Mooberry - Dessert & Breakfast Bar, Neutral Bay (19th July 2014)

Having lived a stone's throw away from King St in Newtown for over 2 years, I've seen many frozen yoghurt (aka froyo) shops pop up and close faster than I can get around visiting them. One that has survived the competition and even thrived is Mooberry. Established in 2012, its Newtown store proved popular and the owners of Mooberry have subsequently expanded their business across the bridge to the north shore with its latest flagship - Mooberry - Dessert & Breakfast Bar - opened in March this year on Military Road in Neutral Bay. Jono and I had the pleasure of visiting their newest addition today for an exclusive afternoon of chocolate heaven :) 

Mooberry on Military Road, Neutral Bay

Looking for a car park in the vicinity around midday Saturday was a bit of a mission - it seemed that everyone was out and about in this cold winter's day and locating a park was quite difficult. We ended up parking off-street in the suburb of Cremorne and took a short 7-minute walk to the store. The friendly staff behind the bar were expecting us and promptly contacted their manager Jamie to inform him of our arrival. We were told to find ourselves a table in the store located on three levels and given menus to view whilst waiting for Jamie. We found ourselves a table on the mezzanine floor where we could avoid the cold but still able to watch all the action going on downstairs. There were several tables located on the footpath outdoors and inviting cushions indoors on the ground floor where you can enjoy a relaxing cup of hot drink or dessert as you people watch through the large glass panes. The top floor was by far the most popular, a cosy attic-like space hidden away from street view. Customers dining in had to order and pay prior to finding a table, and they could wait or have their order brought to their table when ready. The decor of the store was rather quirky - green turf on the main wall with LED-lit trees stuck on horizontally and several faux deer head plaques dotted here and there - kind of like a fantasy world in Alice in Wonderland. Soft pop music played in the background, enough to create an upbeat vibe but not so loud that it was intrusive to conversations.

Mooberry - established 2012

Dessert Station where all the dessert-making action takes place

View of the store from the mezzanine floor

The menu at Mooberry - Dessert & Breakfast Bar features many of their Newtown store favourites (such as waffles, churros, smoothies and of course, their signature froyo) but focuses more heavily on a selection of chocolate-based desserts as well as breakfast options complimented by their range of specialty coffee and drinks. Jamie arrived shortly and was a friendly chap, immediately making us feel welcome - he was happily telling us all about Mooberry's journey and answering any questions I had. Though froyo is still Mooberry's primary business, the Neutral Bay branch is more like a cafe catering breakfast from open till 3pm and dessert till late. 

Menu at Mooberry - Dessert & Breakfast Bar

As part of our afternoon of chocolate heaven, Jamie had planned on creating a range of their desserts for us to sample however no visit to Mooberry is complete without sampling some of their famous froyo. The froyo is made on site daily with six flavours on offer each day. We were given the option of creating our own froyo sundae to share but since Jamie planned to spoil us this afternoon, we opted to sample just a few of the froyo flavours in tasting pots instead to make room in our bellies for the delights to come. Jono and I immediately went for the Pomegranate as it was most unusual, and Jamie gave us a sample of the Original as well. "This is my personal favourite - Passionfruit," said Jamie with a broad smile, producing yet another sample pot. Traditionally, froyo taste slightly tart than ice cream and I can definitely taste the slight tang in the Original. Fresh fruit is used in making the fruit froyos giving them a natural sweetness, and I love how smooth and creamy all the froyos are. Passionfruit was definitely the best of the three flavours we tried - I could devour a whole serving myself! Like many froyo stores, you can choose to add toppings to your favourite froyo for an extra cost. There are plenty of toppings to choose from - go for the healthier cut fruit, fruit caviar or nuts, or the more 'sinful' chocolate and candy. 

Choice of froyo sizes and flavours

Selection of toppings - fruit caviar, fresh fruit, chocolate chips

More toppings - candy, nuts, and other 'naughty' bits

Pomegranate and Original froyo samplers

Passionfruit froyo sampler

"Okay, so here we have the hot chocolates," said Jamie arriving at our table with a tray of glasses. It was a welcoming sight for the cold weather, a hot drink to warm up our insides. Though they look similar, we were told they were different flavours - Mint, Belgian and Salted Caramel. It seemed that the flavour was in the chocolate sauce which gives the drink its distinct taste. Make sure you give the hot chocolate a good stir to get all the sauce from the bottom of the glass mixed in with the drink for full flavour - we neglected to do so at the start so weren't able to quite tell them apart in those first few sips. 

Hot Chocolate - Mint, Salted Caramel and Belgian

Mmm, hot chocolate to warm my belly...

Over the course of our visit, Jamie and his team were also serving customers. I couldn't help but overhear their conversations from where we sat - the staff had an enthusiastic demeanour and were very helpful, giving suggestions to customers who seem to struggle making a single choice when there were so many on offer. "A little something while you wait," said Jamie, popping back briefly at our table with the Mango Brownie specially made for the store. To be honest, I didn't mind the wait for it gave our tummies more time to digest one dessert before the next. The Mango Brownie was just lovely, moist and not overly sweet, and you can really taste the fruit in it. 

Mango Brownie

Our next chocolate dessert to sample was the Wicked Waffles - Belgian waffles (choice of 1 or 2 waffles) served with a side of frozen yoghurt, cut strawberries and banana, and drizzled with Belgian chocolate. The waffle was one of the better ones we've had in Sydney's cafes, crisp on the outside and still fluffy on the inside. Jamie served the waffle with Coconut froyo, a perfect compliment with the chocolate and fruit. 

Wicked Waffles ($14.90) - Belgian waffle, Coconut frozen yoghurt, strawberries & banana drizzled with Belgian chocolate

This was shortly followed by the Chocolate Fondue, another chocolate dessert which was made for sharing. Served in a double-handled pan, a pot of melted chocolate sat in the middle surrounded by cut strawberries and banana, marshmallows and waffle bites. Love the chocolate drizzle art! The melted chocolate was quite rich and thick - it was a challenge to avoid getting the dipping ingredients stuck in the pot and totally covered with gooey chocolate goodness.

Chocolate Fondue ($16.50) - Melted chocolate, strawberries, banana, marshmallows and waffle bites

A waffle bite coated in the rich melted chocolate

Jamie was keen to offer us a few more desserts to sample but Jono and I were pretty full from all the sweet indulgence so graciously declined. "How about I make you a fruit smoothie to finish off?" Jamie suggested. Hmm, I am really full but I like the sound of a fruit smoothie...We went along with the suggestion and shortly Jamie was back with a Mango Passion Smoothie which contains froyo in it. Yum, this was exactly what we needed after all the chocolate, a refreshing fruity drink :) Mind you, the smoothie was quite thick and fortunately he only made us one to share! 

Mango Passion Smoothie ($7)

Thanks Jamie and team for your wonderful hospitality and totally spoiling us with your delectable desserts! We'll be sure to visit again to try out more desserts and the breakfast options. No doubt I will be creating my own cup of Passionfruit froyo with toppings on my next visit ;)

Jono and I dined as guests at Mooberry - Dessert & Breakfast Bar with thanks t0 John and Jenny from Mooberry.