Noodies, Tucson

I was just in Tucson for a very short business trip (working with students at University of Arizona).  It was mid-October, and the weather was 95* and sunny the entire time I was there.  I *loved* it, and in my world, this was absolutely perfect ice cream weather.  And if you know my blog, you know how much I adore soft serve, particularly in that kind of weather.

My research yielded shockingly few ice cream/froyo/gelato places around where I was staying.  There was one local ice cream chain that people do love (hard serve only), a Cold Stone, and a Pinkberry further away, but other than that, there wasn't much.  One place on campus had plain tart froyo only.  It seems most people opt for Mexican style refreshing icy treats (respados), or get smoothies.  There were *tons* of smoothie/bowl shops.  Acai everywhere. 

But my research did have one very promising set of options: Noodies and Ceres, sister restaurants.  They are actually pasta/sandwich places, with house made pasta as their main attraction, but both also offer house made soft serve gelato.  A rare find.  They have just two flavors at a time, and they swirl to a sundae creation with curated toppings.  The flavors change weekly.  I stalked them on Instagram, and couldn't wait to find out what my flavors would be.

But ... they are not open on Mondays or Tuesday, and I was there in Tucson only Mon-Wed.  And Ceres is only open for lunch, and is kinda far from where I needed to be at 1pm.  Thus, I made sure that at least on Wednesday, I was able to make it to Noodies.

I'm so glad I made this prioritization decision.  I'd eagerly return in the future, to either location, and even though I am not a big pasta person, I'd likely try that too, as it looked incredible (and was sooo fresh!  You could see them rolling fresh pasta right there).

Exterior.

There was some outside seating, more under some umbrellas, but minimal.  I think in general it may be too hot for people to really want to eat outside.

Inside.

The ordering and pickup area are at one end of the interior space, tables fill the rest.  I believe they have table service for dine-in.

Baked Goods.

I didn't realize that Noodies had baked goods!  I was there aiming to get the soft serve, but the "Noodie Pie", their signature dessert, looked incredible (the crust has crushed pecans and dark chocolate, it is filled with a rich mocha mousse, and topped with coffee whipped cream and shaved chocolate).  The staff member told me it was her mother's recipe and it was as incredible as it sounded.  Since I don't consume caffeine later in the day, I couldn't get it to enjoy later either.  I really did consider getting it instead of soft serve, but, I stuck with my plan.  It was 95* after all.

I also nearly got another goodie to take for the evening.  They had whoopie pies, which I rarely see outside of New England, but the warm weather wasn't actually putting me in the pumpkin spice mood (the flavor of the day), even though it was mid-October.  The frosted cookies even called out, despite being lemon (not my fav).  

Next time, I'd definitely plan to try some of these items too, they come from the same local bakery that makes their focaccia.  

Almond Joy Gelato (Kid's Size). $3.

"Coconut gelato swirled with dark chocolate sorbetto (V) topped with coconut flakes, toasted almonds, and chocolate shell."

I went for the swirl, with all the suggested toppings but the coconut flakes.  I actually do like coconut (obviously, I was getting coconut gelato), but the coconut flakes were untoasted, and I'm not particularly into the consistency of untoasted coconut.  I thought it would be more generously dipped in chocolate shell, but instead, was just a slight drizzle.  Same with the toasted almond slices, you can see all of them, the backside of the cone had none.  If I had to criticize one thing, it was the amount of toppings.  I wanted more!

But what I did have was delicious.  The coconut gelato was nicely creamy, a reasonably strong coconut flavor that still had dairy cream in it, which I prefer - I like coconut, but don't actually care for coconut vegan ice cream or the like.  The dark chocolate sorbetto was incredibly rich and decadent.  It tasted like a cross between a fudgicle and very rich dark chocolate mousse, just, frozen.  I think a full cone of it would be far too much for me (but a bowl of it with whipped cream and raspberries to balance it would be heavenly!).  I really liked both flavors, although my cone was more like 65% dark chocolate sorbetto and only 35% coconut, which made it borderline too much chocolate for me.  The almonds were great crunch, and the chocolate shell was a high quality dark chocolate too, not the waxy style.  It all came together very very well.

I got the kid's size, not knowing how big they might be, and I'm used to a world where kid's size is much bigger than this.  I think I'd get a regular in the future.  

Overall, a great treat, ****, although slight ding for quantity of toppings, and ratio of the two flavors being off in my twist.  

The kid's size was only $2(!), the regular $4.  Toppings are $0.50 each, or $1 for all.

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Krispy Kreme Donuts

Update Review, October 2024

For Halloween, a co-worker brought in a bunch of Krispy Kreme.  I've never really cared for Krispy Kreme in the past, but I haven't had it that many times, so decided to give it another try.

Halloween Donuts: Slimer ($3.49), Ecto-Sprinkled ($3.19),
Ghostbusters Cookies N' Creme ($3.49), 
Stay Puft Marshmallow Man ($3.99).

For Halloween, we had a bunch of special edition Ghostbusters donuts.  I of course went for the most ridiculous of them all: the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

"Original Glazed® doughnut with powdered topping, topped with marshmallow flavored buttercreme and a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man candy."

Um, wow.  This was an incredibly sweet donut.  Which I expected of course, but, wow.  Sugar on sugar on sugar on sugar.  

Yes, this was a glazed donut, with powdered sugar on top of that, stuffed with marshmallow cream, AND frosted.  As I said, sugar on sugar on sugar on sugar.

As always, I disliked the actual donut.  Krispy Kreme just truly doesn't do it for me.  They taste too processed, not fresh enough, meh.  The marshmallow buttercreme was true to the marshmallow taste, crazy sweet, fluffy, and enjoyable ... but in much smaller quantities.  I scraped some off and spread on strawberries and liked it quite a bit that way.  So tasty, but cloying sweet marshmallow components, awful donut, **. 

