Mochiholic’s desserts “donut” disappoint
Mochiholic’s mochi donuts and bubble tea drinks provide a delightful snack, requiting for their delayed service.
Mochiholic, a dessert shop selling premium Japanese-style donuts, has attracted many customers hungry for a treat. Located in the Rose Pavilion in Pleasanton, they officially opened over the summer. In all locations, they are partnered with Bobafinitea for customers to be able to quench their thirst with boba. Although the service wasn’t the best, the sweet treats definitely did not disappoint.
Ambiance:
Initially taking a glance at the exterior, the red in the logo is emphasized with a red stripe underneath the sign, which was aesthetically pleasing to see a repetition of color. Interior-wise, there is a television displaying how their donuts are made along with inviting music. Two kiosks are placed toward the side of the shop, which makes ordering much easier. Usually, you don’t see these types of ordering machines, so it was a nice change and ingenious in my opinion. These ask for your phone number to inform you when your order is ready to pick up, leaving you free to do what you want instead of waiting for your order. Lined across the ceiling are cascading light bulbs with a warm tinted hue, overall making the interior feel more cozy and welcoming. A couple of plants were scattered across the counter, establishing a comforting vibe. However, the walls are not decorated with much and it looks very cluttered and messy towards the back, which was somewhat disappointing.
Service:
I ordered online on ChowNow and went to pick it up in 15 minutes. When I went inside, there was nobody except me, but typically it is very busy and crowded. Despite there being nobody else to serve, I waited a few minutes until someone came to help me. The front cashier was abandoned and there was no way to call anyone up to the front. As this was a small inconvenience, a worker approached me and apologized for the wait. They gave me my order right away, grabbing the order off of what looked like a rolling cart.
Menu:
Mochiholic offers various combos consisting of drinks, snacks, and donuts. The flavors of donuts they have ranged from matcha and black sesame to guava. Their October seasonal flavors include Boo Chocolate Coconut and Autumn Fest Orange. Exclusively at the Pleasanton location, they recently released a pumpkin spice, a spider-themed donut. These flavors may change depending on location, season, and availability of ingredients. Recently, they added a gluten-free selection of mochi donuts, which they implemented on October 6 at the Fremont location. They also have a custard series, which is available only from the in-store kiosks. The custard series has three flavors of mochi donuts filled with custard: chocolate, boba, and strawberry custard. Their variety and range of different options make their menu flexible to many people, which I think is great. Especially with their new addition of gluten-free donuts, this makes it so that everyone can enjoy these desserts. Also, the universal catering toward combo deals and customizing drinks makes ordering very convenient.
Food:
I ordered the combo consisting of two drinks and six mochi donuts. For the drink, I got a Premium Brown Sugar Milk Boba with the donut flavors of Matcha Lover, Kuro Black Sesame, Autumn Fest Orange, and Ichigo Strawberry. The total turned out to be $34. The boba had a rich brown sugar taste with refreshingly cold milk and perfectly cooked boba. It had the slightest hint of earl grey tea in the background of the flavor profile. Mochi donuts are basically a mix between mochi and a donut. So, it had a chewy, mochi-like texture on the inside, but it is deep-fried and looks like a regular donut. The shape of the donut came in a flower shape, which looks very inviting and attractive. They had a soft chew to it, not as bready as a regular donut. When it was pulled apart, it had a stretch to it which I loved! All of the frostings on the donuts had a consistency that was creamy and smooth. It had no lumps or unprocessed sugar which was nice!
Mochi donut flavors:
Ichigo Strawberry: The strawberry-flavored mochi donut was a fresh bite, sweet aftertaste but not overwhelming and very subtle.
Matcha: The matcha flavored donut was sweet but not too overpowering. The freeze-dried strawberries on top gave a subtle but nice contrast of tanginess to the lightly bitter matcha. It was a delightful flavor pair as the matcha was very aromatic and rich.
Autumn Fest Orange: Tangy and sweet orange flavor. Replicating freshly squeezed orange juice. Halloween themed sprinkles give a nice crunchy texture in contrast to the donut
Kuro Black Sesame: Very savory. Good contrast against all the other sweeter flavors. Rich and deep sesame flavor, roasted black sesame which actually works really well. Black sesame seeds on top give a nice alternative to the soft dough.
Overall:
My experience at Mochiholic was overall positive and lived up to its expectations. The pricing is a little on the more expensive and less affordable side, however, the quality of the food and drinks definitely made a positive impact. So, I would say that although it was pricey, it was certainly worth the price. The boba itself was one of the best boba drinks I’ve had, which says a lot considering the variety I’ve had. I’d say a tip to keep in mind is to avoid the guava flavor as it tasted like soap the last time I tried it and to be cautious of busy hours or the lack of service. However, this may not always be the case! I would totally recommend trying this dessert shop out as it would be a great place to grab satisfying snacks with friends or family!
Jia joined the Wildcat Tribune since previous journalism alumni told her they really enjoyed the class and to join, and she stayed for the tight-knit community. Her goal this year is to create captivating stories...
