This new little dessert bar in the suburbs is well and truly primed to curb your sugar cravings, but the idea didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it’s been an almost ten-year journey that kicked off when owner Candy Kwan first arrived in Adelaide.
Moshi Mochi is about sharing the love for Japanese desserts, drinks, and flavours, and it has just opened its doors on Kensington Road, Erindale.
Candy, who moved to Adelaide from Hong Kong in 2017 realised many of the sweets she grew up with simply weren’t available here. So instead of going without, she learned how to master some of her favourite sweets, in particular mochi. What started as a way to ease homesickness became a passion project, and now it has finally become a business.
“At first, it was because I missed my hometown, and at the time there weren’t nearly as many desserts available here,” Candy says. “So I started baking everything myself.”
On the menu you’ll find a range of pillowy mochi desserts and mix-and-match flavours. If you’re not already familiar, mochi is a super chewy traditional Japanese dessert that is not dissimilar in appearance to fondant (but a lot less sickly-sweet and a lot tastier).
In Hong Kong, Candy grew up eating mochi, often wrapped around fresh fruit like mango or filled with flavours such as red bean or pistachio. They’re familiar, comforting flavours for Candy, and now they’re finding a new audience in Adelaide’s suburbs.
Beyond mochi balls, the menu expands into a wider mochi world, and here’s where the drinks really shine. Perhaps a more unexpected menu addition, but a rather exciting one nonetheless, is soft mochi as a drink topping. Inspired by the popularity of bubble tea and the growing love for matcha, Candy developed a soft, springy mochi topping that can be added to matcha and other drinks, giving them texture without overpowering the flavour. Matcha, hojicha, smoothies and sodas are all on the drinks menu.
The shop’s interior is entirely Candy’s own work. From fit-out to launch, it’s her first business and a steep learning curve, but one she describes as deeply rewarding.
How did it all come about? “I had the opportunity to rent the store, and I realised there wasn’t a dessert shop in that area,” Candy says. “So I decided to offer more desserts, cakes, cookies, and drinks, so there’s something for everyone. Some people might not like mochi, so they still have other options.”
While mochi donuts are slowly appearing elsewhere around Adelaide, Candy believes there’s still plenty of room to explore the dessert beyond a single format. Her hope is simple: “I just want people to try more desserts and be more adventurous with different flavours,” Candy says.
What’s up next for Moshi Mochi? Well, you can expect mochi donuts very soon. Candy tells us that despite a delay in equipment, they will be the next addition for the shop.
In the meantime, head to Moshi Mochi for your sweet Japanese dessert fix in which that perfect chewy, sweet-dusted texture runs through just about every item on the menu. Thank us later!
Moshi Mochi
Where: 370A Kensington Rd, Erindale
When: Thursday to Sunday 11am – 6pm
For more info, click here.
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