Update Reviews, May 2019, November 2019

More attempts at Krispy Kreme, even trying the fancier donuts, but ... meh.

Donut Wall.

Sometimes life brings you donut walls.  This is always exciting, but, I'll admit I was let down when I discovered the donuts were from Krispy Kreme.

Still, I dug in to several.

Cake Donuts

I don't think Krispy Kreme is particularly known for the cake donuts, but they do offer a few classic varieties (plain cake, powdered, cinnamon sugar), and a few more interesting ones (glazed blueberry cake, sour cream glazed, and glazed chocolate), several of which are also available as donut holes.

This was my first Krispy Kreme cake donut.

Glazed Chocolate Cake.  May 2019

"If you love chocolate cake then you love this doughnut. It is rich, moist and full of chocolate flavor. We then top it off with our signature glaze."

This was my first Krispy Kreme cake donut.  I applaud the generous glaze.  Standard sweet Krispy Kreme glaze.

But the donut base itself is fairly ... eh.  It was not rich and moist as described.  Just kinda dry, chocolate-y but not rich.  A bit greasy.  No crispy exterior.

Very generic, very uninteresting, besides the glaze.

Raised Filled Donuts

And also my first filled Krispy Kreme donuts.

Santa Belly. Nov 2019.

"A jolly Santa belly doughnut filled with Chocolate Kreme™, dipped in red icing with sparkling sugar and a hand-decorated belt."

Part of the 2019 seasonal offerings, the "Santa Belly".  I'll admit, I was impressed with how decently it was decorated, for a mass market item.

However, I found it looked better than it tasted.  The decorations were good - the red icing was crazy sweet, particularly with the sparkling sugar, and the belt pieces were hard candy that were just sugar, but, tasty.

But the rest of it?  Meh, it is still a Krispy Kreme donut.

Santa Belly: Inside.

The chocolate filling was not quite as generous as I was hoping, but, once I tasted it, I was glad.  I didn't really like it.  It is their signature Chocolate Kreme™ and it was somehow not very chocolatey, nor very creamy.  Just ... more sweet.  It made me sad, as I was hoping for a rich chocolate pudding, or a light fluffy cream.

And the donut base?  Meh, just a not very interesting, kinda dry, Krispy Kreme.

I gave away the other half.

New York Cheesecake. Nov 2019.

"Our version of this popular dessert is filled with rich, creamy cheesecake filling, topped with cream cheese icing and sprinkled with crunchy graham."

I didn't know what kind this was when I plucked it from the donut wall, but it looked filled, and topped with interesting things, so, I grabbed it.  It turned out to be "cheesecake".

The toppings were ok, although the icing didn't seem to really be cream cheese flavored, I mostly just found it sweet.  It was fine, but not any different from a vanilla glaze to me.  The graham I actually thought was cake bits or crumble, not "crunchy" as advertised, but also not bad.

Toppings were ... ok.

But again, the rest?  MEH.

New York Cheesecake: Inside.

We again have a lackluster Krispy Kreme donut base, mediocre amount of filling.

And the filling ... I HATED.  It was richer and creamy I suppose, but it tasted like lemon and sugar more than cheesecake.  I know cheesecake can often have a lemon hint, but this was far too citrus-forward, and fake tasting, for me.

I definitely did not like this one.

Update Review, September 2015

As I mentioned in my original review of Krispy Kreme , I didn't grow up with Krispy Kreme.  The few times I had Krispy Kreme as an adult, I wasn't been impressed.  I certainly don't seek it out.

But ... it was National Coffee Day, and Krispy Kreme was giving out free coffee AND donuts (take that Dunkin' Donuts! They *only* gave out coffee!).  Normally, I'd skip this, even though I just can't resist a freebie, because, well, there isn't one convenient to my house.

But, as luck would have it, when National Coffee Day rolled around, I was actually out of town, down in Santa Monica, and happened to be staying a few blocks from a Krispy Kreme (I swear I didn't plan this).  So, I obviously had to check it out.  Plus, I hadn't ever actually experienced a hot fresh Krispy Kreme, and I was hoping I'd luck out.

Original Glazed Donut. $1.

Sadly, the donuts were not hot and fresh.  I'm assuming this was still a bit fresher than when I've tried them in the past, not directly purchased at a Krispy Kreme.  But certainly no warm magic here.

The donut was ... fine.  It was fluffy and airy.  It wasn't stale tasting, it wasn't oily.  But it wasn't particularly interesting.  It was perfectly glazed, in a nice, sweet glaze.  I give them points for the perfect glazing.

Overall though, certainly nothing special, and not something I'd go back for.

(The coffee served was from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, it was fine, not particularly interesting either).

I didn't actually finish the entire thing in my first sitting, as I went right after breakfast at my hotel.  I had a chunk left.  For some reason I didn't throw it out.  I'm really not sure why, as it wasn't like I was in love with it.

I discovered it 12 hours later, post-dinner.  And ... for some reason, I felt compelled to eat it.   Yes, many many hour old, likely stale, totally forgot mediocre donut.  And ... I actually liked it more this way.  The glaze had gotten hard, and it was a bit crispy.  I ... liked that.  And the donut itself had gotten drier, which I also liked more.  It still wasn't amazing, but I was pretty weirded out by the fact that I actually preferred a 12 hour old donut ...

Original Review, November 2013

Mmm, donuts.  I love a good donut!  Yet somehow, I'd never had a Krispy Kreme before.  They didn't have them where I grew up, and somehow, once reaching adulthood, I never sought them out.  It isn't that I don't eat donuts, but I tend to go for the fancy pants versions these days.

