Remember how I said frozen yogurt shops are popping up all over the place like rabbits? Yep, froyo is all the craze and I'm embracing it with open arms. Menchie's just opened up their first location in Edmonton this week, but get ready guys - there are four more coming our way!

Menchie's - 8705 109 Street - Edmonton AB

Menchie's is a self serve yogurt chain based out of California, operating on principles similar to the other frozen yogurt shops in the city. All you do is fill your cup with yogurt and toppings, and pay according to weight, which this shop has set at 55 cents/oz.

A lot of what determines the success of a business is their location - Menchie's has a prime location within walking distance to the university, a school across the street, and Whyte Ave, which is sure to increase their traffic and profit. I love the pink, lime green, and white that they use to decorate the shop, and there is lots of seating and natural light coming in. I'm sure once classes start up again in the fall, university students will be found working away on assignments while eating froyo.

I was lucky to have some time to stop by on their opening day to check everything out. The flavor lineup in Menchie's is impressive, with this shop offering 16 different flavors at any given time. Tart, dairy, and sorbets are available, with about equal numbers of fruit flavours available compared to yogurts inspired by desserts.

The topping selection is also pretty impressive if you ask me - 40 dry toppings, 12 'wet' toppings and sauces are available in store, making the possible yogurt combinations endless.

As shown above, the 'wet' toppings bar has offerings ranging from cookie dough balls to mochi and popping boba. As I try to be health conscious and like fruit toppings, I was a little disappointed in the fruit selection available and wish there was a greater variety. Perhaps in the summer as fruit is more in season, there will be more available.

After taste testing a few flavours, my froyo mix on that particular day was the original tart & mango sorbet topped with strawberries and blueberry mochi. I loved the tart flavour, as it was quite tangy, moreso than any other frozen yogurt shop I have tried in the past. The mango sorbet was a nice sweet counterpart to the tart, relatively sweet and smooth, but I found it to have a lingering sweet aftertaste, similar to aspartame. The dairy flavours are on the sweeter side, while tart a little more tangy. Another thing to note - the yogurt is smoother and less creamy, less icy and a little more melty, which could be attributed to the use of skim milk. I did an experiment where I froze half my yogurt and sorbet for 5 hours, and upon eating it straight from the freezer, both the yogurt and sorbet were firm, but not hard, making me wonder if there is an agent in the mix to prevent the product from freezing fully. I'm a little bit of a food nerd, but hey, you gotta question what you eat!

All in all, the Menchie's experience was pleasant - the place is clean, and there's lots of variety available. They also offer waffle bowls for $1 on top of your yogurt price, so you can change things up from time to time. Customer satisfaction is a high priority, as their motto is to make you smile! And they do make me smile, especially with their Smileage Passport program. When you sign up for the program, you receive 1 Smile for every $1 spent. 50 smiles equates to $5, which is just about equivalent to a free yogurt, so it pays to collect smiles at Menchie's. With so many frozen yogurt options available here in Edmonton now, you might already have a favourite place. But give Menchie's a try before you make up your mind!

Frozen Yogurt shops are popping up all over Edmonton - like rapidly reproducing rabbits, except froyo is way more welcome. As a frozen yogurt fiend, I had to check out a shop that's open right by my house!

Taste of Yogurt - 14946 45 Avenue NW - Edmonton AB

Taste of Yogurt is located in a small old strip mall - I have many memories visiting the 7-Eleven in the same mall for slurpees in the summer, so it was a little nostalgic visiting this new froyo cafe. I was expecting a small little shop, but was surprised to find a well-lit, cozy yogurt shop with lots of variety and comfortable seating.

Tables and couches are decorated in their signature colours of red, orange, and green, and they offer free wifi on location, making me think this may be a great place to sit down to get some work done while enjoying frozen yogurt. The facility is clean, the staff are friendly, and with a big screen tv available for entertainment, children's birthday parties could be hosted here.

