Frozen Assets

Yogurtland's seemingly endless selection of yogurts and toppings is soft-serve gold

CHOOSE WISELY: With 16 different yogurt flavors and dozens of toppings, only your imagination is holding you back Photo: Rae Huo

Soft-serve frozen yogurt is back, spreading across the country like bacteria, which is a good thing. Popular in the ’70s and ’80s, the reborn dessert combines a slightly upscale product with stylish interior design. Think of it as a soft-serve Starbuck’s.

YOGURTLAND 1810 University Ave. Everyday, 10 A.M. - 10 P.M. 808-951-4444

You might wonder, what’s the big deal? It’s frozen yogurt; it’s not like it’s coffee or anything. But there is something different about this soft-serve gold. Clean, smooth, with a slightly citrusy and sour aftertaste, it actually tastes like, well, yogurt.

The new fro yo craze started in February 2005, when two South Korean immigrants opened Pinkberry, a small yogurt shop in a cramped Hollywood storefront that used to be home to a tattoo parlor.

Yogurtland opened a year after Pinkberry, further south, in Fullerton, Calif., offering a little twist (or swirl) on the product: Instead of having staff fill orders from behind the counter, customers do the serving themselves, choosing from 16 different flavors and dozens of toppings. The self-serve concept not only increases choices, it also lowers prices. Company officials claim that their prices are 40 percent lower than their competitors.

As a result, Yogurtland has been growing nearly as fast, with more than 30 outlets in California, Nevada, Texas and New York. Last June, Yogurtland opened its first store on the corner of University Avenue and Dole Street.

Yogurtland’s interior design is a nice combination of form and function. On the lower half of the space is a bright, colorful dining area, featuring fruit-colored plastic furniture and stylish glass panels touting the health benefits of its frozen treats.

Up above is the production line with its eight machines that pump out two flavors each. Customers, most of whom seem like yogurt veterans already, wait patiently in a surprisingly fast-moving line. There’s usually a staff person overlooking the activity, encouraging customers to sample the different flavors from small, finger-size cups. But I’d imagine that the overseers are also there to ensure that no one engages the soft-serve machine over an open mouth.

Beyond the phalanx of machines are a couple of condiment bars with dozens of healthful and sinful toppings, everything from pineapple and pomegranates to M&Ms to mochi balls. Next in line stand a pair of cash registers and a corresponding pair of scales. Yogurtland charges $0.39 an ounce for yogurt and toppings.

I’ve been to Yogurtland about a half-dozen times already. I usually opted for the slightly sweet green tea and the plain yogurt with its satisfying tart aftertaste. On my last visit, I decided to mix things up a bit. In addition to green tea and plain, I added swirls of mango, taro and peanut butter. On top of this unholy brew, I sprinkled mochi balls, chocolate chips, crushed Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Coco Puffs. To give my creation some color and fruit camouflage, I spooned on some diced kiwi. Needless to say, the resulting dish, which cost more than $5, wouldn’t have made the cover of Food and Wine.

But it was delicious. The peanut butter was surprisingly creamy and the mango had a balanced sweetness that seemed consistent with the real fruit. However, my favorite new flavor is taro, which was rich and earthy, without a starchy aftertaste. The mild taste went well with the kapakahi mix of toppings, which leads me to my favorite thing about Yogurtland: Who would ever have dreamed of such a god-awful creation?

Me, that’s who.

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