Something Japanese this way comes

MANILA, Philippines - Say it with mochi.

Mochi Sweets, a well-loved brand of cream-filled mochi, is now in Manila, and it’s changing the way we look at and enjoy the traditional dessert.

Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice flour pounded into shape. The Japanese hold a traditional mochi-pounding ceremony called mochitsuki, and it’s commonly sold during the Japanese New Year. Though it’s a traditional Japanese dessert, most of its ingredients are from China and its first branch was in Shanghai.

Brought into the country by young entrepreneur Jason Yap, Mochi Sweets has branches in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

Jason, along with business partner Samantha Paz, chanced upon Mochi Sweets on one of their trips to Malaysia and saw the store drawing a huge crowd. They saw the potential of the product: “Filipinos love sweets and we like trying new things. We saw that mochi could be the next big thing, like frozen yogurt or blended drinks, and we liked how it is different from other brands that sell mochi ice cream — our mochi is cream-filled, so it won’t melt. You can bring it to a party. They look interesting, photogenic and, of course, they’re delicious,” says Jason.

Mochi Sweets has 17 flavors, available per piece and in boxes of six and 12.

Mochi Sweets innovated on the mochi tradition by using different-flavored white bean paste fillings and presenting the product in different pastel, snowy colors. “First impression counts,” says Jason. “Mochi Sweets first tempts you with how it appeals to the eyes, but the real pleasure is the taste and experience of biting into it. Maganda yung product, maganda yung packaging, then you eat the product and it’s good.”

Chocolate Mousse, one of their best-selling flavors, is filled with rich Belgian chocolate. Also worth trying are Honey Lemon Cream, Green Tea and Blueberry Cream –– clean, crisp flavors that make for good desserts or palate-cleaners in between holiday hams and lechon. Other flavors, from classic favorites to special recipes, include Cream Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Caramel Macchiato, Strawberry Mousse, Mango Yogurt, Sakura or cherry blossom, and Durian Mousse.

Mochi Sweets are stored in freezers at the stalls, so you have to wait 10 minutes for it to thaw before you can sink your teeth into a piece. Unlike ice cream-filled mochi, they aren’t messy, so Jason encourages giving Mochi Sweets as gifts. “We are a gifting society. A box of mochi has six to 12 pieces. Customers can pick different colors and flavors of Mochi Sweets,” he says. Mochi Sweets are also sold by the piece at Mochi Sweets stalls.

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Mochi Sweets has branches in SM Mall of Asia (beside the skating rink), Robinsons Galleria, and soon at Eastwood Mall, SM Megamall and SM Aura at Bonifacio Global City in 2013. Like Mochi Sweets on Facebook or follow @MochiSweetsPH on Twitter for more information.