On any given day, 12 flavours of yogurt are available in a self-serve fashion, that can be topped with fresh fruit, candy, or syrup. They charge cups of yogurt by weight at $0.54 per ounce, which is comparable to all other frozen yogurt shops in Edmonton. On the day of my visit, I chose to try out their original tart and salted caramel flavour, topped off with lychee boba, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. One thing I noticed right off the bat was the creaminess of their yogurt - its much thicker and creamier, and less icy than what I have had in the past, making it more similar to the mouth feel of regular yogurt. The tart was tangy, and not as sweet as I prefer, while the salted caramel had a great toffee-like flavour, but was a little sweet for my taste. However, the fruit was very fresh and were great counterparts to the flavours I chose.

While I sat down to enjoy my frozen yogurt, I had the chance to chat with Aneta, the owner of Taste of Yogurt. Being of Polish descent, she uses a European yogurt blend to make the soft-serve yogurt, which she prepares fresh daily. She believes that simple and fresh is best, and that is what she plans to offer to customers. Having opened just before the Albertan winter began, she has lots in store for the summer months. From fresh smoothies to waffles and crepes, the new offerings will make this little yogurt shop in the south side of Edmonton quite unique.

During my visit, I had the opportunity to try out one of their new summer offerings: the Ukranian crepe. The dense crepe (made locally) is filled with dried blueberries, and topped off with your choice of frozen yogurt. In this case, Aneta paired the crepe with blueberry frozen yogurt and a Cabernet Sauvignon syrup - the crepe itself was a little tangy with the berries, while the yogurt and syrup gave it a complementing sweetness.

While I can't say its my favourite yogurt in the city, Taste of Yogurt is a nearby option for me. It's a nice, cool treat with a creamy texture that will be perfect for the upcoming summer months - and probably healthier than slurpees at 7-Eleven (though I will have my fair share in the hot summer months). I'm most looking forward to the fresh waffles and smoothies they will be offering - I had a sip of a fruit smoothie and it was fantastic! For those of you interested, Taste of Yogurt is now offering a Groupon - click here for the details and give this southside shop a visit!

A couple weeks back before school got all crazy busy, I had a study break with my friends Teresa & Diane - of course, "studying" was done, but we needed a place to wind down after staring at our laptops and books. We did a little walking around downtown until we stumbled across this quiet little cafe right by Grant MacEwan....

T.H.I.S. (Place) - 10382 105 Street - Edmonton AB

T.H.I.S. = To Be Happy is Simple. How often do we complain about our lives and forget how grateful what we should be to have? Inspired by his mom, this is the philosophy of the owner, Tom, at T.H.I.S. Place.You may not be familiar with Tom in this environment, but if I mention Lan's Asian Grill, his name may ring a bell. Yep! Tom has ventured into the downtown core to open up a cafe featuring coffee, frozen yogurt, ice creams, and... popsicles! Yes! Homemade popsicles.

Being able to sit down and have a conversation with him gave me the opportunity to understand where the concept for the cafe came from. Coming from his roots, which stress the importance of family and food, why add more than is needed? All you need is happiness, family, friends and food to share in. And this philosophy is reflected in all that encompasses T.H.I.S. Place. The decor is simple and clean, and is a great place to sit down and just enjoy everything around you. I wouldn't recommend this as a place for studying (stools don't give you lumbar support!) but I could definitely see myself sitting here for a study break and endulging in a treat or two.. ;)

Keeping with simplicity, the crew at T.H.I.S. Place strives to make a majority of their menu items from scratch with the freshest ingredients. A variety of coffees and drinks like fresh squeezed lemonade and limenade ($3) are available, but what really caught my interest was the housemade all-natural fruit popsicles ($2.75-$3), frozen yougurt, and shaved ice! As I was scheduled for dinner soon, I refrained and tried out the mango coconut popsicle.

What I love is that upon the first taste, I could tell it was freshly made in house. There is always going to be a difference between homemade and manufacturer produced popsicles, and I love knowing that what I'm eating is all-natural and free of preservatives. The popsicle was creamy and contained fruit chunks here and there - I'd love to try more! I know that I'll be back to check out the froyo (love!!) and shaved ice, but Tom gave me a little inside secret - they're in the process of making their own condensed milk. Yum!

