Yogurt Harmony, Berkeley
Yet another of the Pinkberry-inspired tart frozen yogurt places; this one is in downtown Berkeley, on Shattuck near Kittredge, directly across from the Berkeley Public Library. Yogurt Harmony (no relation, apparently, to Harmony Yogurt in San Carlos) offers four flavors, plain, green tea, peach, and pomegranate; the usual fruit, candy, nut, and cookie toppings, and red bean and mochi. They also have shaved ice with Torani syrup and a special of shaved ice, yogurt, toppings, red bean, and condensed milk, and coffee and tea. A pretty space, in the usual citrusy colors of the Pinkberry wannabes. A medium pomegranate with raspberries set me back $5.66 with tax. I liked the yogurt better than some of the others I've had in this genre; it was lighter and had less aftertaste. They opened on Wednesday night.
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Yogurt Harmony
2259 Shattuck Ave Berkeley CA
Nina
Feb 17, 2008 05:50PM
I noticed it while going to the Berkeley farmers market this morning so checked it out after getting some lunch. It's a nice spot and the people seem really nice. But I have to say the yogurt I had (green tea) was a bit gritty in texture, not as creamy as I've had it at Jubili in Fillmore or even Icebee in SOMA. I wanted to like this place because it does seem like a small biz owner instead of a chain, but the texture was just so so. Maybe it's an off day with the mixing, but I would say I'd only go back if I happen to be in the area. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.
http://singleguychef.blogspot.com/200...
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I was there last week and shared a small plain yogurt ($2.50) with three toppings ($1.50) with a friend. They charge a sales tax if you're eating-in. The special flavors (which are more expensive) were blueberry and pineapple, which were noticeably icier than the plain yogurt. The plain one was creamy and had a nice tang. The fruit toppings were really fresh (not frozen); the girls working there cutting up kiwi fruit and opening boxes of berries. The store had pretty good business for a Friday night, but it seems a bit quiet during the weekdays.
Overall I had a nice experience there. Service was great and the girls were friendly and gave generous samples and servings. I like Yogurt Harmony's froyo better than
Ryno's on Telegraph (I haven't had Mangoberry from Michelle's on Durant for a while so I don't really want to compare them), but if I'm craving yogurt in some sort of ice-form, Sketch's Straus Yogurt ice cream is still my ultimate choice. :P
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Oh, and here are some photos of the store interior and the yogurt we had.
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I liked it well enough, but I'm not a super huge fan of the genre. My wife, though is a pinkberry fanatic and she thinks this place is definitely pretty good as far as pinkberry clones go.
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Last month I had a chance to try Yogurt Harmony.
Small with raspberries,
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2...
The serving temperature is markedly colder and stiffer than many of the others I've tried, which may account for some of the comments on iciness. But I actually preferred it this way, made it more refreshing. And, numbing the tastebuds made it taste better, I think. Yogurt Harmony uses YoCream mix, and here I liked it more than other outlets that use the same product.
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I was wondering what all these joints are using as their mix. What else is common?
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I agree, and why can't it just be yogurt, sugar and fruit and/or flavorings? That's how I make mine at home and it comes out spectacular.
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Fraiche in Palo Alto cultures its own yogurt (and sells it unfrozen too). Yes, a big difference in taste.
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YoCream of Portland OR seems to be the most common, among the places I've asked.
http://www.yocream.com/tart.php
Edited to add: Yo Cream sent out a press release this week that it was now "natural". I think this is the updated ingredient list (.pdf
)http://www.yocream.com/nutritionals/NONFAT_ORIGINAL_TART_FROZEN_YOGURT.pdf
I will be asking more often, if I keep this up. I've learned that the law requires that the identity of the manufacturer be disclosed.
The oldfashioned style that was popularized in the 70s and 80s is made by Wow Cow and others. I've also seen one that is a subsidiary of Dannon, but can't recall the name.
It's my understanding that in SoCal and Korean places, Cielo is popular.
http://cielousa.com/
It also supplies many of the chains that are popping up.
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Thanks !!! l
And thanks for the reports. I'll probably hit the better places first if I can ever work up enthusiasm about the latest wave of froyo. Also nice to know what to ask. My little obsession with Brazilian food finally has me asking if they make the cheese bread or if it is frozen. Why pay to try the same product over and over. So while I'll probably try a few of the Yo Cream based froyos after a while it seems pointless to eat the same old thing.
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YoCream doesn't make pomegranate or green tea on their Web site, so this may not be exactly the same product as elsewhere.
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Actually green tea is on their menu and they do custom and/or seasonal flavors not further described.
http://www.yocream.com/nutritionals/N...
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Ah, right you are. "Original Tart."
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Think of froyo as the donut of the frozen dessert world. Almost everyone uses the same packaged mix, but execution can make a difference. Serving temperature, for example. That said, the toppings and shop atmosphere seem to be the prime differentiator.
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