Anyway, I recently attended an event that had boxes and boxes of Krispy Kreme lined up!  I was excited to try them out, since I obviously knew about Krispy Kreme.  But I also knew that part of the experience is getting the hot fresh ones at the store.  I wasn't going to have that experience, but I was at least going to have some donuts!

Sadly, I didn't really care for any of them.

Original Glazed.

I started with the basic donut they are most known for.  The original glazed.

It looks like a very good donut.  The glazing is very uniform and covers the entire donut.  It is soft.  But ... honestly, just not a very interesting donut.  I'm told that the real magic is when you get one hot and fresh at Krispy Kreme, which I've never actually done.  So maybe I'm just missing the real thing.

Maple Glazed Iced.

When I opened the box of donuts, there was one aroma that was overwhelming: maple.  I'm from the land of maple syrup, so I was really excited by this one.

It was shocked to discover that it was also glazed.  Turns out, they take the original glazed donut and THEN add additional maple icing.  Wowzer.  Sweet overload.

Again, very well formed donut, perfectly iced.  And it tasted like maple, sorta.  But ... again, just not that remarkable.  I wouldn't get another.

Chocolate Iced With Sprinkles (Halloween Version)

The seasonal variety was a chocolate iced donut topped with sprinkles, featuring orange and blank sprinkles for Halloween.

Again, an original glazed donut is the base.  Then topped with chocolate icing.  And then covered in sprinkles.  Yes, ZOMG, sugar.

This was hands down my favorite.  The donut was obviously the same and kinda meh, but I liked the chocolate flavor of the frosting, and the sprinkles added a nice crunch.

If I were to get another Krispy Kreme, I'd probably go for this one.

Glazed Cruller.

I enjoy crullers, but this wasn't really one.  It seemed to just be a regular donut, shaped like a cruller.  That is, it didn't have a lighter, eggy dough that actually makes a cruller a cruller.

I really did not like this.  It just tasted like bad oil.  Way too fried.  I think the extra surface area of the ridges trapped even more oil than normal.

Didn't even want a second bite of this!

Glazed Sour Cream.

And, for one a bit different, the glazed sour cream.  I didn't really taste sour cream specifically, but it did have a bit of a tang to it.  A little more crunchy, a bit more rustic in appearance.  Absolutely loaded up with glaze.

This reminded me more of the donuts I ate growing up.  I liked it for that reason, but overall, nothing remarkable.  My second favorite though. 

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Noosa Yoghurt

Update Review

Blended Yoghurt

Noosa continues to expand their product line of yoghurts, now offering a "blended" range.

The ingredients and nutrition stats seem essentially identical to the classic yogurts, they just really are ... blended.  Was the step of mixing them really too much effort for people?  I actually *like* to mix them, as I often like to eat a little of the top, and a little of the goo separate.

Still, of course I tried these.

Blended Packaging.

The blended yogurts are packaged just like all other varieties, in convenient single servings.   They are available in 6 flavors: coffee, key lime, mixed berry, raspberry, strawberry, and simple vanilla bean.

Vanilla Bean.

I went for vanilla bean.  The verdict?

Bo-ring.  Really, really bo-ring.  Nothing unique here, just, like any other decent yogurt on the market.  Not particularly sweet nor tart, not particularly creamy nor not, just ... fine.

I won't get this again. ***.

Update Reviews, 2017 & 2018

More Noosa reviews, my old favorite yogurt brand in the US.  Including their more recent product line: Noosa Mates!

For previous reviews, see my original here, or last updates here.

Another month, another new Noosa flavor!  That is what it seems like sometimes.  Every time I check in on Noosa, they seem to have another new flavor.  And I like to try them all.

Strawberry.

"You’ve had the rest, now try the berry best. our take on this quintessential yoghurt flavor is made with real strawberries, whole milk and a touch of pure wildflower honey for bushels of flavor."

I somehow never tried one of Noosa's most simple flavors before: strawberry.  I tried, but didn't care for, the strawberry rhubarb, but never just plain strawberry.  Not sure how I missed this one.

It was fine.  The yogurt the same rich creamy Noosa like the others.  The strawberry layer, as always, in the bottom, was sweet, fruity, and flavorful.  Not just mush, not like generic "pie filling in a can", but it actually closely resembled my mom's own homemade jam.  I liked it.  

This flavor was great with some crumbled peanuts on top too, a la PB&J! ***+.

Apple.

"Apple pie à la yoghurt.  We slowly cook crisp Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves in a large kettle until they magically meld into what can only be described as granny’s apple pie without the crust. It’s then fittingly topped with our rich, creamy honey yoghurt."

There are many Noosa flavors that scream out "dessert!" to me, like lemon and salted caramel, and, given how creamy and rich Noosa yogurt is, they really can almost pass as dessert, and those are my favorites.  So, even though I don't really like apple pie, this one sounded like dessert, so I had to try it.

And ... it was great!  Same fantastic Noosa base yogurt, rich, creamy, slightly sweet.  The apple component was little cubes of apple in spiced puree.  The spicing was strong, but not in a bad way.  It did, indeed, taste like apple pie ... if your apples in your pie were cubed rather than sliced.  The apple wasn't mushy, not too firm.  For apple compote, it really wasn't bad.  And like I said, apple isn't really one of my favorites.

Overall, this was very good, and I enjoyed it.  If you like apple pie in particular, go for this one. ***+.

Honey.

"It’s easy to comb through a tub of the lightly-sweetened deliciousness that is honey noosa. our tart and creamy yoghurt, paired with a touch of the golden stuff, is the tasty foundation to all of our fruit flavors and will make anyone a bee-liever."

Noosa tricked me.  They have two flavors with the same color lid!  I was rushing around the grocery store, and grabbed the yellow lid, assuming it was lemon, my favorite, and one I've reviewed many times.  And ... it wasn't.  It was honey.