Take a break from your busy life and check out this place :)

Tutti Frutti is popping up everywhere! Not only all over the city of Edmonton, but also in cities across Canada. Not that I'm complaining.. truthfully, I'm thankful that there's many locations nearby and one will be opening up very close to my home within the next year... dangerous.

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt - #1787 West Edmonton Mall (8882 170 Street) - Edmonton AB

The West Edmonton Mall location marks the opening of the third location here in Edmonton, and to celebrate, Tutti Frutti was giving out free yogurt from 12-3 PM, in addition to a plethora of amazing prizes. I had arrived shortly after 11 AM to attend their media event, and a huge line had already started forming for the event starting at noon. That's dedication right there.

I'm sure it's no surprise that Tutti Frutti is my preferred frozen yogurt available in this city. The freedom to control portion sizes and toppings, and the wide range of appetizing flavours always has me coming back to this brand, regardless of whether it is hot & sunny or cold and snowy outside.

The franchise's dedication to supporting local groups is inspiring as well. At this grand opening, Tutti Frutti donated $25000 to Project Extreme - a non-profit organization with programs targetted for teens-at-risk and their families. The Whyte Avenue location has supported the Stollery Children's Hospital, and the Southgate location has cooperated with the Edmonton Food Bank. Thank you so much for giving back to the community!

Despite residing in the largest mall in North America, this location is the smallest of the Tutti Frutti locations in Edmonton. The store itself has 3 yogurt dispensing machines, meaning that only six flavours are available at any given time. The toppings area is smaller, which compromises the variety, but there are still multiple choices that can be used to top off the yogurt. Fresh fruit, candy, dry toppings.. you name it, they will have some form of it.

With the small space, there is no seating available, but there are plenty of seats nearby in the mall. Or multitask like me, and eat and shop at the same time ;) With that.. I will leave you with some fun pictures from the event! Thanks for having me, Tutti Frutti!


Michelle's little one excited for toppings

Michelle's beautiful yogurt



Now that Tutti Frutti is in the mall, they will be competing with Pinkberry. Have you tried both? Which one do you prefer?

About three weeks ago, my favourite frozen yogurt shop here in Edmonton opened their second location - Tutti Frutti invaded Southgate Centre! For their grand opening, they were offering free yogurt to all patrons from 12-3 PM, as well as $2 off a yogurt with a donation in support of the Edmonton Food Bank. Free swag & support for a local organization? Big fat check mark in my books.

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt - 5015 111 Street - Edmonton AB

When I arrived at 11AM for the media preview, it was clear that this yogurt chain has a cult following - a line already began to form for the event starting at noon! That's true dedication if you ask me.. or perhaps really cheap customers. Just kidding. They were real fans :) By the time the public event started, the line had begun to wrap around the mall, and easily had 150+ patrons in line. The wait time to get yogurt was probably up to 1 hour, and the line just continued to grow!

Albeit much smaller than the original Whyte Avenue location, the space at Southgate is fresh and bright, which is much needed to liven up the quieter area of the mall. I already foresee the foot traffic to this area of the mall to increase ten fold. Before Tutti Frutti arrived.. I would probably visit that portion of the mall maybe once a year.. but now my visits might just be greater than 10 each year. We'll have to see. The inclusion of orange in the colour scheme is different, but works really well with the energetic vibe of the place!

The main reason I favour Tutti Frutti over other frozen yogurt places is the self serve concept. I guess I may be a little of a control freak, but really, it's nice to control your portion size and proportion of toppings. Due to the smaller location, there are 8 flavours available at any given time (compared to the 14 available at Whyte Ave.), which is still plenty to choose from, allowing for a range of flavours that can accomodate to many tastes.

Currently, the pricing for frozen yogurt is set at $0.54/oz, which has gone up from the original $0.49/oz. But still, the price for the average sized yogurt with a mountain of toppings comes out to about $4.00 - $4.50 for the serving. With fresh fruit and dry toppings, the possibilities for creating a unique yogurt are endless. I must mention though, like Pinkberry, the nut toppings are set adjacent to the dry toppings, allowing for the possibility of cross contamination, which can be a huge issue for patrons that may be allergic to nuts.

