I scream, you scream we all scream for…frozen yoghurt?
Now before you all protest that nothing can cure the blues like diving into a fat tub of Haagen Dazs, let me say this particular “fro-yo” has the consistency of soft serve ice-cream, it is addictive and it’s Australian. I personally crave the stuff, too bad there’s only a smattering of stores up and down our eastern seaboard at this stage.
I find Igloo Zoo is a good alternative when you have been indulging in too many trips to Trampoline or Cold Rock ice-creameries (of which I plead very, very guilty). This is not the “lite” yoghurt that is the cause of many a dieters’ nightmares. Though it is low in fat, Igloo Zoo is thick, creamy and tart as proper yogurt should be. They offer three flavours – original, pomegranate and green tea – if they ever introduced a chocolate flavour too I may have to move.
You can personalise your selection with a variety of ingredients. A plethora of tastes are catered for; with exotic toppings (lychee, a middle-eastern sweet called halva, goji berries), the sophisticated (poppy seeds, pomegranate seeds, organic chocolate) and the nostalgic (choc chip biscuit chunks, meringue). Naturally, they also have a variety of winter warmers on the menu for when the season turns chilly. The Igloo Spice vanilla poached pears could almost tempt me away from the classics.
Architect Byron George has designed Igloo Zoo’s space in homage to the most luxurious Eskimo’s igloo you could envision. It’s all white-washed walls, pastel snowball motifs and curved lines. Even their packaging has been designed to look like little snow domes.
I was recently invited to their Victorian store to come up with some flavour combinations that should sate even the most die hard ice-cream addict. Taste testing was tough but I think Onya’s readers are worth the results;
1. A healthy breakfast – Original yoghurt with strawberry, kiwi and mango
2. Craving the exotic – Green tea yoghurt with halva, meringue and chocolate covered goji berries
3. There’s always room for dessert – Pomegranate yoghurt with fresh pomegranate seeds, berries and slivered almonds
To find an Igloo Zoo near you visit their website.