I didn't realize this however until I opened it the next morning, and went to look for the lemon layer.  It was missing.  In fact, there was no layer of any kind.  Homogenous yogurt.  What?  That isn't how Noosa makes yogurt ...

I was confused, and actually, assumed manufacturing error.  Did they forget the lemon layer?  And then I re-read the label.  Honey.  Doh.

But still, it is Noosa, so I swallowed my disappointment, and got ready to be excited about trying a new flavor.

As I said, there was no separate layer.  Unlike every other Noosa flavor (besides probably vanilla and plain?  I've never had those).  The yogurt was creamy and thick as always, slightly tart, slightly sweet.  I can't say I tasted honey exactly, but, it certainly was sweeter than plain yogurt.

I wasn't a big fan of this, besides the consistency of the yogurt. ***.

Noosa Mates

Well, Noosa got more fun.  They created "mates", flavored yogurt paired with toppings to mix in.  Some of the flavors sound awesome, like caramel chocolate pecan (caramel yogurt, toasted pecans, Guittard chocolate, and pretzel bits to mix in), or coffee chocolate almond (coffee yogurt made with cold brew, with almonds, Guittard chocolate, and coffee crunch).

Noosa Mates: Packaging.

The portions are individual servings, larger than their regular single serves though, with a separate top clear container showing off the mix-ins.

Honey Cranberry Almond.

"Breakfast isn’t just the most important meal of the day, it’s also our favorite. A combination of granola, cranberries, roasted almonds and pepitas plucked straight from the breakfast bowl and placed on top our creamy honey noosa you can enjoy anytime of the day." 

Each compartment is individually sealed.

I would have picked one of the more fun flavors, but, these were being given out for free on the street, so, I had no choice, and I was still excited to try it.

Noosa Mates: Honey Yogurt.

The yogurt was standard, rich, thick, creamy Noosa, with a pleasant sweetness of honey.

Cranberry Almond Granola Topping.

The topping sounded pretty boring, but I actually really liked it.

Sweet crispy bits of granola with oats, sunflower seeds, amaranth, millet, quinoa, and chia hiding in there.  Nice cinnamon flavor to the granola too.  Flakes of toasted almonds.  Crunchy pepitas.  I wasn't into the cranberries, a bit too hard, but I rarely like dried cranberries.

The topping ingredients all combined together nicely, complimentary flavors, and they were indeed nice to mix in with the yogurt.  I opted to just make "perfect bites" rather than mixing in directly, so I would take a spoonful of yogurt and then load it up with granola.  I was sadden by the portion of topping though, not nearly sufficient for this style of eating.

Overall though, quite tasty and satisfying.  ****.

Noosa Mates: Coconut Almond Chocolate.

"No shirt. No shoes. Only a spoon is required to enjoy this tropical island treat. Toasted coconut, almond slivers and Guittard Chocolate chips are set adrift upon our creamy coconut yoghurt. So kick back and lose yourself in our tub."

The base for this one was the coconut yogurt, which I've reviewed before.

Coconut Almond Chocolate Topping.

The topping to this sounded slightly better - sliced almonds like the previous one, but I'll take toasted coconut and chocolate over granola and cranberries any day.

And, much like the previous flavor, I loved this topping too, even though it sounded pretty simple.

The chocolate chips were Guittard chocolate, dark, high quality, plentiful.  An excuse to eat chocolate? Works for me.

The coconut was my favorite though, not just toasted, but somewhat candied almost.  Sweet and crunchy.  I really enjoyed it.

I liked the composed yogurt + toppings, and I like Noosa yogurt in general, but honestly, I like the toppings enough as munchies that I'd buy those individually too!  Or, I wish they gave more  - what is provided is exactly the right amount for a serving, uh, I just want more extra! ****.

Update Reviews, November 2016

Noosa.  My favorite store brand yogurt, as I've reviewed before, because it is basically dessert.  While not all flavors are amazing, the salted caramel and lemon have long been my favorites.  But Noosa continues to introduce new flavors, and I continue to try them all, no matter how strange they sound.  This batch of flavors were all interesting, and the yogurt was still the same creamy, rich noosa I love, but, none of the new flavors did it for me.  I'm glad I've tried more, but, I'm going back to my old faves.

Pumpkin.

“The crisp days of fall call for the smooth taste of noosa, with our own spin on traditional pumpkin pie. This seasonal noosa will carve out a place in your heart with the warm, rich spices in our pumpkin puree."

I was hoping that this would be like pumpkin pie.  With creamy noosa on top.  Creamy pumpkin pie.  Mmmm.

It ... wasn't.  Sure, the yogurt was standard creamy, rich noosa and I liked the yogurt itself.  But the pumpkin puree layer was ... just orange pudding?  It didn't taste like pumpkin, and it certainly didn't have the spices of pumpkin pie (not that it claimed to).  It was very bland.

Overall, the yogurt was fine, but, the pumpkin was a disappointment.  ***.

Coconut.

"Sometimes we like contrast, and other times we crave a single intensity. Smooth, creamy coconut mixed with smooth, creamy noosa yoghurt is perfect for those times. Every luxurious spoonful of real shredded coconut is yum in every way."

As always, the yogurt was creamy and rather decadent, but fairly plain (although sweet) on its own.  Unlike most other Noosa flavors with very visible fruit puree layers though, this one was almost entirely white.  Because, well, coconut.

The coconut layer was, as always, located on the bottom/side of the container, available for me to mix in as I desired.  It was a bit hard to find though, since the colors were so similar.  The coconut layer was a puree of sorts, made from coconut, coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk, and lots of sugar.  It was basically just tons of shredded coconut, in a thickish sweet sauce.  It reminded me of German chocolate cake filling, just, sans any chocolate.  It was quite sweet since it was considerably sweetened, which was just a bit odd with the coconut flavor.  It also didn't taste *that* coconuty, although it was clearly made of shredded coconut.  The texture of all the shredded coconut was a bit off putting.

