Koomi, Sydney

Update Reviews - 2023 & 2024

November 2023

When I was in Sydney prior to the Pandemic, I discovered, and fell in love with, Koomi.  It was the first place I ever liked a yogurt drink of any kind, and it re-defined what these could be.  I tried after that yogurt and rice drinks all over Sydney, and in the US, and just never cared for them (even at the famous Yomie).  But Koomi ... Koomi was just unlike anywhere else, and I adored it.  See below for my original review.

And yet, when I returned to Sydney in August last year post-Pandemic, and then again earlier in 2023 in February and March, I failed to go back to Koomi.  My brain was broken - I knew I thought that Koomi was amazing, but I'd since had so many "meh" yogurt and rice drinks, I thought it must have just been a phase I was in back then.

And then, this visit, I decided to return.  Spoiler: it is still as glorious as ever.

Town Hall Location.

A few things have changed however.  Koomi's original Sydney city location is closed, and they only now have a small shop underground near the Town Hall station.  They no longer have froyo, and they no longer have foam as a topping.  These two things detracted me, but, I need not fear.  It is still amazing, even without the aesthetically pleasing shop location and two signature items.

Mango Moo (no sugar).
Add Purple Rice $0.80, Add Coconut Jelly. $0.80.

For my drink, I had the hard choice I always seem to have of mango or taro, but decided that mango was the right choice, because mango in Sydney is just so dramatically better than in the US, and because I had literally just ordered a taro cake for a party the next day, and would certainly be getting my taro fill.  I added purple rice as I always do, and, on a whim, added coconut jelly too (I was thinking about aloe vera, but the person taking my order suggested the coconut jelly instead, so I took her suggestion).  As always, I did it not sweet.

I'll admit that this seemed different than my memory of Koomi (and not only because it came in a different cup).  It seemed more like a smoothie at first.  I thought I remembered the yogurt being thicker and richer.  And I thought I remembered far more mango.  But, a few sips in, I didn't care.  My brain again couldn't stop thinking, "How is a yogurt drink this good?".  I don't know the answer, besides that Koomi clearly uses quality ingredients, and they really do combine into magic.

The yogurt is rich and smooth and nicely tart.  The mango sooooo ripe, so sweet, so juicy, so, uh, mango flavored.  This really likely would be fine with nothing more added, maybe sprinkle some coconut flakes on top and call it a day.  But I added the purple rice, which was perfectly a bit al dente and slightly sticky, added incredible texture.  I would get this again no question.  The coconut jellies were standard quality, nothing special, but, they did add bursts of sweetness and a fun slimy component.  I'd consider them again, or try another mix-in for fun.

So yes, every component was great, and together they were even greater.  It was somewhat refreshing.  It was somewhat dessert-like.  It was pretty filling.  I'm not sure really how one is supposed to work these into their regular daily eating, as it isn't really quite a meal, seems like a lot for a snack, and can be way too filling after a full dinner.  But maybe if are were someone who eats a light lunch, no lunch dessert, and then wants something later afternoon before eating a later dinner, it could do the trick nicely?  Or, I'm sure there are plenty of people who skip a meal and consider this one.  For me, one who eats breakfast, late morning snack, lunch, lunch dessert, afternoon snack, dinner, and dinner dessert, it doesn't fit easily into that schedule, so I tend to have half as a lunch or dinner dessert (and often add whipped cream and other toppings to push it even further into dessert land), and then the other half the next morning for breakfast (and add some granola and more fruit).  Morning me is always happy with that decision.

Overall, a winner, and I'd get it again, and was definitely tempted to return the very next day.  ****.

February 2024

Another visit to Sydney, another last minute impulse swing by Koomi.  I did again try to ask about the difference on their menu between the "Koomie Yogurts" and "Koomi Smoothies", even using a specific example of the "Mango Moo" (yogurt) and "Mangonificent!" (smoothie), but got nowhere.  The first was described as mango and yogurt, the second as sweet yogurt and mango, blended with ice.  I said, "Oh, so the Mango Moo isn't blended?" but then was told that it is too.  I asked if it was different yogurt in the two drinks, and was told no.  So ... both are the same yogurt, and mango, and blended ... but they maybe sweeten the later more?  But you can also adjust the sweetness ...  I'm still really not sure.

Mango Moo (No Sweet). $10.
+ Sticky Rice ($0.80) + Konjac Jelly ($0.80).

I went for my regular choice: the Mango Moo, with sticky rice, not sweet.  I also decided to add konjac jelly this time (last time I added coconut jellies, which was good, but, hey, why not try more things?).  The konjac jelly turned out to be crystal pearls, large size, and lots of them.  They were fine, but not what I actually wanted in my yogurt.  Oops.  I wouldn't get those again most likely.

