I Tried Pavlo Mochi—NYC’s Viral Dessert Store That Solely Serves Mochi

It’s no secret that I’ve a candy tooth, so it makes good sense that I’d soar on the probability to go to a model new mochi-centered dessert store within the East Village after I noticed it pop up on my feed. Mochi in its truest type as a Japanese sticky rice cake is scrumptious, however stroll round New York Metropolis and also you’ll discover all the things from mochi donuts to mochi cake slices. It isn’t new to the American market, and it is undoubtedly outlived the development cycle to develop into a mainstay in each American and Japanese dessert tradition.

Pavlo Mochi is a dessert store owned by chef Pavlo Servetnyk, winner of MasterChef Ukraine, who’s formally educated in nice eating in Europe and Asia, in response to Secret NYC. Whereas it’s unclear why Servetnyk selected to make mochi his area of interest, the store and its desserts have a robust and playful visible aesthetic and have undoubtedly been getting buzz on-line.

The Snacks

Once you stroll into Pavlo, it is clear that the design was intentional. It’s blindingly pink and chrome as you watch staff shaping little mochi balls within the again and brushing them with rice flour. In addition they serve boba, pancakes, and smooth serve ice cream, and the open kitchen idea allows you to see all of the motion behind the scenes.

Right here’s what I acquired:

Espresso tonic. I wanted a day pick-me-up and ordered a espresso pondering it might be a traditional espresso expertise, however it wasn’t, so I’m together with it within the roundup. The espresso tonic included lime and brown sugar syrup, and was served in just a little clear mini can that was sealed in a magical canning machine. It was additionally served with a take-home metallic straw?? Taste-wise, it was refreshing, summery, and light-weight. Love a nice shock!

Mango passionfruit vanilla mochi. That is their greatest vendor, in response to each the web and Pavlo himself (who served us the mochi). Identical to it sounds, it’s full of a vanilla bean whipped cream and a mango passionfruit jam or curd-like sauce. The mochi is mushy (in a great way), moist, and undoubtedly doesn’t skimp on the filling. This was an excellent first journey into the Pavlo Mochi menu, however I’ll say I believed the flavour was good however not tremendous memorable. I may see why it’s a crowd favourite although!

Pistachio raspberry mochi. It was between this one and the matcha raspberry—which I knew would each be winners. This taste got here by way of a lot stronger than the mango passionfruit. The tartness of the raspberry and the creaminess of the pistachio made this one memorable. I appreciated it! I’ll say by this level within the expertise, the powdered sugar coating the surface of the mochi had fully coated my pants.

Banana Milk Jam mochi. I used to be personally most enthusiastic about this one. It had each chocolate and banana components however seemed like a pale, plain mochi, apart from the little sweet banana topper. It lived as much as my expectations—it tasted like a chocolate coated banana in one of the simplest ways potential.

Remaining Ranking

Pavlo Mochi was an expertise. Every little mochi packed a flavorful punch and was surprisingly reasonably priced in worth in comparison with different single-serve desserts like cupcakes or pastries. Additionally, every mochi was an excellent dimension (about 3 or 4 bites value). I’m declaring Pavlo Mochi as underrated. I noticed a number of movies concerning the spot right here and there, however I believe it deserves all of the hype!

For those who’re studying this and you’ve got a suggestion for a Snack Store within the metropolis that I have to go to and (actually) fee, depart a remark right here or on our Snack Store TikTok video. I like options!