Bubbies Mochi Ice Cream!

Ah, what can I say about Bubbies Mochi Ice Cream, sweet balls of ice cream wrapped in sheets of flavored mochi, other than that it is my favorite ice cream treat of all? A lot, apparently. When I moved to Honolulu for grad school, I had never heard of it, but friends took me to a little ice cream shop on University Avenue and introduced me to a treat unlike any I'd ever eaten before.

If you've never eaten mochi, it's sweet rice that's pounded until it's smooth and elastic. Traditionally made by hand for the Japanese New Year celebration, it can be served in a ball, grilled, or rolled out into a thin sheet and filled with a dollop of adzuki bean paste, or any of a number of fillings. It is a labor-intensive dish which is the foundation of countless sweets in Japan and other Asian countries. Though it can be an acquired taste for Westerners, as it isn't as sweet as most desserts here, it doesn't take people long to acquire a taste for mochi ice cream, especially the way they make it at Bubbies. I learned when I later lived in Japan that you can buy it at just about any convenience store, but cheap mochi ice cream just isn't as interesting or delicious as what they make in Hawai'i.

When you walk into the Bubbies on University Ave, you'll see a lot of frozen desserts in the display case, including some with unusual and provocative names, like "Eat Here - Get Gas" and "Hard-headed Woman," but most of the people in the line that often snakes out the door are waiting to choose from the long list of flavors of mochi ice cream including subtle and elegant treats like Sakura, a ball of vanilla ice cream wrapped in cherry-blossom flavored mochi, or bolder flavors like Chocolate/Espresso, espresso ice cream surrounded by chocolate flavored mochi. Whatever you choose, you won't be disappointed, but it's not just the flavor that makes mochi ice cream so appealing, it's the texture, as well.

If you take one straight out of the container, the exterior feels cold, hard, and a bit powdery, like corn starch, but after letting them soften a bit, they are perfect for eating. The mochi wrapper is stretchy and sticky, not ooey-gooey, sticky, but more like mini-marshmallow sticky, and you can sometimes get them to stick to your finger. The last time I was in Honolulu, I ordered several. You can see I already cut them in the picture. I bought all of my favorite flavors to share: green tea, mint oreo, strawberry, lychee, yuzu, and adzuki bean.

If you get to Honolulu, you have to stop by their shop, but if you don't have any plans to escape the mainland soon, check out the Whole Foods store nearest you. These balls of mochi ice cream are expensive, but they are a rare and unusual treat. If you're willing to pony up some serious loot, you can order them online. Last I checked, a large bag of 48 cost $80.