The Moment is another trendy tea shop in Sydney, one I've walked by, and peeked in at, many times over the two years since it opened.
I finally visited.
The front counter has these glass domes showcasing all the different teas. I'm not really into tea itself, but, I think this convinced me at least that they care about having quality tea, rather than just powder?
It looked good at least.
The interior space is incredibly modern, white/marble tones, classy decor. I appreciated the standing high white bar running through the shop, perfect to stand and drink, or, high chairs were also available.
I finally visited.
Setting
The Moment is located in Haymarket, on a street with a slew of other bubble tea shops. The entire several block radius is filled with bubble tea shops.
The curb appeal of The Moment is different from many others though, and is something that drew me in (as a spectator previously) many times. It looks really ... pleasant. If that makes sense.
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| Teas. |
It looked good at least.
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| Inside. |
It was calm, soothing, and really just quite pleasant.
The Moment, like many of this style of shop, has a menu broken down into different "Series", ranging from fresh teas (hot or iced), to fruit infused iced teas, to classic bubble teas, to sparkling "mojitos", to slush and smoothies. And ... what drew me in, yogurt drinks (or, "yoghourt" as they spell it).
Drinks
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| Menu. |
The menu showed examples of each, which was helpful.
My companion opted for this creation, from the Slush & Smoothie range. It was a layered drink, a mango base and passionfruit smoothie above that, and she added a "cap" on top of that. Some of the others in this series are fairly stunning, brilliant colors separated into layers, but hers was a bit muted, given the two orange tones. Her drink came in a tall clear cup, not a bubble tea style with a sealed top, but more like a plastic coffee cup, just, super tall.
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| Passion Fruit & Mango Smoothie + Mango Sago Pomelo Milk Cap. $7.20 + 1.50. |
I didn't try it, but she seemed pretty pleased.
The most interesting thing about this drink to me was the cap. While I went for the more common one (more on that soon), she got the mango sago pomelo milk cap. I was super interested in this, but, I knew it would not go with my drink. With her fruity creation though, it was a match. And yes, they have innovated beyond just the milk foam topping, beyond just making it fruity, and ... added tiny little sago. Super fascinating. I'd love to try this topping sometime on a drink more appropriate for it.
I of course went for my newfound favorite thing, a yoghourt drink (yes, they pick #allTheExtraLetters for their spelling). I knew I wanted purple rice (as, it seems, yogurt and rice are the magic recipe), but I also wanted my favorite ingredient: taro. Both are available as yogurt drinks.
I opted to just get the purple rice one, and add fresh taro. Best of both worlds, and fresh taro can be added to any drink. Sweetness cannot be modified. And of course, I wanted cheese foam, called "rock salt cheese milk cap" here.
When I ordered the cheese topping, I was told they don't recommend it on the yogurt, since the drink only comes in a certain cup, and I would not have enough space for my regular ingredients if I did that. I asked if I could have the foam on the side, but that was met with a perplexed look (I've easily done this other places!). I suggested that I could just have less yogurt, and that was fine with me. She agreed to this. #problemSolving.
The yogurt drinks come in glass jars, slightly shorter than the smoothie cups, and much wider. They have screw top lids, and are sealed with a branded sticker, which, actually turned out to be very useful, as it held the lid when I had it unscrewed. I loved my jar, and was quite pleased to have this "souvenir" to use throughout my trip.
Now, the creation. I ended up enjoying it, but ... some caveats.
I was a little surprised when I took my first sip. It ... wasn't cold. Kinda lukewarm. Which just is odd for yogurt. And a bit off putting. Same with the foam topping. Lukewarm was just not right for this. I think the taro mash, or the black sticky rice, were warm, and warmed the whole thing up?
I tried a few sips, and a few bites, but the temperature just was really ruining it for me. I brought it back to my hotel, stashed it in the fridge, and went to get ice cream instead. When I returned to it later, it was chilled, and *much* better. When I polished it off the next morning (I mean, its yogurt, breakfast appropriate right?), I adored it.
The purple sticky rice was a generous amount, even more than Koomi, more than a cup. It had a great chew to it, a bit sticky. Definitely a good component. And again, it is amazing how well purple rice goes with yogurt, but, it really does. I'd get this again.
The fresh taro was plentiful as well, really, too much almost. It seemed like more than a cup of taro mash as well. It was a very smooth style, no chunks or bits like other places (e.g. Koomi), and the taro flavor somehow wasn't all that pronounced. It was slightly sweetened. I like taro, obviously, but this didn't work great in the yogurt. The smooth mash just didn't add the right kind of contrast to the thick yogurt. The Koomi version with chunks was more successful. I wouldn't get taro mash in a yogurt drink again.
