Yuforia, Soho

I first heard of the existence of Yuforia when The Peanut Gallery arrived home in a whirl of excitement jibbering frantically about an alleged new waffle place in Soho. For TPG, this is something akin to Katie Price discovering a whole new range of fake tanning products on her welcome mat.

As it turns out, Yuforia is more about the frozen yoghurt (that’s “froyo” to the Twitter generation) but they do some waffle action on the side.

So when I was invited to a gathering to try frozen yoghurt sundaes and froyo cocktails, I was happy to pop by to conduct some due diligence.

I may not be the typical froyo customer because I don’t care if it’s healthy. If I want healthy, I’ll have a peach. If it’s frozen and sweet, it has to compete with the best, creamiest gelato I can get my hands on – and to hell with the calories. But in case it interests you, dear readers, Yuforia’s froyo is stated to be 100% fat free, low calorie (70-100 calories in each) frozen yoghurt with no artificial ingredients and is made from British skimmed milk. And while it does not taste as creamy as a big, fatty gelato (it has a sharper, tangy bite), this is good frozen yoghurt, and tastes creamier than others I’ve tried – I prefer it to nearby Snog’s.

Yuforia's frozen yoghurt is apparently modelled on that by American brand, Pinkberry. There are 3 flavours – original, chocolate, and a special which changes regularly. You can top them with a fair range of accompaniments like berries, granola, nuts, marshmallows, Oreos or - go on - fudge.

But most of all, I like the fun, friendly vibe of the place. And the big, green wall covered in real leaves. Oh, and yes, TPG, they do waffles.

Yuforia, 38 Beak Street, Soho, London (the original store is in The Piazza, Covent Garden).



Greedy Diva attended this event as a guest of Yuforia.

Gelupo - Gelato, Espresso & Delicatessen in Soho. (Yes, you heard me right)

I have been staking out the development of Gelupo since construction began. It always looked like it was going to be a gelati shop. It is. As well as an espresso bar and delicatessen. The concept is pure genius. And it’s right around the corner from my place. A mere stone’s throw. Yes, I’m excited.

The subject of my stakeout finally opened on Thursday last week. I had sampled 5 flavours of gelati and thoroughly inspected the shelves before the sun had set.

The espresso is divine – made with egg yolk, it’s rich and decadent and tastes like each scoop contains at least 3 espressos worth of caffeine. The chocolate is equally buxom and delicious.

I've also had a go at the ricotta, honey and coffee flavour (ok), hazelnut meringue (lovely, chunky nutty bits) and rice (meh – a bit tasteless although supposed to be like a rice pudding – TPG’s choice).

There’s a decent array of ice-creams, sorbets and slushy granitas to choose from, ranging from the traditional to the more adventurous (eg. pine nut and fennel seed, blond almond, burnt almond, sour cherry). There's talk that the ice-creams don't have as much fat as regular ice-creams but based on my tastings so far, don't hold that against them - you'd never know.

And, oh my GOD, they also freshly fry cannoli and stuff them with gelato. Must. Try. Immediately.

The set up is all rather traditional – the gelati is not piled high to catch the eye, but hidden beneath metal lids in canisters built into the bench tops. I believe the idea is to avoid the surface frosting and to keep the ice-cream at perfect temperature. I appreciate the reasons behind this, although browsing with the eye can never be overrated for helping the selection process. Nevertheless, they seem happy to let you sample away until you hit on the right choice. It’s all about the taste. Currently, there are also small tubs of cherries for tasting on the counter. Sweet.

The deli shelves are still filling up but a promising array of pasta sauces, home made pasta, sausages, prawns, and other typical Italian grocery products are worth a browse.

There’s foccacias and frittata during the day, and freshly fried bombe calde (doughnuts) filled with chocolate at night. I've just shed a tear…

It’s right across the cobbled laneway from Bocca di Lupo (click here for my earlier words of love), and as the names and get up suggest, it’s brought to us by the same owners (many of the deli ingredients are the same things used at Bocca). So, I now spend my days wedged between Gelupo and Scoop (now also on Brewer St) – life’s good.

