Jump to content

Review: Mochi Ice Cream and Hello Kitty Mochi in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion


Disney4me
 Share

Recommended Posts

We recently we dug our spoons once more into Kaki Gori, the Japanese Shaved Ice served at Kabuki Cafe. For years now, it’s been THE go-to treat as far as frozen options in the Japan Pavilion go, perfect for the cooling down in the current summer heat.

Japan Pavilion Pagoda

Japan Pavilion Pagoda

But did you know that Japan has got another — perhaps more authentic — frozen snack to keep your temperature down? It’s called Mochi. And though it’s been hanging around at the carts in the pavilion on-and-off for years, this additional cart we spotted recently seems to be mostly Mochi-centric.

New Japan Pavilion Cart

New Japan Pavilion Cart

The design is fun and fitting within the pavilion with its nifty, linear shape.

New Japan Pavilion Cart

New Japan Pavilion Cart

The cart holds several beverage options in addition to the Mochi, so if you’re in the mood for liquid refreshment you can get that here, too. And you can find the Japanese beverage Ramune here, if you’d rather keep with the pavilion’s theme.

Beverage Options

Beverage Options

But we were after the Mochi Ice Cream, which are kept in a grab-and-go freezer on the side of the cart.

Grab-and-Go Mochi Ice Cream

Grab-and-Go Mochi Ice Cream

You may have already spotted — or even tried — the dry packaged Mochi cakes sold inside the Mitsukoshi store, or in House of Good Fortune in China. The Mochi Ice Cream here come in two different sizes — a two-piece and a six-piece — and five different flavors: Green Tea, Strawberry, Chocolate, Mango, and Vanilla. (Note that the two-packs are only available in strawberry and vanilla.)

Japan Cart Menu

Japan Cart Menu

We grabbed one of each size, and while they are packaged very differently, they are made by the same company.

Mochi Packages

Mochi Packages

Mochi Ice Cream is essentially a sphere of frozen cream encapsulated in a sticky rice dough. (Mochi is the name for the dough itself.) The resulting dough-covered sphere is dusted with corn and potato starch, making Mochi Ice Cream treats gluten free (and sticky-free)! You even get a little of the history on the package.

Mochi Packaging

Mochi Packaging

The strawberry six-pack is presented in fun, colorful packaging. And the image on the bottom gives you a visual idea of what you’re getting.

Strawberry Mochi Packaging

Strawberry Mochi Packaging

Tucked inside is a divided tray with six individual Mochi Ice Cream treats. Definitely not the ice cream we’re used in the parks — but much more convenient for sharing!

Strawberry Mochi Pack

Strawberry Mochi Pack

You can see the dusting of starches on the outside, which allow you to pluck the Mochi from the tray without much trouble. And that pink color is so pretty! FYI: the Mochi dough shell itself does not have a distinct flavor, so even though it’s strawberry-pink, don’t expect a strawberry flavor.

Strawberry Mochi Pack

Strawberry Mochi Pack

That Mochi coating is, admittedly, a bit of a stumbling block. It’s quite chewy and takes some time to get used to after you bite into it. But it’s not unpleasant; just unusual.

Mochi Close Up

Mochi Close Up

And inside is a delicious ball of strawberry ice cream made with strawberry puree and milk.

Mochi Interior

Mochi Interior

The six-pack is ready for sharing, and we think families or groups will have fun breaking into the Mochi packaging and trying this unique snack.

But if you’re a party of one (or two), the two-pack is going to be more your style. The packaging features Hello Kitty (Hello, Kitty!!!!!!), hence the complementary colors with the vanilla and strawberry flavor options.

Vanilla Mochi Packaging

Vanilla Mochi Packaging

The gluten free label and nutritional information are front and center on this one.

Packaging Close Up

Packaging Close Up

We grabbed the vanilla this time, and it’s fairly nondescript in the tray. Like, there’s no hello kitty emblazoned on the front or anything like the little green men in tokyo. (Sad face.)

Vanilla Mochi

Vanilla Mochi

The outer layer of Mochi was exactly the same otherwise — texture and flavor were identical to the six-pack option. You can see that once they’re out of the package, these do start to melt.

Vanilla Mochi

Vanilla Mochi

Somewhat surprisingly, though, the vanilla version was more flavorful than the strawberry! The vanilla flavor was both sweeter and more pronounced. This added a little more oomph to the otherwise neutral Mochi dough.

Vanilla Mochi Interior

Vanilla Mochi Interior

The two-pack is $3.99, which isn’t a bad price tag to try a more authentic cultural item than, say, the Green Tea Cheesecake you’ll find at Katsura Grill (note that these are not marked with the Disney Dining Plan snack credit designation). I’d say Mochi Ice Cream is a snack to try once, although I honestly probably won’t go back for a second. But if you’ve got a Hello Kitty fan with you who also happens to have a bit of an adventurous streak when it comes to snacking, then you can definitely consider this a fun find!

And it makes me wonder… does this mean we might have a shot at seeing the Little Green Mochi from Tokyo Disneyland in the upcoming Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios? I kinda doubt it, but still… it’s fun to dream!

Don’t Miss Out on the ALL the Best Snacks Walt Disney World Has to Offer!

Get four awesome e-Books FULL of Disney park dining advice, bundled for 30% off the already discounted price! Yep, we’ve scoured the parks to find any and all snack choices — from the mundane to the spectacular — and we tell you all about them (with full-color pictures!) in our snack guides! These are updated every year, so you know your guide will be perfect for your upcoming trip, and they’re bundled with our DFB Guide to WDW Dining!

2017-2nd Edition DFB Guide + Snacks Covers

This money-saving bundle includes all of the following:

All four are being sold together — for 30% off the already hugely discounted bundle price. Use code BUNDLE17 at check out to get the discount. It’s a $63 value for under $30!!

With this Bundle of e-books you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips to plan the best Disney World vacation ever. And with our handy e-book format, you can download the Guides to all of your electronic devices and take them with you wherever you go!

And with our 100% money-back guarantee, what do you have to lose?

Do you like to try country-specific treats when walking the World Showcase? Let us know about your adventures in the comments! 

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com! Also, come on over and:


View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...