My yogurt for the day of course consisted of my favourite TF Tart, blueberry which was thrown in for fun, and a brand new favourite: salted caramel! If you stop by when they have the flavour, definitely try it out! It's heavier on the caramel flavour, with a hint of saltiness to tie it all together. It tastes delicious. The crew here at Tutti Frutti Southgate are friendly, and so welcoming. I've already visited twice since the opening, and it's always so clean in there! The staff are fabulous, which makes the experience all the better. Try it out & enjoy!

About two weeks ago, the American Frozen Yogurt chain Pinkberry landed in Edmonton and opened in one of the highest traffic locations the city has to offer: West Edmonton Mall. With their prime location set in a busy food court right outside of the waterpark, it seemed like it would be guaranteed tons of traffic from froyo hungry Edmontonians.

Pinkberry - West Edmonton Mall Food Court Phase 3 - Edmonton AB

Luckily I had some time in my schedule to check out the Grand Opening party on July 12th. From 5PM til close, curious customers were given a chance to try out a small sized yogurt with three toppings free of charge. While the media event was going on, I chose to stand in line to get the 'real' (or as close to real as can be) Pinkberry experience by interacting with the staff behind the counter.


The unit occupied by Pinkberry is quite spacious (previously occupied by Gelati Napoli), and lit in a variety of different ways. However, it isn't brightly lit like Tutti Frutti, and features dimmer lighting giving the space a relaxed vibe. The brightest lighting in the space is actually the case where the toppings are stored. I personally prefer brighter spaces, because it exudes an energetic environment, especially when the staff are friendly and enthusiastic.


Unlike Tutti Frutti and Twisted Yogurt here in Edmonton, Pinkberry chooses to serve yogurt in set sizes, and the staff behind the counter create it for you. You choose the base flavour and toppings, and that's all the control you have. The toppings are organized into four different categories: daily fresh cut fruit, liquid toppings, premium dry toppings, and luxe toppings (which have an additional cost to them). All the toppings are placed in bins right next to one another, so I'm a little worried about cross contamination between them, especially since there are nuts available as a topping. If staff accidentally drop any nuts into adjacent bins, there is the possibility of serious allergic reactions, so I would love to see the nut related toppings placed in a separate area if possible.


At any one time, six yogurt flavours will be available, and on opening day there were (and still currently are): original, strawberry, chocolate, coconut, pomegranate & mango. For myself, I like the tartness of yogurt and typically get plain with fresh fruit toppings and mochi. This way the yogurt is a healthier treat! I did try the mango and coconut flavours, and found them to be quite sweet and not too creamy, but without that tart taste that I like. I'm going to safely assume that chocolate and strawberry are creamy flavours as well, without the typical tartness.


Now I do have to mention that I'm not really a big fan of this service system, because I like to control my own portion sizes and the proportion of toppings that I place on my yogurt. You will also only get to have one flavour of yogurt in your bowl, unlike the system at Tutti Frutti where you are able to mix and match the colours in your bowl to your liking. For yogurt with three toppings of your choice, you're looking at $5.70 for a small, $6.65 for medium, and $8.70 for large (all prices before tax). If you're not a fan of toppings, that isn't a problem either, with the prices set at $3.95, $4.95 and $6.95 respectively. Looking at the prices, they are a bit more expensive for their sizes compared to the price per ounce system utilized by other frozen yogurt establishments in Edmonton.


Something that does set Pinkberry aside, however, is the range of yogurt options available. Staff are able to serve up fresh fruit parfaits, yogurt in cones, fresh fruit bowls, and even blended smoothies. I think health conscious consumers will also appreciate the caloric count associated with each product that they serve. Despite the crazy rush of customers for the opening event, the staff behind the counter remained calm and were so friendly! For the first day of service, things seemed to be under control and ran smoothly, making the experience for the first time customer a pleasant and memorable one.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to you if I say one of my all time favourite desserts is frozen yogurt! I always favour frozen yogurt over ice cream, and I love making stops by local self serve yogurt shops like Tutti Frutti or Twisted Yogurt.