Overall, this was ok, but, you certainly have to like shredded coconut and sweet.  I wanted to add cocoa powder, or chocolate sauce, or chocolate chips, or something and turn it into a German chocolate cake.  ***.

Bhakti Chai.

"Close your eyes and visualize your favorite spoon. Now, picture yourself digging into a creamy yoghurt blend of chai tea and masala spices from our favorite local chai company: Bhakti. There’s only one way to describe it. Namastasty."

Well, hmm.  This isn't a combination I would have thought of, or, honestly, picked out on the street.  But Ojan brought it to me to try out, as he knows I love trying new Noosa flavors.

It was ... interesting.  The yogurt was thick, rich, creamy, delightful Noosa yogurt as always.  And the chai?  Well ... it was kinda watery, sweet, spiced syrup that I don't entirely want with my yogurt.  Unlike most Noosa, there seemed to be some on top too, not just on the bottom as is standard.  I wonder if that is because it is more watery than other flavors, so it seeped up the sides?

Anyway, it was Chai, for sure.  And it was well spiced.  Just not really my thing.  **+.

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Blackberry Serrano.

"Rob (our co-founder) has a new favorite flavor: this one. Go ahead. Dip your spoon into our marionberry blackberry and serrano chili noosa. It’s sweet, then spicy, then creamy, then gone."

Ojan picked this one up for himself.  I didn't take a photo, as it was his yogurt.  But I did steal a bite.

It was too crazy for me not to review.  Blackberry.  Serrano.  Yes, chili pepper.  In yogurt.  The spice made it incredibly savory, even though the blackberry component was sweet.  It was spicy.  Serious kick.  So strange.  So very strange.

I don't like blackberry really, so, I didn't like this, but the serrano was beyond fascinating.  It made me really curious to try the other "Sweet Heat" flavors, like pineapple jalapeno or raspberry habanero ... **+.

Original Review, June 2016

Let's talk about yoghurt.  Or yogurt.  Obviously, not a subject I've really reviewed before (except when mentioning it in hotel breakfast buffets or when chains like Starbucks or Pinkberry introduced new versions).  And to be honest, I'm not generally a yogurt eater ... unless it is froyo of course.

The fact that I'm not into yogurt isn't really consistent with what you'd expect, given my love of puddings, panna cotta, and other creamy, rich, dairy based desserts.  Which perhaps is the problem.  I always want yogurt to really be dessert.  And generally, it just falls short of that line.

Enter Noosa.  They sum it up pretty well: "We’re noosa, and we make yoghurt. But not just any yoghurt. Ours is thick and velvety. Sweet and tart."

It really is quite different from other yogurt.  The texture really is thicker, yet creamier, than other yogurt.  I'm not sure how they do it.  Besides the plain, all flavors have a compote you mix in.

Noosa was started by an Australian ex-pat who lives in Colorado.  In Australia, this sort of yogurt is common - a big container of rich, creamy, full fat, delicious yogurt, generally topped with something like passion fruit.  Every corner market has it.  Yogurt is big there.  So when the founder of Noosa moved to the US and couldn't find it, she decided to fix that.

Enter Noosa.  She puts the fruit compote on the bottom, but, besides that, it really does remind me of the yogurt in Australia.  The flavor variety is fairly extensive at this point, mostly fruit based, but, recently they have gotten a bit trendy with a pumpkin and salted caramel flavors.

Noosa is still yogurt, don't get me wrong, but, some flavors in particular are close enough to crossing into dessert territory that if you are looking for a guilt free tree it really might satisfy, particularly with a crumble of some sort sprinkled on top.

(For the record, there does exist yogurt that IS entirely like dessert.  You can find it at Tres restaurant at the SLS Hotel in Beverley Hills.  It is ... amazing.  Basically panna cotta, but made from Fage yogurt, whipped with vanilla bean, and with some more magic done to it.  If you ever find yourself in the area, seriously, make a beeline for it!)

Blueberry Yoghurt.

"Sure, you’ve tried blueberry yoghurt, but blueberry noosa is in a league of its own. Off-the-charts in yum, our best-selling flavor inspires cravings like no other with sweet, juicy blueberries hidden beneath our creamy yoghurt."

This was the first flavor I ever tried.

The yogurt was almost a cross between what I know as Greek yogurt and American yogurt.  It was clearly thicker than traditional yogurt, but creamier than Greek yogurt.  Australian style?

Anyway, I liked the fact that it was creamy and thick.  I certainly see why people love this yogurt, texture-wise.  But in terms of flavor, this variety didn't do it for me.  The base yogurt was pretty flavorless, which is fine, as you are supposed to mix in the blueberry.  The blueberry was a compote in the bottom that I could mix in as desired.  It wasn't too sweet, which I appreciated.  There seemed to be just the right amount of fruit vs yogurt, which I also appreciated.  There were whole little blueberries, also appreciated.

Everything about this spelt success, yet it didn't do it for me.  I clearly just needed to try another flavor, since, it was *almost* amazing. ***.

Raspberry yoghurt.

"Raspberries picked at plump perfection are bonza all on their own, but taste even more yum when mixed with our luscious and velvety yoghurt. A little bit tart, a little bit sweet, and a whole lot delicious, raspberry noosa is a dazzling experience."

The next flavor I tried was raspberry, as Ojan said raspberry is one of his favorite yoghurt flavors.

Like the blueberry, the consistency of the yogurt was great, thicker than standard American yogurt, but creamier than most Greek.  Because it is full fat, it had a luxurious feel to it.

