get, get the original flavor with strawberry and mochi — it’s a winning combination!

Froyo when compare to other types of frozen dessert may seem a little healthier to some including myself; Yo mama is also one of the pioneers in the Froyo craze that stormed the local market several years ago. Finding success here in Hong Kong, there are more and more of its franchise established in various large malls or even owning a shop of its own.
This Yo mama branch in between Wanchai and admiralty has its shop right next to Pacific Place phase 3, just by the sound of it you know it’s a high end district with fairly high (or indeed VERY high) rent which indirectly proves that the business of Yo mama is indeed very successful.
For a joint that serves one and only one item in store regardless the varieties of topping, if the froyo is not made right, there is no chance for it to survive. The froyo of Yo mama is quite distinctive from the other froyo shops in a way that it’s less creamy. Lightness to me is one of the key qualities in a good froyo and Yo mama nailed it. Originally there are only 2 flavors available, original and green tea; but now they have featuring flavors changing from time to time which makes the place fun to go to to find out what flavors they have. Special flavors include cappuccino, cinnamon and even Greek yogurt; i think for a place that offers multiple toppings on a yoghurt it is always a good idea to improvise and make a new recipe out of the ingredients.
Say for example, you can pay tribute to Mediterranean dessert by adding honey and flaked almonds on the greek yogurt flavored froyo or adding digestive biscuit crumbs on caramel flavored froyo for a classical ice cream flavor caramel biscuit and cream.
For a place that allows such space for creativity, how could you limit yourself to the few toppings that you use to order? Perhaps I shall just make a review on the possible combinations in yo mama. What do you say?

Frozen yogurt sounds healthier (always stated as «fat free») than ice-​cream, it makes me feel less guilty when devouring it. So, I eat a lot of froyo during summer to kill the heat. There’re a lot of froyo places in Hong Kong, almost too many. However, Yo mama steals my heart.
Having 5 shops in Hong Kong, it’s not hard to find one nearby. Especially when they’re all located at huge shopping malls, like IFC and Festival Walk.
Yo mama froyo comes in two sizes, the regular one at $ 31 and the large one at $ 38, both include 1 topping. When it first came to Hong Kong, they only had two flavors, the original and green tea flavors. For me, that’s good enough, both flavors are well made and perfect to my palate. They remain a sharp, tart pungency of unsweetened taste, unlike other froyo shops (hate those artificial flavors). After running their business for quite a few years, they’re introducing more flavors and toppings to customers. They now have Greek yogurt, blueberry, dark chocolate, cappuccino, chocolate hazelnut and caramel flavors, I guess more are coming. They also offer new creative toppings, like homemade mini macaron and mini chocolate eggs. The variety of choices is definitely driving more people to go and keeping loyal customers, like me.
To make it short, the best cool down treat in town.