The yogurt was good, fairly thick, rich, tart. Considerably better than the runnier style from Bengong Black, but I think I preferred Koomi slightly, it was less sweet, and more "natural" tasting somehow. Still, good base, particular when it mixed with the foam.
And finally, the rock salt cheese milk cap. I love my cheese foam toppings, and this was no exception. Not quite as salty as I was hoping for, but still good, fluffy, and I liked it contrasting with the yogurt. They added quite a bit of it too.
Overall, once properly chilled, I enjoyed this, the purple rice + yogurt + foam is a combo I continue to really enjoy. I found that I liked to mostly eat it with a spoon however, probably due to my multiple mix-ins, as the taro + sticky rice added 2-3 cups of more solid components, and it wasn't quite as drinkable as it probably should be.
I did rather wish it had a fruit component to it as well, and interestingly, The Moment only does yogurt with rice or red bean or taro or cranberry ... no more fruity flavors, even though they have them for the smoothies.
I'd consider getting this again (leaving out taro), but in a city with so many rice drink options, I would rather try somewhere else.
The most interesting thing about this drink to me was the cap. While I went for the more common one (more on that soon), she got the mango sago pomelo milk cap. I was super interested in this, but, I knew it would not go with my drink. With her fruity creation though, it was a match. And yes, they have innovated beyond just the milk foam topping, beyond just making it fruity, and ... added tiny little sago. Super fascinating. I'd love to try this topping sometime on a drink more appropriate for it.
 |
| Purple Rice Yoghourt + Fresh Taro + Rock Salt Cheese Milk Cap. $6.30 + $1 + 1. |
I opted to just get the purple rice one, and add fresh taro. Best of both worlds, and fresh taro can be added to any drink. Sweetness cannot be modified. And of course, I wanted cheese foam, called "rock salt cheese milk cap" here.
When I ordered the cheese topping, I was told they don't recommend it on the yogurt, since the drink only comes in a certain cup, and I would not have enough space for my regular ingredients if I did that. I asked if I could have the foam on the side, but that was met with a perplexed look (I've easily done this other places!). I suggested that I could just have less yogurt, and that was fine with me. She agreed to this. #problemSolving.
The yogurt drinks come in glass jars, slightly shorter than the smoothie cups, and much wider. They have screw top lids, and are sealed with a branded sticker, which, actually turned out to be very useful, as it held the lid when I had it unscrewed. I loved my jar, and was quite pleased to have this "souvenir" to use throughout my trip.
Now, the creation. I ended up enjoying it, but ... some caveats.
I was a little surprised when I took my first sip. It ... wasn't cold. Kinda lukewarm. Which just is odd for yogurt. And a bit off putting. Same with the foam topping. Lukewarm was just not right for this. I think the taro mash, or the black sticky rice, were warm, and warmed the whole thing up?
I tried a few sips, and a few bites, but the temperature just was really ruining it for me. I brought it back to my hotel, stashed it in the fridge, and went to get ice cream instead. When I returned to it later, it was chilled, and *much* better. When I polished it off the next morning (I mean, its yogurt, breakfast appropriate right?), I adored it.
The purple sticky rice was a generous amount, even more than Koomi, more than a cup. It had a great chew to it, a bit sticky. Definitely a good component. And again, it is amazing how well purple rice goes with yogurt, but, it really does. I'd get this again.
The fresh taro was plentiful as well, really, too much almost. It seemed like more than a cup of taro mash as well. It was a very smooth style, no chunks or bits like other places (e.g. Koomi), and the taro flavor somehow wasn't all that pronounced. It was slightly sweetened. I like taro, obviously, but this didn't work great in the yogurt. The smooth mash just didn't add the right kind of contrast to the thick yogurt. The Koomi version with chunks was more successful. I wouldn't get taro mash in a yogurt drink again.
The yogurt was good, fairly thick, rich, tart. Considerably better than the runnier style from Bengong Black, but I think I preferred Koomi slightly, it was less sweet, and more "natural" tasting somehow. Still, good base, particular when it mixed with the foam.
And finally, the rock salt cheese milk cap. I love my cheese foam toppings, and this was no exception. Not quite as salty as I was hoping for, but still good, fluffy, and I liked it contrasting with the yogurt. They added quite a bit of it too.
Overall, once properly chilled, I enjoyed this, the purple rice + yogurt + foam is a combo I continue to really enjoy. I found that I liked to mostly eat it with a spoon however, probably due to my multiple mix-ins, as the taro + sticky rice added 2-3 cups of more solid components, and it wasn't quite as drinkable as it probably should be.
I did rather wish it had a fruit component to it as well, and interestingly, The Moment only does yogurt with rice or red bean or taro or cranberry ... no more fruity flavors, even though they have them for the smoothies.
I'd consider getting this again (leaving out taro), but in a city with so many rice drink options, I would rather try somewhere else.
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