Tuttimelon - Premium Frozen Yogurt

Original Tart: Small $2.98 Medium $3.98 Large $4.98
Other flavours: Small $3.28 Medium $4.48 Large $5.48
Toppings: One $0.98 Two $1.48 Three $1.88 Extra $0.38
Parfait $5.98

Restaurant: Tuttimelon - Premium Frozen Yogurt
Cuisine: Frozen Yogurt/Gelato/Desserts
Last visited: August 19, 09

Area: Multiple
#2110 - 8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• Frozen yogurt franchise originating from San Francisco
• Healthy frozen yogurt, with a tang
• Non-fat (0% fat) yogurt
• Gluten free
• Generally more tart than Qoola
  
• Yogurt cultures exceeds 8X's the National Yogurt Association requirement
• "Tutti" means "all together" in Italian and "Melon" resembles "freshness from fruits."
• Also serves crepes, gelato & smoothies
• Sampling available
• Amazing gelato!
  

**Recommendation: I like the green tea or blueberry frozen yogurt and the gelato is pretty amazing. Really strong flavours that you can taste just from the sample. The no sugar added coconut is great (I didn't even know it was no sugar added), the Mandorla Tostata (almond gelato with almond slivers) is fabulous, and the maple walnut is the best I've tried!

The original is way too sour and tart. Blueberry is most popular, it's the sweetest (least tangy). I also really enjoyed the green tea. The mango is okay, but the mango flavour is a bit too subtle. I would go back only for the green tea, blueberry, or gelato. It really depends on what you like though. Overall the yogurt here is not bad, it's the tangy yogurt, not the TCBY kind. There are better places, like Pinkberry, it's comparable to Qoola, but 21 Choices is still the best. Qoola has better tasting frozen yogurt, but Tuttimelon does a better job with toppings (if you get the right person) - you do get quite a bit. The inside is trendy/cutsie - just like all the other frozen yogurt places that have popped up in the last little while. They also offer crepes, smoothies, gelato, and sorbet on the menu. Don't miss out on the gelato, it really is gourmet.

On the table:

• Green Tea 3/6
• Toppings: Mochi, Digestive cookies
• I like the chewiness of the mochi with the crunch of digestive cookies. Go during downtime and you get big pieces of cookie, when you go during busy times you get the crumbs. For me green tea and mochi go hand in hand.
• Green Tea 2/6
• Toppings: Mochi, Crunchie
• Together, not so great, but separate it was fine.
• Blueberry 4/6
  
• Toppings: Mochi, Dragonfruit
  
• Looks pretty, but dragonfruit doesn't have much flavour so it was more for the texture I added it. Mochi and blueberry is really good though. I'll try it with coconut and mochi next time.
• Green Tea 2.5/6
  
• Toppings: Almonds, Mochi
• I like the crunchy and chewy combination of almonds and mochi. But the person loading the toppings for this one didn't do a good job.
  
  
  
• Crepe w/gelato 2/6 (The gelato itself is 5/6)
  
• This is impossible to eat! They make the crepes upon order and you choose up to 3 toppings to put in it. They fold the toppings into the crepe and roll it up and serve it in a paper cone. Then they put a scoop of gelato (your choice) on top of the crepe. The way it's served it pretty dumb. It means you have to eat the gelato first before you can even get to the crepe and toppings - which defeats the purpose I think. I want to eat them together! It should really be served on a plate. It's so hard to eat.
  The crepe is soft and flimsy so how is it supposed to hold the gelato? It barely does! The gelato just melts and it gets really messy.
• The good: the gelato is really good. We had no sugar added coconut gelato and it was fantastic! You could never tell it was "no sugar added" - I actually didn't even know there was no sugar until the second time I went back and saw the label.
• The crepe is flavourless, but at least it's made upon order. It doesn't stay warm because the gelato makes it cold and crispy.

21 Choices

Vanilla frozen yogurt with mochis and pecan pralines

Restaurant: 21 Choices
Cuisine: Frozen Yogurt/Dessert
Last visited: August 9, 09

Area: 4 locations - each location varies in flavour too!
85 W. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
Corner of Colorado & Delacey
504 W. Las Tunas Drive
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 6
Service: 5
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 6
Additional comments:

• Started long before Pinkberry
• The best frozen yogurt place I've tried thus far
• Made fresh daily
  
• The frozen yogurt version of "Marble Slab" and "Cold Stone"
  
• Only 6 flavours at a time, changes weekly
• No powders, syrups or flavourings
• Organic ingredients
• Biodegradable utensils & containers
  
• Choice of fresh fruit also changes weekly
  
• Cultured yogurt
• All fruit flavours are made with fresh organic fruits
• Sign up for their mailing list and have weekly flavours e-mailed to you
• Crowded, line-ups
  
• Free samples
  

**Recommendation: Flavours change weekly. Vanilla is usually a constant and it's delicious! All their flavours are fresh, unique, and tasty.