Again, like the blueberry, the raspberry came as a compote on the bottom.  I tried the yogurt plain at first and it was boring, I tried the compote plain and it was just sweet, but once I mixed it all together completely, a nice raspberry flavor came out.  Not quite as flavorful as I'd like, but I appreciated that it wasn't too sweet.  I didn't love the compote though, perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for raspberry flavor.

The mouthfeel is really where this yogurt it wins though.  It almost feels like you are eating a dessert.  Topped with fresh fruit and granola crumbles, it was even better.  I probably wouldn't get this flavor again, but I'm now convinced that I just need to find MY flavor!  ***+.

Lemon Yoghurt.

"When life gave us lemons, we mixed them with our unique, velvety yoghurt. The smooth, silky, and perfectly tart lemon curd is a ray of sunshine at the bottom of every lemon noosa tub."

And the winner is ... lemon!

This shocked me, as I don't really like lemon flavored dessert-y things.  Lemon squeezed over salmon?  Yes.  Lemon has its place.  But in my desserts, for some reason, no!  Nothing disappoints me more than finding out that dessert is going to be a lemon cream pie or lemon bar.

So I didn't expect to like this at all.  At first glance, it was just like the others.  Creamy but thick base, lemon fruit puree on the bottom.  I tentatively tried the fruit puree, ready to recoil.  But instead ... I just dug back in.

It was tangy.  It was sweet.  If I thought the raspberry flavor was almost dessert, this one certainly was.  Even better with granola crumbles on top.

I could eat this for breakfast and feel like I was getting away with quite the treat.  Or eat it for dessert and feel like I was having such restraint.  I even think you could top it with whipped cream and it wouldn't be weird.  (I didn't get that experiment as it was gone, literally, in two seconds.)

Next time, I'm getting a bigger container.  And trust me, there WILL be a next time! ****.

Strawberry Rhubarb.

"Strawberry whaaaa? We put our own spin on the classic flavor of sweet, succulent strawberries and added tangy, tart rhubarb. No matter what hemisphere you hail from, you can’t resist this tempting combo."

I feel like a broken record at this point.  The yogurt base was the same creamy yet thick consistency that I liked.  The fruit wasn't too sweet.

Is this my first choice of flavor? No.  But, like the raspberry and blueberry, it had all the right things going on, just, strawberry rhubarb isn't my flavor.  ***.

Mango.

"The satiny tropical flavor of a sweet and tangy mango takes us back to those lazy days at Noosa beach. Enjoying it during a lounge in the sand has been known to enhance the yum-factor of the exotic fruit."

Like all the Noosa yogurts, the yogurt and fruit are separate, with a layer of the mango purée on the bottom, off to one side, so you can mix it in.  You can guess how I felt about the mango.  Still not for me.  ***.

Tart Cherry Noosa.

"Imagine a slice of tart cherry pie served with a side of creamy, lightly-sweetened yoghurt. "

Since I always think the lemon noosa tastes like dessert, this sounded promising.  Cherry pie ...

It didn't wow me.  As always, the yogurt was fairly creamy, and a great thick consistency.  The tart cherry was in the bottom, a compote with pieces of cherry in it, slightly tart.  It was fine, but, not one I'd go for again.  I wanted more cherry, and larger pieces of cherry.  Really, I guess I just wanted cherry pie.  ***+.

Salted Caramel.

"Some things in life are too good to be true. Thankfully, the combination of salty, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth caramel and our thick, velvety yoghurt isn’t one of them."

And this ... this is what all my noosa dreams are made of.  When I saw this flavor, let's just say, I was excited.  I love the base noosa yogurt, but, most of the fruit compotes haven't *quite* don't it for me.  But salted caramel? Um, yes!

And, it delivered.  The same signature, thick, creamy noosa yogurt.  Decadent enough on its own.  But this time, instead of a fruit compote or puree, there is a caramel.  Sweet, flavorful.  For all the times I've thought that noosa yogurt was basically dessert ... this one really went a step further in that direction.

It wasn't as full fledged sweet or desserty as would actually satisfy me for dessert, but, for a mid-afternoon snack, it was truly delightful.  My favorite, although, the lemon remains a close second. ****.

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Carvel Ice Cream

Oh Carvel.  A brand that had such importance during my childhood, when we had a Carvel store in my hometown, and for our birthdays, we always got custom Carvel ice cream cakes.  I remember pouring through the pages and pages of glossy images of the different designs available, and after agonizing (for a child) decision making, picked my choice for my party.  Of course I liked the cakes, but, selecting the design was is what I remember most.  I don't remember ever going to the Carvel shop for anything else, although I guess they actually had a regular ice cream shop, and were not just a place for cakes.

Then at some point the Carvel store closed.  We still got Carvel cakes for parties, but they were just the standard grocery store ones (which I've reviewed before).  They *aren't* nearly as good as freshly made cakes, and obviously come in only one flavor.

This past year, I re-discovered Carvel ice cream shops, when I visited New York, and they had several locations.  It happened to be my birthday month as well, which was double great, because they give a free cone for your birthday reward (with sign-up).  I love a good freebie.

"Each of Carvel's handmade items starts with The Original Soft Serve™, created in 1934. Today, our delicious treats and classic ice cream cakes are a staple at birthdays, holiday parties, or any occasion worth celebrating."

Although they carry hard ice cream, I had eyes only for the soft serve.  Yes, I like all ice cream, but I'm a soft serve ice cream girl to the core.  

Carvel (inside Macy's)

I had no idea that Carvel has so many flavors of soft serve at Carve!  I thought they just had vanilla and chocolate.  But they actually have a slew more, depending on your location of course, including seasonal specials (like birthday cake, pumpkin, etc), and basics like strawberry, cold brew coffee, and chocolate hazelnut, along wtih coconut, pistachio, mint.  This is in addition to some "Carvelite" flavors and Oatly non-dairy flavors.