The base drink was a frothy tart yogurt.  Blended with the sticky rice, which added nice texture throughout.  Not sweet, just as I asked for.  But it still seemed like what I'd consider a smoothie ...

The mango was hard to get to, all at the base.  It was fresh, juicy, and only slightly sweet, actually a bit tart itself.  Since I didn't add sugar, this meant the whole creation was pretty savory, with the only real sweetness coming from the pearls, which were considerably less sweet than something like coconut jellies.

I did struggle as I usually do to know where to fit this into my life.  It wasn't a dessert.  But it was more than a snack.  But also not a meal.  I ended up having some the next morning with berries and granola as a yogurt bowl, and that was quite delightful, and used most of the sticky rice and mango with some cream top from Sharetea to make a dessert.  I still really liked it all, I just don't know quite when and how to properly eat it!  One of these days, I'll try either sweetening it and making it more dessert-like, or potentially having a super light lunch and enjoying it after?  Still, great yogurt, good mix-ins, a regular for me.  ****.

Original Review, 2020

Sydney has a lot of bubble tea shops.  Seriously, bubble tea has ... exploded, everywhere.  Some neighborhoods have a bubble tea shop literally every other storefront.  The more recent trend though?  Yogurt drinks.  Yogurt and rice drinks that is, which burst into town with Yomie's Rice X Yogurt (which, um, I hated by the way).

Yogurt drinks, rice drinks, really did not seem like something I'd ever like, but, I finally tried one in 2019, and Koomi, and, well, my world changed.  I adore it, and now yogurt rice drinks are one of the focuses of my return visits to Sydney.  I've since explored many different shops in Sydney, but none compare to Koomi.   It really is just the best.

"The brand is featured by yoghurt, adopts the addition of different fruits, and innovatively add purple rice, enriching the taste of drinks and bringing consumers different taste experience."

Koomi is a franchise, with 4 locations in Australia, all in the greater Sydney area, plus one each in Thailand and the Philippines.

Setting

I visited one of the first Koomi locations, the main one, in Haymarket in Sydney.  It has zero curb appeal, without much street front itself ... as ...

Beauty Products?

Koomi is located at the front of a beauty store.  Certainly an odd setup, but the others who ordered before me did go browse, so, maybe this is a concept that I just don't understand.  I just waited patiently for my order.

The ordering process was easy, at the little counter, and it was prepped within a few minutes.  Orders were called out at the side window onto the sidewalk, which was nice so everyone didn't crowd around the beauty store.

Cow.

Is this Koomi?  I don't know.  But I decided this was Koomi.  A cute fellow, perfect for snapping your Instagram photo with.  Their cow theme *is* the brand, giving it brand recognition instantly, a clever touch from their marketing department.

Drinks

The menu at Koomi consists primarily of yoghurt drinks.  It isn't like Sharetea/CoCo Fresh/etc, with huge menus, many styles of tea, hot and cold options, etc.  There is no tea.  No milk.  Only yoghurt.  The drinks are all served cold, because, well, yoghurt.

Ok, technically, there is one tea, oolong, available as milk tea with mousse.  And one hot drink, taro milk.  That really is it, for drinks.

Menu.

There are 15 yoghurt drinks listed, all of which can have sugar level adjusted, and a few mix-ins added (sticky rice, oats, red bean, boba, taro, yoghurt foam, and froyo).  And that is basically it.

So many of the drinks sounded fascinating.  I was originally drawn in by the signature Stick-On-Me Purple Rice Yoghurt, but the Chunky Purple Taro Yoghurt sounded right up my alley.  And, although I don't normally go for the fruit offerings, the Red Ninja Dragon Fruit Yoghurt or Luscious Mango looked pretty awesome.

The final part of the menu is froyo, with exactly two options, neither of which had any description: Snowy Fuji Fro-yo and Fiery Vesuvius Fro-yo.  My Instagram stalking had shown me what the Snowy Fuji was though, and it is what had originally attracted me to Koomi in the first place.  Taro mash base, a layer of red bean, a layer of mango cubes, sticky rice, and then ... yogurt frozen yogurt, and a cone perched on top.  Basically, all the best mix-ins/toppings, parfait style, with froyo.  Oh yes.  My stalking also revealed a lot of people saying it was great, but a meal basically, huge, and just full of things.  I still can't quite figure out what the other froyo is, but it is layered, has boba, and some kind of drizzle ...

