Found! The Elusive Yogurt Pop Drink

Luncher Mary, I am looking at you. When another profiled luncher asked about our favorite bubble teas, Mary commented about an elusive yogurt drink that had since disappeared. She reported that a bakery in Chinatown used to have tea with “[l]ittle white hollow balls that gushed yogurt into your mouth when you chewed them.” Now I am not a lover of bubble/boba/tapioca pearl tea. I liked it back when I was very young, but now I just find the bubbles to be a gummy impediment to the enjoyment of my refreshment. But yogurt balls on the other hand…. I could get into that.

So when I saw a hand written sign in the window of Harmony Bakery in Chinatown with “Yogurt Pop Smoothies” I felt like I had just uncovered the lost city of Atlantis. Could this really be it?

I would have probably paid anything to try one of these, but for $3.50 I got my mango smoothie with yogurt pop. With the thick straw, I sucked up the first white bubble and bit into it. A tangy burst of thin yogurt coated my tongue, elevating this smoothie to something more than just a bakery beverage- it is entertainment, it is molecular gastronomy, it intrigues you until it is finish, and then it haunts you as you crave it. My first yogurt pop was an experience. Put this in a glass bowl over a black sesame brownie, call it Sunken Treasure Pearls, charge $14 and serve at Morimoto.

If that weren’t enough, when I looked back at the woman blending my drink, I saw a mango on the counter, so they may even be using real fruit here.

I also ordered roast pork pan fried noodles to go, so I could evaluate their grub. The to go packaging separated the noodles from the sauce, which is essential with this dish.  Pan fried noodles might not be everyones thing, but I love it for the funky texture, the noodles are hard until the warmed up sauce hits it and softens it up. For $6 I got a big (practically 2 person) portion with soft cooked veggies and slices of pork.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • Yogurt Pop!
  • Decent, cheap noodles

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • Ordering a meal from small Asian bakeries does not appeal to me

Harmony Bakery, 901 Race (@ 9th) 215 923 7400

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