So, I don’t have enough to go on to give a full review just yet (perhaps hitting on the fab choc and espresso flavours early on was misleading), and I'm willing to admit I'm slightly carried away by the excitement of it all (how is a girl to sleep?), but I’m prepared to dedicate myself to discover more for the cause – on a regular basis. Particularly as I just read they have a loyalty card system. In any case, given the sunny weather ahead, I thought it only fair and timely to share my joy in case you’re in the ‘hood.

It’s open until 11pm on weeknights and until 1am on weekends. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Yuh.

[PS. 2 July 2010 - The sweet blood orange granita atop the sour cherry granita is fanastic.]

Gelupo, 7 Archer Street, Soho, W1D 7AU (Tel: 020 7287 5555)

Top 10 Snack Attacks, London

Despite my focus on restaurants, I love a good, dirty pig out on the run. Here are my top 10 snack attacks, scattered around London, for when you're eating on the hoof...

1. The Breadman: Gorgeous Berwick Street market stall run by two affable chaps, Chris and Tom, from Mondays-Fridays. Best Portuguese tarts in London. Don't even think about stopping at one. Beigels hot out of the oven from Brick Lane - get them plain, with hot salt beef and mustard, chorizo and other delicious fillings. The doughnuts bursting with raspberry jam or custard are also delicious. Great prices. Berwick Street market, Soho

2. I Camisa & Son: My favourite shop in London. Step in the doors of this tiny Italian grocer and see, hear, smell and taste Italy. Stock up on fresh pastas, home made pestos and sauces, cheeses, truffles (the white Alba truffle is in stock now), hams, salami, jars of tuna, sweet peppers, olives, anchovies, wine, panattonis hanging from the ceiling and fabulous olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The staff are real Italian nonnas, the prices are great and everything's all the better if you can barter in Italian. Prego. Take away rolls and focaccias can be made up with all their fresh ingredients, starting from about £1. Yes, £1.  61 Old Compton Street, Soho W1D

3. Brick Lane Beigel: Needs no introduction. Join the queues to wolf down a giant, salt beef, pickle and mustard beigel made by the masters. 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB

4. Nordic Bakery: The cinnamon bun is a knock out. They also do a rich hot chocolate to help wash it down. 14a Golden Square, London, W1F 9JG

5. St John: Order a box of fresh madeleines, lull over a wine while you wait, then take them home freshly baked, and don't let anyone else in the house. Scoff them all. Heavenly. 26 St John Street, Smithfield, EC1M 4AY.

6. Princi: This is not the first time I have sung the praises of the marvellous cannoncini and chocolate chip biscuits - see here. 135 Wardour Street, Soho, W1F 0UT

7. Leila's: Warm up over winter with a rich coffee, and a hearty slab of ginger cake or The Peanut Gallery's beloved Portuguese rice flour brioche thingie. 17 Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, E2 7JP  

8. The M&S Scone: Cakey, sweet, crumbly mounds of joy.

9. Flat White & Milk Bar: Love the haloumi and bacon bagel with brown sauce. Everything tastes better with haloumi. Amazing coffee too. Flat White: 17 Berwick Street, Soho, W1D; Milk Bar: 3 Bateman Street, Soho, W1D

10. Scoop: Divine Italian gelato, made with ingredients sourced from Italy and the UK. I love a sizeable scoop of the Nocciolo made with hazlenuts from Piedmont, their spiritual home. The coffee, dark chocolate and caramel varieties are also sensational. Even worth a bit of frost bite in winter. 40 Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden, WC2H 9AB 


Finally, Borough Market: Ok, so this makes 11. But would I really miss out this glorious mecca of cheeses, meats, veg, bread, olive oils etc, with Neal's Yard Dairy just up the road? Loiter around the cheese stalls and steal as many samples as you can before they start recognising you, load up on a monstrously big roast pork roll with stuffing and apple sauce, scoff samples of chocolate brownies and banana cake, try creamy balsamic vinegars, wrap up a fabulous, giant almond croissant and with your spare hand, or borrow somebody else's, indulge in a lovely Monmouth coffee. Mmmm...  Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL.

Feed me: Let me know what I have missed!