For those of you unfamiliar with mochi ice cream, it's a sort of soft, dessert-ish, rice-based shell filled with ice cream, and, ohmyfreakinggosh, it's good.
I guess Mikawaya is a Japanese company. It wouldn't surprise me if these puppies are imported from the Orient. They're a little pricey: in the ballpark of $3 for six little ice cream ball things...but trust me, it's worth it. If you buy them individually at a mochi ice cream restaurant in Little Tokyo, for example, you might pay $1 for each one. So six for $3 is a bargain. Plus, the quality is on par with ones I've had from an actual mochi parlor. They're amazing.
My favorite flavors are strawberry and vanilla. Chocolate is OK...only get the green tea flavor if you LOVE green tea. I've never had mango, but I hear it's not bad.
Next time you're in the frozen section of TJ's, pick up a box. They're scrump-dilly-icious. Bottom line: 9.5 out of 10.
Update: Mango is indeed not bad. It's right under strawberry and vanilla in the flavor rankings.
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, Mikawaya is a Los Angeles company and they have a shop in Little Tokyo where you can get all kinds of new flavors. Yummylish!
ReplyDeleteI was in Trader Joes this past week and there were some newer boxes of the mochi's stating that they were made in the USA. I guess to calm fears about radiation contamination or something...
ReplyDeleteOoo that doesn't sound very good. :(
DeleteThey actually have a factory in Little Tokyo near the Mikawaya store, which is where they probably make all of them. The mochi with gelato is the best imo. It's a must try if you're in Little Tokyo.
ReplyDeleteThe mango is great, and the green tea is pungent (but great).
ReplyDeleteI love the green tea and mango ones. I find that I am just not interested in such pedestrian flavors as chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry (perfectly fine flavors though they are) with such an exotic frozen treat! It seems to me the key with these, which I've also had at Japanese restaurants, is to eat them at just the right halfway point in between rock-solid frozen and squishy-melty. Mmmmm, so good!
ReplyDeleteI wish they made match green ice cream. That would be a delicious treat.
DeleteJapanese tea company, Maeda-en makes green tea Mochi ice-cream with top quality Matcha green tea. They are just superve♪(´ε｀ )
DeleteI am from Japan and Matcha crazy(^_-)
I don't think so. I used to like the Mochi from Makawaya but will never buy from them again. The maker doesn't care about quality control and you could easily get sick if you got a bad batch. Calls to advise them via email or phone are unanswered. I guess as long as no one sues them, they don't care.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that. :(
DeleteOk, this is a crazy coincidence. I love Mikawaya mochi from Trader joes. I bought a strawberry and mango today. My wife and I finished a box of strawberry first and then I got the mango flavor out of the freeze. As soon as we put the mango one in our mouth, both of us were like...ewwww it tastes like cough medicine...something was really wrong with the mango flavor...we know it because we eat mango flavor almost every 2-3 days....so i googled the mango flavor mochi review and found your "quality control" comment...the thing that's crazy is I was telling my wife I don't think Mikawaya has quality control....Hopefully they have cause I love their product....I hope we don't get sick...
DeleteGreen tea is my favorite! I could eat them all day. Strawberry's very sweet but yummy. Chocolate's good too, but I'm not a huge chocolate fan so ehh.. I need to try the vanilla, I just haven't. Cosco supposedly sells bigger, assorted boxes, not sure if it's the same brand or not. Unfortunately, Sam's Club doesn't sell these little pieces of awesome :( TJ's is a great store, but over an hour from my house, though I've taken numerous trips just for Mochi and Espresso Pillows, haha :)
ReplyDeleteYou can find Mochi Ice Cream at all oriental grocery stores. They carry the Mikawaya brand as well as others. I have seen coffee and red bean flavour too.
ReplyDeletePLEASE tell me they are gluten free????
ReplyDeleteThey are not :( I found out the hard way. I have celiacs and have bought other mochi ice cream brands and they were always gluten free, so I didn't think to check when I bought this brand. They are coated in wheat flour and I got very sick! Shame because they're good.
DeleteI suggest Mr. Mochi brand, they are all gluten free and I found them at Food Lion. Better quality mochi than this brand as well.