Yogo

I was quite disappointed with my trip to Yogo. I am a sucker for any healthy, juicy, smoothie kind of place where I can create a weird and wonderful concoction, so I was excited when I walked into Yogo, which opened up in Kingston a few months ago. The premise is simple, a place which serves fat free frozen yogurt, and an optional topping of your choice.
I had just returned from LA, where I had been introduced to the famous Pinkberry store, which operates on the same principal. I had loved what I had ordered there, and found it very good value for money. I had hoped for the same thing with Yogo, so ordered a small pot with an extra topping. This came to £3.00! the small serving is extremely small, and there was not a huge choice of toppings — about 15 or 16 different types of fruit and a few sweet things like granola, mixed nuts and coconut shavings. It just seems so expensive for something so small. a large serving with a couple of toppings will bring it up to about £5.00. Who can afford to spend this much on frozen yogurt?
I went off feeling a bit short changed. I still had my pot when I walked into the health food store around the corner, and the guy behind the till asked my opinion of the place. I told him my gripe, and he said that a lot of people have made the similar complaint — that it is just too expensive. The fact that this place seems quiet when I have gone past echos this; I hope that the prices can be amended, because in principle it is a good, and healthy idea.

Hooray! the weather is smiling, you’re out-​and-​about and craving a healthy snack Yogo recently opened their first UK branch in Kingston; inspired by images of Paris Hilton in LA, eating frozen yogurt topped with fruit, they spotted a gap in the market. When I first saw their logo and chanced upon this place I thought it was a new yoga venue with a ‘clever’ name
Since my first visit and having discovered more I’m not sure the Paris link is a major selling point but I am a fan of frozen yogurt and theirs professes to be organic and pro-​biotic, with just 94 calories in a 100g portion. It’s refreshing on a summer’s day and a healthier alternative to traditional ice-​cream; try it au naturel or go further and up-​the-​taste by adding a virtuous fresh fruit topping (berry, banana, kiwi or mango), if you’re in an indulgent mood add-​in chocolate chips, coconut, granola or mixed nuts. (The basic product tastes just like what it is — frozen natural yogurt without a huge amount of flavour.) Then again, you could simply come in here for an organic Fair Trade tea or a reviving Brazilian guarana-​fruit bar.
It’s not the cheapest snack option around (a small portion starts at £1.85) but if you’re looking for something cool, healthy and satisfying, it fits the bill in a relatively guilt-​free way. You can take a break from your shopping exertions or riverside wandering and eat-​in here at one of the simple white table settings or just purchase to-​go. Staff are enthusiastic, helpful, patient and happy to offer suggestions or wait while you make your choice. I guess it will be the first in a line of several branches.