But, when it isn't a stop along the way home, or if I'm too lazy to go out, I have a solution: make it at home! This past Christmas, one of my gifts was the ice cream maker attachment to my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. I was ecstatic and so excited to try making some froyo! Don't have an ice cream maker sitting at home? No problem, you should be able to make frozen yogurt as long as you have a freezer and some patience.

TOOLS

KitchenAid Mixer, KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker, Bowl
Whisk, Measuring cups, Measuring spoons, Spatula


INGREDIENTS

2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 cups plain yogurt
3 tbsp corn syrup
1/2 cup berry sugar (superfine sugar)


RECIPE

Freeze the ice cream maker attachment 15 hours in advance.
Place all four ingredients into a bowl.
Whisk together ingredients until fully combined - place mixture into fridge for 5 - 10 minutes.
Assemble the ice cream maker and turn it on to the 'Spin' setting.
Pour in the mixture and allow to mix until desired consistency is reached.

Garnish with any toppings you like, and eat up!

If you want to make the yogurt without an ice cream maker, place the mixture in a freezer safe bowl (or pan), and put it in the freezer. Every 20 minutes or so, take the mixture out of the fridge to mix it around until you are satisfied with the final product.


The ice cream maker attachment is awesome! The frozen yogurt that comes out of it is the same consistency as that from local frozen yogurt shops, and tastes almost exactly identical. It just isn't beautifully swirled into the bowl :) For any leftover yogurt, it can be placed in a container and into the freezer, where it will freeze into a hard block. To reachieve the soft consistency, take the container out of the freezer and allow it to thaw for a minimum 30 minutes before mixing manually and eating it! Super simple, and good for you!

If you do choose to buy the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment, just let me mention that the only part I dislike about it, is the mess that can be created when you pour the ice cream mixture in. The mix is poured in with the paddle attachment moving, giving the opportunity for the mix to go everywhere. This can be minimized by pouring the batter in with a bowl that has a spout or tip for pouring.

Froyo lovers, let me know if you try this!

This recipe is from the Food Network

Hi everyone! I have awesome news to share with you just in time for the holiday season. As you may already know, I love my frozen yogurt. And I'm excited to announce to you today that I will be hosting a giveaway in partnership with Tutti Frutti in Edmonton to give away two prizes of $20 gift cards to my readers to be used at the Whyte Avenue location. In the spirit of giving for the holidays, I will be purchasing one gift card, and Tutti Frutti has offered to provide the second. Fantastic or what?!

Entering is easy, and can be done in one step:

1. You must be a follower of my blog publicly (join in the sidebar!)

For additional entries:

1. Leave a comment about your favourite flavour(s), or what you'd love to see in the future! (+1 entry)
2. 'Like' Tutti Frutti on Facebook (link here) (+1 entry)
3. Follow both Tutti Frutti and me on Twitter (+2 entries)
4. Tweet: Enter @littlmissandrea's giveaway to win a $20 gift card to @TFFroyoYEG #yeg (+2 entries)

There are multiple ways for you to increase the odds of winning in this giveaway! You do not have to complete them all, just whichever you choose. Please enter all information in the form below for me to keep track of your entries! Otherwise, anything you do will not count. The first step must be completed to unlock the additional entries form.

I'm only stressing the rules as I have had to attempt to correct invalid entries already :)

A couple days ago, the owner of Tutti Frutti was kind enough to invite me to try out some of their new flavours. The lovely crew there treated me to yogurt on the house for my birthday, so thank you again!

I had the chance to try out the new cheesecake flavour, and unfortunately it isn't for me. I'm a tart yogurt fan, and the cheesecake flavour is sweet & creamy, resembling more of an ice cream. While it definitely has the hints of cream cheese flavour, it's missing the tanginess of cheesecake that I love.

Watermelon & Tart swirled yogurt with mango chunks, mango jelly & rainbow mochi

On the other hand, I love the new watermelon flavour! It's tart, and has a fresh watermelon quality to it. I chose to go with the TF tart swirled with watermelon. Definitely try it out if you're a tart fan!

