Monday, February 7, 2011

Yogurt House

UPDATE:  Yoghurt House has closed down :-(

My father and I share a love of words - not so much great literature but rather cryptic crosswords and a terrible love of puns and silly sound-alikes.  Our mutual delight at the most tragic of these are so bad my husband calls them "[maiden name] jokes".  When I come up with one, he looks at me, rolls his eyes and says, "Hmm, the [name] sense of humour!  Better call your dad and tell him that one."  So in true [name] spirit, I present to you Yogurt House, which took up residence in the old optometrist's premises.  Was eye screen, now ice cream!

Babylon and Yog House 019

Are you still there, dear reader?  Sorry.  OK, I promise no more [name] jokes.  Yogurt House is a DIY soft serve yoghurt parlour that opened fairly recently in Footscray.  The decor is a bit odd - lots of bright colours and empty space - but Billy tells me it looks very much like trendy places in Vietnam.

Babylon and Yog House 018

Brendan put Yogurt House's taro yoghurt in his top 5 places in Footscray and surrounds.  Flavours change regularly and there's a mix of Western, like cookies & cream and chocolate, and Asian, like the aforementioned taro as well as green tea and...

Babylon and Yog House 016

Dun dun dun!  I love the echoes underneath, like a scream...  "Durian, nooooooo!"  Durian is a huge spiky tropical fruit loved across much of Asia that has a scent described as anything from smelly socks to rotten onions.  My mum used to buy wafer biscuits from Little Saigon in Richmond for our school lunch and we got the durian flavour quite often, but I must say those biscuits really had no strong durian flavour, just tasting vaguely fruity.  On the other hand, the durian yoghurt here at Yogurt House is pretty intense.  To me it tastes like really overripe fruit or like very rich, stinky cheese, neither of which things I like very much.

Babylon and Yog House 014

The idea is you take a cup from the stack near the window and just go down the line filling it up with whatever flavours you desire, just like a slurpee at 7-11.  You can have as much or as little as you would like.  There's a whole spread of toppings which again, you can add as much or as little as you like.  As well as sprinkles, lollies and Tim Tams, there are lots of fruits in syrup and various jellies.

Babylon and Yog House 012

Pricing is on weight with 100 g for $1.50.  I think it is genius!  Especially with kids, everyone can have the perfect portion.  I just wish they recycled the plastic bowls - am I a freak because I take mine home with me to put in my own recycling bin?!

Babylon and Yog House 017

Some of the flavours are hit and miss - I was not mad on the strawberry or the chocolate, they tasted too watery.  Coconut and the plain yoghurt flavour itself are great, as is the taro, which is purple and has an earthy flavour not unlike sweet potato.  I love frozen yoghurt much more than ice cream.  Why?  Because I'm cultured!

Yogurt House
Cnr Barkly St and Albert St, Footscray (map)
Open:  9am - 9pm 7 days, until 10.30pm Fri & Sat

Wheelchair Accessibility
Entry:  Level.
Layout:  Spacious. 

11 comments:

  1. Definitely right Lauren, durian is a very acquired taste... I don't mind it, but I'm surprised that there are people who really, really love them

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  2. Cultured? Bwahahahaha! You are a funny lady! :)

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  3. I just hyperventilated. Really. (well, not really really, but I did start breathing quickly.) I've been so envious of these self-serve froyo places, which are ubiquitous in Australia, and am so delighted to know one exists in Melbourne!

    Must ask my brother when I can next visit him...

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  4. Haha! I've had durian gelato, but not yogurt. Time for a visit!! yumyum...

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  5. awesome yoghurt joke :D Your blog is amazing :)

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  6. We took the kids on the weekend! $4.50 for two bowls - bargain, and they loved it. I was sad to see no asian yoghurt flavours on the day we went - just plain, strawberry, blueberry and choc. But the blueberry was pretty yum!

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  7. MD, I am glad you liked it. Thank you to everyone for stopping by and Choux-Fleur for the lovely compliment!

    Hannah, when I was in the States they were getting really popular - Pinkberry in LA was all the rage and they had spread to NYC too.

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  8. I've been meaning to try this place out because it's always empty when I walk past. I wonder how long it will last? It's a big space so I can imagine the rent being exorbitant.

    I love Pinkberry! Igloo Zoo in Malvern is a good alternative (think there's one in Chaddy too) if you don't want to fly to LA for some fro yo and there was one directly underneath the Melbourne wheel before it broke down, name escapes me.

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  9. You know Monica they have gone down from using all four or five of the dispensers to only about two. Not sure if that is a bad sign...

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I love getting your comments! They're what make blogging worthwhile. Unfortunately, the amount of spam I get is obscene and it is so tiresome to have to moderate every comment, so I have had to turn on annoying word verification. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please know how much I love you having your say!

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