I think I’ve found it. That little haven within a big city where you can sit back and take it all in, without feeling the hustle and bustle constantly ringing around you. Where you can close your eyes and imagine that you’re sitting in a country kitchen at home…. blah blah blah… actually, I’m just trying to be dramatic. That haven in Shanghai actually exists for me at Tianzifang on Taikang Lu (pictures to come), but I am digressing.
I went to an amazing yogurt place today, where they serve real yogurt that isn’t ridiculously sweetened like the 20-pack Dannons from Carrefour.
It’s a little place called umoo, on the intersection of Beijing Xi Road and Xikang Road about two small blocks behind the Portman Ritz Carlton in Jing’an. Their motto is “Yogurt Reinvented,” and they only use imported milk from New Zealand to create their handmade yogurt. I was a little skeptical at first, but this 酸奶 (suan nai, or yogurt in Chinese, literally translating to sour milk) is the real thing, not frozen - just, plain, simple yogurt. They feature toppings from papaya and mango to red bean and peanuts, or creations like smoothies and tea lattes. I ordered the roasted peanuts & crispy coconut yogurt (22 RMB), where the sweetness of the coconut nicely complemented the slight saltiness of the roasted peanuts and the thick, creamy texture of the natural yogurt. Best part is, each order comes with a small jar of honey that you can mix into the yogurt yourself.
David had a mango and papaya smoothie, which “tastes healthy,” but is just right: not too sweet, light but filling. Umoo also sells bottled plain yogurt (in cute little glass jars) for 16 RMB each. Otherwise, prices range from 15 RMB to 21 RMB for tea and “teapuccinos” and 21 RMB to 28 RMB for yogurts and smoothies. Not bad compared to all those Pinkberrys and Red Mangos back home, don’t you think?
Free WiFi, big windows for people-watching, what else can you ask for?
umoo. Their website at www.umoo77.com doesn’t actually work for me, but the store is at the corner of Beijing Xi Lu and Xikang Lu, about 10 minutes from the Nanjing Xi Lu Line 2 Metro or 15 minutes from the Jing’an Line 2 Metro.