My first visit, I sampled the froyo, and found it quite enjoyable.  A tart style, but smooth and creamy, rich, not icy style American froyo.  I'd gladly get a creation with this sometime, but the weather was quite cold when I was there, and I never found myself actually wanting froyo.

Anyway.  I focused on the signature yogurt drinks.

2019 Visits

I first discovered Koomi in 2019.

Chunky Purple Taro Yoghurt + Black Sticky Rice + Yogurt Foam. No Sweet. $6.90 + $0.90 + $1.

For my first creation, I knew I wanted taro, but I also wanted sticky rice, and I wanted to try their version of foam.  So ... the "Chunky Purple Taro Yoghurt" it was, with sticky rice and foam added.

My drink wasn't exactly photogenic, not like many of the others with layers of fruit and bright colors, it was just white yogurt, pale purple taro, and some vaguely black rice visible.  I couldn't see the foam, the difference between the yogurt and foam was nonexistant, not like a tea drink with a layer of foam perched on top.  

Oh well, I wasn't getting this for Instagram.   I was getting it for taste.  Not that I really knew what to expect with taste either.  I've never had yoghurt drinks before, well, besides smoothies I guess.  Or Indian lassi.  But nothing like this.

I took my first sip.  Well, huh.  It was ... refreshing?  Which is an odd thing to say about yogurt, I know.  It was thick, rich, but ... refreshing.  Not too thick.  Not too rich.  Tart, but not too tart.  Slightly sweet, but not really.  So hard to describe.  I can see how it would be great with the fruit bases too.  I liked it.  I still can't be sure I ever distinctly tasted the yogurt foam vs the yogurt base, but I think the very top was lighter and fluffier?

The yogurt was novel, but the rest of the drink was also quite fascinating.  I loved the black sticky rice.  Just the right level of chew.  The drink had plenty, most sips had noticeable sticky rice, but it didn't overwhelm.   Turns out, yogurt and rice really is a great combination.  No wonder this trend is taking off.  I could tell that even just a yogurt and rice drink would be good.

But of course, I had the taro too, as I had picked the Chunky Purple Taro as my actual selection.  The base of the cup was a huge pile of taro mash, clearly actual fresh taro mash, and tons of it.  There was more throughout the drink.  Mostly mash, but some chunks too.  Soft, slightly sweet, and, well, it tasted like taro.  I liked it as well.

While this was a refreshing drink, it was also quite heavy, and felt like a meal.  That much yogurt, rice, and taro ... it added up fast.  I don't know the exact amounts, but I think it easily had ... 1.5 cups of taro and a cup of sticky rice?  And the rest was yogurt.  That ... isn't really a snack.  I think adding both heavy carbs, while I liked them both, is a bit much.  I'd consider getting fruit and rice in the future, or just the taro on its own.

The base drink was $6.90, quite reasonable for a drink of this style, and the add-ons were $1 for the foam, and $0.90 for the sticky rice.  I realize now if I had ordered the Stick-on-me Purple Rice Yoghurt for $6.30, and added taro ($1), that would be cheaper than the $6.90 chunky purple taro with $0.90 rice ... no idea if the "recipe" would be different?

Luscious Mango Yoghurt + Sticky Rice + Yoghurt Foam.  No Sweet. $6.90 + $0.90 + $1.

I couldn't resist.  I went back the next day to try the mango drink.  I again added sticky rice for the texture, and foam.

And ... um ... I didn't really like it.  It honestly seemed entirely different, more like what I had expected, actually.

The rice wasn't as chewy, and it was just ... bits of rice throughout.  Everything I loved about the chewy bits of rice from the other drink was missing.  The yoghurt base was more sour, thicker, and ... icy?  Was it ice blended and I didn't notice the first time?  Not refreshing, just, sour yogurt.

And speaking of sour ... the mango.  I was very excited for ripe, sweet, juicy mango and instead this was kinda mango mush, and so very sour.  Maybe it was frozen? Is that where the frozen bits came from?  I rather hated the mango.  Granted, it wasn't mango season.

On the plus side, I did distinguish the yoghurt foam from the rest of the drink this time, and yes, it was lighter, fluffier, and sweeter.  I liked it a lot

But wow, what a difference in the two drinks, and this one left me uninspired to return.

Except, I didn't throw it out.  I just put it in my fridge.  A few hours later, I had a few more sips.  I ... liked it more.  I know they say to drink within 2 hours, but, the rice had settled, gotten stickier, clumpier, in a way that I liked.  The mango still was really sour, and I couldn't get past that.

