Battle: Frozen Yogurt

It was the Summer of 2007 and it was love at first bite (kind of). I had heard a lot about this Pinkberry, a lot of celebs were frequenting it in New York and Los Angeles, so obviously I had to try. I had a first taste of it in NYC but it wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles and lived near a Pinkberry that I fell truly, madly, deeply in love. I remember there were days when I went in the morning and evening, weeks when I went everyday and times when I even had pinkberry for lunch.

Then little Pinkberry clones started opening up everywhere — Yogurtland, Berri Good, Kiwi Bear etc etc. I tried and tested them but Pinkberry reigned supreme. Soon I moved away from the land of abundant Pinkberry to Mumbai, where I had Naturals but a little something was missing. Then God heard my prayers….Froyo came to Mumbai!

First there was Coco Berry, which I came to know about from a Facebook ad (that Facebook knows me so well!). Now I can’t be a very good judge of it because it has honestly been a year since I had some. I remember the yogurt being quite good and there being a nice selection of toppings. Price wise it was a little steep (as was Pinkberry) – Small with 3 Toppings (Rs.89), Medium w/ 3 Toppings (Rs. 179), Large w/ 3 Toppings (279). PS. they have Alfonso yogurt as one of their flavor options — that definitely calls for another visit to Coco Berry!

A year went by and all of a sudden 2 more Froyo places opened up – once again in Bandra (I would have become bankrupt if it was in Andheri!). First we visited Fro Yo (yes it is called Fro Yo!). Its a tiny place off Waterfield  Road in Bandra (close to San Churro, China Gate, Red Box). It is not as hip and hot as Yogurtbay and Coco Berry (decor, art work etc) but it definitely gets the flavor right. Flavor wise there are 4 – Original (my favorite), Strawberry, Blueberry and for a limited time Green Apple (which was nasssty!!).

Size wise it has the same 3 strange sizes as Coco Berry. Small which is teensy tiny (Rs.85 for 3 toppings), Medium is twice as big as small (Rs.175 for 3 toppings) and Large is ginormous (Rs.275 for 3 toppings). They also let you mix flavors for an additional Rs.10. Overall I really really enjoyed Froyo (so much that I had 2 servings). The fruit toppings were not super fresh but it was also night time, the chocolate chips were nice but didn’t care for any other toppings. Can’t wait till Mango comes.

After Froyo, I decided to try out the 2nd new yogurt place – Yogurt Bay (Carter Road). Yogurt Bay is even tinier — therefore there is only room for you to go and order your Yogurt. Size wise it is the same — price wise they charge you for a cup of yogurt and the price of toppings is extra. Small is Rs.70, Medium is Rs.110, Large (I don’t remember) and there is a Mini size as well (price again I don’t remember). On that you can add toppings — Rs.10 for a Regular topping and Rs.20 for an Exotic topping. This works for people like me who only care for 1 topping sometimes. The yogurt (like Froyo) was on par with Pinkberry. I am not much of a flavor tester – I prefer to stick only to Original, but Yogurt Bay had Strawberry, Blueberry Cheesecake, French Vanilla and something else. P.s they also have some really cool toppings like cheesecake crust!

I ordered a Regular with mango and chocolate shavings. They were a little stingy with their serving size. In photos there yogurt is piled higher than the cup but sadly I didn’t get that much, which was a disappointment considered the whole reason I got Regular was because I wanted a LOT of froyo!

My boyfriend ordered a regular and got almost the same. Now, I’m not bitching I just wish I got more yogurt!! Anyways my 2nd issue with Yogurtbay was the lack of seating. They had put cushions on the stairs outside the store for people to sit and enjoy, but have they not heard of the Carter Road flies? There is no way to sit peacefully and enjoy your yogurt without being covered in flies and there is no way to take your yogur some where because in this Mumbai heat, it will be water by the time you reach anywhere. Look at the photo of my yogurt (right) — this is just after coming out of the store, it is pretty much liquid

That concludes my Bombay Frozen Yogurt Battle. Coco Berry is out of contention currently because I haven’t had it in ages. Fro Yo and Yogurt Bay are both at par. Fro Yo has place to sit and enjoy yogurt comfortably in AC, where as Yogurt Bay is a little priced better and has great cool flavors and toppings. I will definitely be visiting them BOTH again.

Yogurt Bay: 11 Gagangiri, Off Carter Rd, Bandra (W)

Fro Yo: Silver Pearl, Shop # 4, Off Waterfield Road, Opp China Gate, Bandra (W)

Coco Berry: 11, Gasper Enclave, CTS No. 861/C, Pali Naka, Bandra (W)

Advertisement