In Manhattan, the location inside Macy's (pictured here) had only 4 flavors, but the standalone store just a few blocks away had 6 (or 8? I forget).  The Financial District store had only vanilla/chocolate though, so, plan accordingly.

Mint.  Small.

"No matter the weather, it's always a good time for refreshing, creamy mint. Try it with fudge on top. A-maz-ing."

I went for the mint without trying to first.  I know, such a rookie move.  Now, it was good.  Don't get me wrong.  It was rich, creamy, great quality Carvel soft serve.  I really do like their soft serve.  But the mint flavor wasn't quite as strong as I was hoping it would be.  It was a good mint flavor, not medicinal or anything, and the sweetness level was nice, but, just slightly lacking in powerful mint flavor.  I suspect it would be great with chocolate sprinkles or chips . ***+

Birthday Cake. Small.

"A rainbow sprinkled cake-flavored take on The Original Soft Serve™ made in honor of our 90th birthday."

It was my birthday when I visited, so the birthday cake flavor seemed most fitting, right? Available in hard scoops or soft serve.  I asked the staff how sweet the soft serve was, and he immediately just handed me a sample cup.  It wasn't cloying sweet as I feared, and the taste was instantly recognizable: Carvel blue frosting!  It tasted *exactly* like their blue frosting, although it was a off-white color (missed opportunity!).  I do quite like that frosting, but, I don't think I'd want a full cone of this.  In the small sample size though it was enjoyable, and the consistency was excellent, very rich, smooth, creamy. ***+.

Update Review: 

Well, I returned and DID get a full cone of it.

This wasn't the prettiest cone, and it started falling over nearly immediately, but I quite enjoyed it. The birthday cake flavor tastes instantly recognizable if you are familiar with Carvel ice cream cakes. It takes exactly like their blue frosting, which I absolutely love and is my favorite part of Carvel cake (besides the crunchies of course).  Very rich, high fat content for soft serve, and shockingly not cloying sweet.  Best with sprinkles of course, which I added on my own.  Fresh tasting cone.  It turned out to be my favorite flavor. ****. 

Horchata.  Small.

"Traditional horchata flavoring (a mix of sugar & cinnamon with notes of rice flour) blended with vanilla soft serve."

This was really, really good.  Super creamy and rich, proper sweetness level (not too sweet), lovely cinnamon notes, hint of vanilla, hint of rice ... yeah, it was pretty perfect.  I wish I had gotten a full cone of it, but I was too tempted by other flavors.  ****+.

Update Review:

I tried this as a sample on my first visit, but got excited about the mint flavor and got that instead. But I kept thinking back on how good the horchata was so I returned a few days later to get it. It was again quite good- very, very creamy and rich soft serve, some light rice flavor, and mild spicing. I thought I remembered the spicing being stronger, more cinnamon, but it was still good and more interesting than your basic vanilla. ***+.

[ No Photos - Samples Only ]

Pumpkin Cheesecake: 

"A flavor-fall take on The Original Soft Serve™."

It was mid-august, and Carvel launched pumpkin cheesecake flavor, definitely a bit too early for pumpkin spice season if you ask me. But I couldn't resist trying a sample, even though I'm not generally one to love pumpkin spice things as I'm not really into nutmeg, and way too many pumpkin spice items are just far too heavy in the nutmeg. This however, was not too spiced.  It had nice warming spices, but it certainly wasn't aggressive. There was also a light pumpkin in the flavor. I can't say I really tasted any cheesecake though, I expected a different tang or something from that component, and I just didn't detect any of it. So I'd consider this a very mildly flavored pumpkin with a little bit of spices, fairly muted flavors overall. ***.

Chocolate Oatly:

"The Original Soft Serve™ you know and love, made with Oatly. Non-dairy deliciousness. Will be able to get in a variety of flavors based on your shoppe's availability."

I visited one Carvel location when they had the machines offline for cleaning, and only had their Oatly flavors available.  The staff member offered a sample, so I tried it, opting for the chocolate flavor.  It was actually very good - rich and creamy texture, nicely melty, good milk chocolate flavor.  There was a slight oat milk taste to it, but I like oat milk, so this didn't bother me.  Considerably better than expected, and a wonderful offering for those who want/need to be dairy free.  ****.

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Fish Cheeks, NYC

Update Review, August 2024 Visit

Another August visit to NY, and another chance to get to eat some great Thai food.  First on my agenda was Fish Cheeks, which I had enjoyed previously.  Sadly, this order was not a success.

Grilled Cuttlefish. $23.

"Marinated grilled cuttlefish sliced with hand crush nam jim seafood. Extra spicy."

This ... was just not very good.  It made me extremely sad, as I read good reviews of it, I was really craving something like this, and I had liked Fish Cheeks previously.  But alas.

The cuttlefish pieces lacked any actual grill marks or char.  I really was hoping for some of that great grill flavor.  The pieces were also fairly chewy, in a spongy way.  The texture just wasn't enjoyable.  The pieces were also marinated in some kind of spicing that I mostly didn't care for.  I'm not quite sure what aspect of the marinade I didn't care for was, as I couldn't identify the flavors exactly.  So really, quite a letdown.  * maybe ...

The sauce on the side though, now THAT was something.  When they say "extra spicy", yes, they mean it.  It stuff had some serious heat.  It also just had great depth of flavor, acidity, heat, everything.  A tiny bit went a loooong way, but really a powerhouse that I enjoyed experiencing.  **** sauce.

