KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Most of us are familiar with the Moo Cow brand of frozen yogurt. But did you know the Bangsar Village outlet is offering a range of toppings exclusive to them?

Now you can pick up a cup of original flavour frozen yogurt and pair it with premium toppings such as granola, goji berries, toasted coconut flakes and gluten-free brownies made from Belgium dark chocolate with 65 per cent cocoa.

The outlet is run by James Koh, a licence holder for the homegrown brand. “My principal Clifford Too, who is the founder of Moo Cow, is very supportive of what we did with the new concept. We didn’t deviate too much so it is not like having to reintroduce our brand. If you change the concept too much, it takes time for people to adjust to the taste,” said Koh.

Since their introduction, the healthy toppings have proven to be popular among the morning crowd in Bangsar Village who stop by before or after their gym and yoga sessions.

“After introducing the new concept, we find that we have a lot more customers. I didn’t want to deviate from the core product which is healthy, quality frozen yogurt made from local milk. I want to maintain that yet appeal to a more sophisticated palate,” said Koh.

Koh is still rolling out flavours and he is thinking about an ais kacang flavour for Raya. — Picture by Choo Choy May

When he came up with the combinations for the new concept, Koh went for Asian flavours like the Tropical Apom which is topped with corn niblets and toasted coconut flakes. The idea for the apam balik inspired flavours was inspired by Koh’s friend who thought it would be fun.

The Tropical Apom is one of the best-sellers other than Mr Brown. “Mr Brown, a gluten-free brownie made with 65 per cent Belgium dark chocolate, with a drizzle of Nutella and roasted peanuts, is a popular item on the menu for chocolate lovers. We had customers driving down from Ampang for it last week,” said Koh.

Moo Cow relocated from Jalan Telawi to Bangsar Village I just recently. “The Bangsar Village management was very supportive, offering us the space before anyone else. The timing was right for us.

“We had been operating for three years at Telawi and it was either go through a facelift or start afresh. Over the past few years in Telawi, F&B outlets have been mushrooming, with new cafes and dessert places. We don’t want to be left behind,” said Koh.

Koh noticed a shift in customer demographic when they moved; from the young, hipster crowd at Telawi to the Bangsar Village crowd which is mainly families with children who often visit after school.

The new location is also ideal because of the constant foot traffic. “We feel like we are part of the community. One day, one of my staff saw a crying kid so we gave a sample to the kid. It cheered him up. Bangsar Village I gives us a sense of belonging that we enjoy because it has a more community-based neighbourhood crowd. It is a happy place,” said Koh.

Being in a shopping mall, the outlet opens earlier compared to their previous location, hence Koh introduced the breakfast substitutes to cater to the morning crowd. Based on his observations, customers at Bangsar Village also tend to spend more on quality things and are open to new tastes.

The Morning Mix is a healthy breakfast substitute. — Picture by Choo Choy May

The new concept for premium topping combos is only available at Bangsar Village and Pavilion KL, although Pavilion KL has different types of toppings. For customers who still want to choose their own toppings at Bangsar Village, they can choose from a menu.

Customers can still choose their favourite classic toppings like cornflakes or chocolate chips, which are crowd favourites, especially among kids.  

Besides premium nuts and fresh fruits, the outlet also offers weekend specials like the Greek yogurt parfait. From time to time there will be weekend special combos.

Koh notes that being close to Village Grocer makes it easier to stock up on ingredients when they run out. As for the toppings like the brownies, granola and apple pie filling, they are made fresh by a cafe in Sri Hartamas which is owned by a friend of Koh’s. 

While doing R&D, he found out that expats like foods that are gluten-free and wholesome, hence he prefers to omit processed food items from his toppings. 

Yogurt drinks are a healthier alternative compared to soda. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Koh’s inspiration for the combos are from his own food experiences. “I want to satisfy different segments of customers. The granola and goji berries are popular among the healthy crowd. I enjoy eating cereal with yogurt because I am lactose intolerant so I cannot have cereal with milk. For the dessert crowd, the Apple Pie combo is actually a deconstructed apple pie with digestive biscuits on top. It tastes like apple pie with ice-cream,” said Koh.

He said that since there are more kids in the area, he wants to promote frozen yoghurt as a healthy substitute for sweet desserts. Moo Cow Bangsar Village also serves yogurt drinks and Koh hopes that kids will start living healthier from a young age, choosing the good-for-you yogurt drinks instead of the sugar laden canned drinks like Coke.

At Moo Cow Bangsar Village, you can also get the smoother and more luscious tasting Greek-style yogurt, which is also proving to be popular with customers. The Greek-style yogurt is also available at the Moo Cow outlet at Desa ParkCity as well.

One thing you will find missing from the menu are the seasonal flavours of the frozen yogurt, usually found in Moo Cow outlets. “Now that we are in Bangsar Village, the only difference is that we have stopped selling the seasonal flavours, and to compensate, we have created more interesting topping combos.

Tantalise your taste buds with the Asian-influenced Tropical Apom. — Picture by Choo Choy May

“Because we only sell the original flavour, we really try hard to make sure it is the best possible, every batch of yogurt is hand whisked until it has that perfect consistency,” said Koh who noticed that up to 90 per cent of his customers at the old shop preferred the original compared to the seasonal flavours anyway.

To improve on the combos, Koh gets feedback from customers and tweaks them according to their preference. Koh is still rolling out flavours and he is thinking about an ais kacang flavour for Raya. He is always open to feedback from customers, so let him know your favourite flavour.

Who knows... you may inspire the next topping combination at this Moo Cow outlet!

*Moo Cow, Lot G3B, Ground Floor, Bangsar Village I, KL. Opening hours: 10am to 10pm