Uji Time Express (inside Mochinut)

The Matcha soft serve with taiyaki was absolutely delicious! You can choose a filling inside for the taiyaki such as Nutella or red bean, and you can also choose two toppings. We chose chemical and Matcha powder. It was a very good deal and the best Matcha flavored ice cream we’ve had in the Bay Area. I also had the tofu soft serve with Ube, and they were really interesting flavors, but I don’t know if I would order it again.

Line was to the door, but moved pretty fast. A bit crowded in the small waiting area. Both Matcha and Sesame ice cream were good - creamy, tasty, and not too sweet. Also noticed that they have Seasonal Flavors - Lavender and Tofu.

It was in the 90s today, so I stopped by to try the new Ramune flavor in a Taiyaki cone filled with red bean paste. The two flavors are absolutely meant for each other. The Ramune ice cream had a fantastic sorbet-like texture and smooth flavor, and was a real treat with the rainbow sprinkles and pearl rice topping. Highly recommended. If you have adverse reactions to flavors vaguely resembling bubblegum or blue raspberry, I recommend you avoid this one though!

I like their tofu and black sesame ice cream! There IS a swirl option or you can do two flavors; and there are two flavors for the taiyaki - red bean and nutella. What's great is they let you try the ice cream. Ice cream is a bit on the icier side. Plus is - they have stamp cards now!

I've heard of this place and how long the wait can be. Totally understandable given the baking time for fresh taiyaki cones and the ridiculously photogenic nature of their creation. Thankfully we came at a non busy time. The soft serve was decent to good, with a lot of flavor without being overwhelmingly sweet. The warm, chewy taiyaki definitely complemented the melting coolness of the ice cream. One big negative is that the taiyaki didn't hold on to the soft serve well and we ended up dripping everywhere. Messy but enjoyable!

Having had ice cream earlier, I shamelessly herded my dining buddies for a second round of dessert. Inside is a small space with a couple of tables set against an Aloha mural. At the entrance, a sign said 'Line Here,' so I assumed they usually have a line, but there wasn't much of a wait on that Sunday evening. They offer a simple selection of soft serve, which comes in a cup, cone, or taiyaki cone, as well as some mochi. The flavors are matcha, black sesame, and tofu. I tried the tofu, which tastes like soy milk in soft serve form, or even sweet bean curd / douhua. I decided on the black sesame, in a taiyaki cone, of course. It was sweet and refreshing, and has almost a peanut buttery taste. After a few minutes, it started melting fast. That's when I remembered why I usually get my frozen treats in cups instead of cones. The cone was a soft batter, but slightly soggy from holding the soft serve in it. If I were to return, I'd go for the tofu flavor if I am in the mood for a treat. I would not make this part of my normal diet. $6-$7 for dessert is more of a once in a while kind of treat.

Tl;dr get the mochi Soft serve: both black sesame and matcha flavors were OK. The ice cream was very rich but not silk-smooth with a jarring presence of ice particles, presumably due to the extremely popular demand. Taiyaki: the taiyaki cones were fresh and crispy, made from a well balanced batter. Mochi: these were actually much much better exemplars of the quality of their ice cream. The outer layer was nice and chewy. My favorites were the matcha, red bean, and chocolate ones. Chocolate was more on the pricey side, but definitely worth the money.

I got the matcha with the taiyaki cone and red beans on the bottom. It was icy, and not that tasty. Maybe it was just an off day but I have tried it again. I’d rather go to the flagship store in Japantown.