Ok this place is absolutely AMAZING!!! The frozen yogurt doesn't have that tang and is not as ice creamy as TCBY. It's kind of in between and it's perfect!!! Pinkberry, Qoola...any of these have nothing on 21 Choices. They only offer 6 flavours at a time and they change weekly too. So if you're a big frozen yogurt fan, sign up for their e-mailing list. Some of their flavours are SO unique too! Super fresh! For example: Strawberries & Watermelon made with fresh organic strawberries and watermelon, and they have flavours such as "50/50 Bar": Made with sunkist and vanilla. Yogurt flavours that you can't find just anywhere. You can also choose if you want to mix in the toppings, like they would at Marble Slab or Cold Stone, or you can ask to have the toppings on top like they do at most other frozen yogurt places. At the end they let you sample your creation and you have the option of adding more or changing it before you actually take it. GREAT service! The atmosphere is circus-like so it doesn't have the strong/contemporary/cute branding Pinkberry has. Familiar to locals, this place is NOT the be missed!!

I'm going to add that their frozen yogurt flavours are not just toppings mixed in to create the flavour. The toppings are so finely processed and grinded up into the frozen yogurt that the frozen yogurt is the actual flavour...does that make sense? For example: If you order Oreo it tastes like an actual Oreo cookie in frozen yogurt form.

The ingredients are so fresh that if you leave it out and let it melt (I don't know why you would)...but if you do it just separates into water and milk. No preservatives, all natural and SO GOOD!!!

On the table:

• Vanilla Bean
• Toppings: Mochi, pecan pralines
• I like having the chewiness of mochi and the crunchiness of the pecan pralines. However the pralines were a little too hard, and next time I would just get regular pecans...I am dreaming of the next time. Its just they were so sugared and almost had a toffee like coating on them, which made them really crunchy - brittle like. The frozen yogurt is so good on its own, you really don't even need toppings.
  
• Oreo
• Toppings: Chocolate chip cookies cereal
  
• Ok this is AMAZING! The oreo flavour isn't what you expect. I thought it would be chocolate yogurt with grinded up oreo cookies. I mean it very much could actually be this recipe - but the high quality ingredients they use makes the flavour taste so much more intense and complex.
• Other flavours I've seen, but they change weekly, so don't miss out! I really really wished we had one here!
  
• Orange Cream Cake: Made with organic oranges and vanilla cake
• Twix Sprinkle: Made with Twix, sprinkles, and Scor
• Iced Caramel Latte: Made with coffee and caramel
• Banana Moon Pie: Made with fresh organic bananas, banana moon pies, & marshmallows
• Fresh Summer peach: Made with fresh organic peaches
• Strawberries & Watermelon: Made with fresh organic strawberries & watermelon
  
• Valrhona Chocolate: Made with semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and Valhorna chocolate
  

Pinkberry

Restaurant: Pinkberry
Cuisine: Frozen Yogurt/Desserts
Last visited: August 7, 09

Area: Multiple
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Frozen yogurt franchise originating from Southern California by American Koreans
• Started the recent frozen yogurt craze
• Most popular frozen yogurt chain in the US
• Healthy frozen yogurt, with a tang
• Non-fat, low-fat flavours
• Contains live and active cultures
• Carries seal of approval from National Yogurt Association
  

**Recommendation: I like the original flavour, but it really depends on what you like. The NEW Pinkberry fruit parfait is a deal...and you should try it. $3.95USD same price as a small w/ 2 toppings.

Pinkberry started the frozen yogurt craze. I wouldn't say its the original, because Yogen Fruz, and TCBY and several other family owned and operated yogurt places existed before it. But Pinkberry still remains the most recognized frozen yogurt place in the US, especially in California. It is good, but then I tried 21 Choices - and 21 Choices swallowed Pinkberry in the competition. Pinkberry has great marketing and a cute and contemporary atmosphere, but talking about great frozen yogurt - 21 Choices takes the spot!

On the table:

• Original frozen yogurt
• Toppings: Coconut, granola
• This was my favourite out of the bunch. Nice and crunchy.
• Original frozen yogurt
  
• Toppings: Cap n' Crunch, pineapple
• Great combination. Tart and sweet, as long as the Cap n' Crunch stays crispy its delish! The pineapple is fresh too.
• Coconut frozen yogurt
  
• Toppings: Coconut, almonds
• The coconut and coconut didn't really do much.
• **Pinkberry Fruit Parfait $3.95USD - same price as a small w/ 2 toppings
  
• 7 layers: layers of fresh fruits. honey almond granola and original frozen yogurt
• Fresh fruit includes: blueberries, strawberries, more yogurt, kiwi, pineapple
• Passionfruit frozen yogurt
• Extra tangy and tart...tangier than the original for sure.
  
• Pomegranate frozen yogurt
• Not bad, I liked it a bit more than the passionfruit. Again tangier than the original.
  
• Coconut frozen yogurt
• It was not bad, tangy coconut is kind of odd though.