Original Review, September 2023

I wasn't particularly craving, nor seeking out, Thai food, when I learned about Fish Cheeks, a Thai restaurant in New York.  I was actually drooling over epic pastries, eying more sushi, and pondering classic NY pizza, but, Fish Cheeks kept leaping to the top of my list in Door Dash one day when I was looking for an easy delivery option near my office where I was working late.  The menu *did* sound appealing, and, wow, the online reviews are all pretty glowing.

Fish Cheeks is not a generic Thai restaurant, and that much was clear the moment I started looking at the menu.  It is higher end, seafood focused, modern, innovative Thai food.  If you are looking for papaya salad, pad thai, and mango sticky rice, look elsewhere.  But if you can stand a little heat, enjoy a variety of seafoods, and want to try something different, this really is a gem.

And thus, fairly randomly, I deemed it Thai food night, and ordered from Fish Cheeks.  My order was prepared quickly, but didn't get assigned a Dasher for a long time, and then my Dasher went to the wrong place, etc, etc, so it took quite a while to reach me, and the food was certainly no longer the appropriate temperature.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of takeout and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes for free money!

• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

I haven't visited in person, so I can't comment on the restaurant itself.

Food

Fish Cheeks specializes in seafood (no wonder the menu kept jumping out!), and is all served family style, or, as their menu says "We recommend sharing for a better dining experience."  The menu is broken down into 3 areas: "plates to snack", "plates to share", and sides.  All are marked with the appropriate number of chili peppers to indicate spice.

Since I was alone, and getting takeout, I opted for just the snacks and sides, although the larger plates to share make up the majority of the menu.  If I was ordering with others, I likely would have gotten the well regarded coconut crab curry, and if I was dining in, any of the whole seafood preparations, or the skate wing, definitely would have been my top choice.  

Kiin Len - Plates to Snack

The "Plates to Snack" are mostly dishes that would traditionally be called appetizers, some chilled dishes, salads, and others.  Setting Fish Cheeks apart from your standard Thai restaurant is the fact that the first item on the menu is oysters.  The rest of the lineup continues mostly down the seafood route, although wings and pork cheeks round out the menu.

Corn Salad. $12.

"Steamed corn, cherry tomato, long beans, fish sauce, garlic, lime, Thai bird's eye chili. Moderately spicy."

My first pick was a corn salad.  Yes, a corn salad.  Because, summer corn is amazing at its peak, and at its peak it was that week in August.

I was thrilled to see this on the menu.  Even more thrilled when I opened my box to see how fresh and vibrant the corn was, and the unique preparation of served cut off the cob in big pieces.  

The corn was very good.  Fresh, seasonal corn, allowed to shine.  The long beans were lightly crisp, and fairly tasty too.  The tomato however was a letdown.  While they were bright red and juicy, they weren't particularly flavorful, and were a touch mealy.  Very average cherry tomatoes, like you'd find in any garden salad in the middle of winter.  

Then, the dressing, a key element.  I appreciated that it came on the side, so as not to soggy the salad, but also, so one could add as much or little spice as they wanted.  It was moderately spicy as advertised, and so full of complex flavors.  Funkiness from the fish sauce, acid and sour notes from the lime, spice (obviously) from the Thai bird's eye chilis.  All balanced by the natural sweetness in the fresh corn.  Definitely a skilled culinary team behind this seemingly simple dish.

This was very good, and, save the mediocre tomatoes, ****.

Crispy Rice Salad. $15.

"Crushed crispy rice tossed with shredded coconut meat, sour pork, mint, chili, saw leaves, lime and ginger. Served with peanuts. Moderately spicy."

Last year, at Mumu in Sydney, I had my first crispy rice salad.  I really loved it, and have been wanting something similar ever since.  Now, that version was considerably different, with jellyfish rather than pork, and served entirely cold, and without anything like the wedge of cabbage, but, still, it inspired me to order this (as did all the rave reviews).

Because of the snafu with my delivery, when this finally made its way to me, it was cold, or, I guess, room temperature.  It is served hot at the restaurant (besides the cabbage), so, clearly not ideal.  Luckily, I had a toaster oven, and could heat it up, and crisp it back up a bit.  But it definitely didn't have quite the crispy element it likely does in the restaurant.

Anyway, it was very good.  The base is clumps of fried rice, loaded with lots of herbs, with a very flavorful sauce that was really infused throughout.  It was complex in all the right ways - sweet, sour, spicy ... very authentic Thai.  I'm not usually a rice girl, but, this was really good rice (particularly when crispy!).

The pork was little bits of Thai pork sausage.  Flavorful on its own, but it added an additional flavorful element to the overall dish.  Great crunch from all the peanuts too.  Lightly spicy, although it did have full red chilis in it, so, if you accidentally bit into one of those, it was very spicy.  The wedge of cabbage added more crunch, freshness, and a cooling element.  

Basically, great textures, incredible flavor, and fun to eat.  Overall, very good, although I think to really evaluate it, I'd want to try it fresh in the restaurant.  Not a great choice for takeout, but, I still am glad I had it.  ***+.

Sides

The sides portion of the menu is only 4 items: rice, sauteed cabbage, fried morning glory, or shrimp chips.  I got the chips so I'd have a snack to nibble on later that evening.

Shrimp Chips. $5.

"Fried shrimp chips served with chili paste."

The shrimp chips were pretty standard, several colors, fresh, airy, crunchy, some fishy flavor to them.  Not too greasy.  They were a fairly big size, and none came crushed, which made them excellent for scooping some of the rice salad into as well.  Would be great to much on before a meal while waiting for your food too.  ****.

The chile paste was thick, essentially like sambal, and nicely spicy and funky.  Certainly good to spread a little on the chips, but my meal had so much other flavor, it wasn't needed.  I gladly saved it for future use.  ****.

Overall, a nice starter/side, reasonable portion for the price.

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