But I still didn't throw it out.  The next morning, after a disappointing breakfast, I went back at it.  And this time, I really enjoyed it.  Even the mango.  Maybe the mango steeped in the yogurt overnight and mellowed it out?  The yogurt seemed even thicker, and I liked that too.  And the rice, even clumpier, more chew, and I liked that.

So, um, this is a funny review, but I ended up really enjoying it, just, mostly as breakfast the next day.  I'd love to get this again when mango is in season.

Valentine's Rose + Taro + Black Sticky Rice + Yogurt Foam. No Sweet. $6.30 + $1 + $0.90 + $1.

I moved on from Koomi over the next few days, determined to try some other options.  I had a purple rice yogurt (with taro and rock salt cheese foam added) from The Moment, that was nearly as good (review soon!).  I had a purple rice blended with yogurt (with taro pearls and cheese foam added) from my old favorite Bubble Nini Tea, but really didn't care for it.  My final night in town, I finally waited in line forever at Yomie's Rice & Yogurt, the original yogurt rice drink shop in Sydney, and ... hated it. .

I couldn't end my trip with such a sad experience, so I power walked the two blocks to Koomi, where there was no line at all, and put in an order for another drink, even though I had the Yomie drink still in hand, only a few sips taken.  It was ready within just a minute.

And it was the best of my trip.

I knew I wanted the black sticky rice and taro and yogurt and yogurt foam, and was tempted to just get my original creation again, or perhaps try the dragonfruit, but ... I'm not sure why, I decided that the Valentine's Rose might be an interesting option.  Rose and taro just sounded like an award winning combo.  And the sticky rice of course.  And the yogurt foam, since I adore that.  As always, I went for no sweet.

The rose base was still plenty sweet, sweeter than the others I have ordered from Koomi, but not nearly as sweet as the Yomie one I loathed, nor as sweet as the Bubble Nini one that was just far too sweet for me from the honey.  I'd prefer less sweet, but this was fine.  The rose flavor was quite lovely, not too floral, if that makes sense.

The taro was again a generous portion, all in the bottom, fresh taro, mashed, sweetened.  The taro did go well with the rose, just as I expected.  The black sticky rice was also as before, slightly clumpy, which I liked, and nice chew to it.  It was mixed in initially, but I found that, like before, I preferred when it settled.  I only had half of it that night (since I did have the Yomie too), the next morning the chewier rice was even better.

One thing that was different was the packaging - instead of sealed like my previous two, it came with a lid, perhaps because it was overfull from all the mix-ins?  I actually liked the lid, as I was able to take my first sip through the hole in it, rather than threw a straw, and get just a lovely mouth full of the yogurt foam.  Love the foam, although it is less savory/salty/cheesy than many others.

Overall, this was another winner, quite pleasant, rose + taro went together as magically as I hoped, and the yogurt + sticky rice + foam combo is still one I'm into.  I'd probably go back to my original, or try another fruit in the future, unless I was really craving rose.

2020 Visit

Another year, another trip to Sydney, and of course Koomi was very high on my priority list.

Luscious Mango Yoghurt + Sticky Rice + Yoghurt Foam.  No Sweet. $6.90 + $0.80 + $1.

When I arrived I was planning to get taro, but ... fruity mango just sounded so good.  Except of course, given my memory of the last time I tried it.  I asked how the mango was, "is it really sweet right now or more sour?" and the worker told me it was crazy sweet, juicy, and ripe.  Well, I was sold.  I wanted Koomi to have a chance to redeem itself in the mango department, plus, I was craving mango.

I went for my old standard recipe of adding the sticky rice, the yogurt foam, and getting it not additionally sweetened.  It was made to order fairly quickly.

I took my first sip and ... wow!  Yes, it was everything I wanted it to be.  The mango was indeed ridiculously sweet and juicy, just, exactly what I wanted.  Probably *too* ripe if you were just eating the fruit, but inside here, it was perfect.  

The yogurt was sweet, rich, slightly tart, sorta healthy tasting but indulgent at the same time, and fabulous.  My brain still did the "how do you like a yogurt drink this much?!" dance over and over, but, well, it is just delicious.  So very hard to describe, as it is somehow refreshing but nourishing, healthy by dessert-like ... and yes, technically, a "drink".  I was drinking it through a large boba straw after all.

The straw was great for getting the bits of rice too, which added some texture and chew, a bit of starchiness.  Not necessary for the drink to be a success, particularly with such good mango, but, a nice addition.  And of course, the foam on top, slightly fluffier, slightly more savory, than the yogurt, and fabulous too.

I have only good things to say about this, as a drink, or, as I enjoyed it even more, by the spoonful so I could get entire bites just loaded with mango.

The price was $0.10 less than the previous year - the rice got cheaper!