For all you yogurt fans out there, I stopped by the Terwillegar Twisted Yogurt location last Wednesday for their Back to School BOGO special.

Plain yogurt w/ blueberries, blackberries, & assorted popping boba

They are constantly updating their flavours, but what I was surprised to see was popping boba - the little balls of juice that you can order at Dessert House. It's available in three flavours, mango, lychee, and passion fruit. Unfortunately, there's still no signs of any mochi. For your mochi fix, I suggest hitting up Tutti Frutti on Whyte!

My first experience with Tutti Frutti was over a year ago, in beautiful, sunny California. It was my first self-serve frozen yogurt experience, and one that I'll always remember. I thought it was so unique in that you could pick any flavour combinations, and an unlimited amount of toppings. At the time, there was nothing like that in Edmonton.

Flash forward to a year later, and there are a couple locations of Twisted Yogurt, Kiwi Kiss downtown, and now comes Tutti Frutti!

Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt - 10422 82 Avenue - Edmonton AB

This new fro yo establishment opened up this past Saturday, and happens to be the first Canadian location for the California based yogurt chain. As their store occupies a once upon a time clothing store, I was curious to see how they had renovated the space.

When you enter the door, you will see a small seating area to your right, followed by a staircase leading down to the general area. At the bottom of the stairs, I was greeted by an employee who explained how the whole self-serve process works.



I love that the space is brightly lit, and the colour scheme is quite bright and refreshing. There's nothing worse than entering a store below ground that is dark and dim - its boring & makes me so tired! The space is large, and the many tables & chairs are capable of accomodating quite the crowd. I love that they have a little corner with a TV & small seats for children - it goes to show that they are family oriented and consumer conscious!



Now, onto the star of the show: the frozen yogurt. Looking at the 10 or so options, each machine contained two flavours that could be served alone, or swirled together for a combined flavour - nothing too different, since Twisted Yogurt uses the same type of dispensers.


sample flavour tag

But what I appreciated was the flavour description card that accompanied all the different flavours (seen above). They were informative, stating things like whether the flavour was supposed to be tart or creamy, an image of what the yogurt should look like, which toppings would compliment it, whether it contains dairy, and other ingredient information. This is perfect for anyone who has a diet restriction or allergies - there is no hidden information! If I remember correctly, the flavours available while I was there were: Tart, Melon, Mango, Pineapple, Green Apple, Pistachio, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Taro, Raspberry & Blueberry.



Now onto my favourite part, the toppings. While Twisted Yogurt has fresh fruit and dry toppings, I have yet to see anything special like mochi, jellies, or exotic fruit at their locations. Mochi is one of my favourite toppings, and I've always had to add my own from home into my yogurt each time I visit them. I have asked them in the past whether they would ever have it, but the owner has always told me he has not found a reliable source for the popular topping.


TF Tart Yogurt with blueberries, mango, mochi, mango mochi & mango jelly

But fear no more, Tutti Frutti has got us covered. Their topping station is kept clean, brightly lit, and each ingredient is labelled so as to avoid any confusion. They have rainbow jelly, lychee jelly, mango jelly, mochi and mango mochi (WHAT?) in addition to the regular fruits and dry toppings. My favourite topping in my bowl had to be the mango mochi! Albeit a smaller and a little chewier than the normal mochi, it really did have a nice mango flavour to it! The mango jelly was good too - it shared the texture of rainbow jelly, rather than the traditional lychee jelly.

When all your yogurt and toppings are in your bowl, you bring it over to the register to be weighed & paid for. They charge the same competitive price as Twisted Yogurt ($0.49/oz.), but I think I like this place quite a bit more, based on the environment and topping variety. They have the advantage of a prime location on Whyte Ave, and I'm sure they will have lots of business throughout the year. All in all, I would make this my new go-to frozen yogurt place if I lived a little closer to it! I really hope to see them expand throughout the city in the upcoming year :)

Check them out on their Facebook Page here!

*psst I also tried a sample of the mango flavour - it's delish! Highly recommended if you're a mango fan :)
& Vince had the taro flavour - it tastes just like taro bubble tea!