If you’ve been scrolling through food videos lately, you may have come across giant fruit-filled mochis taking over Chinese platforms like Xiaohongshu, better known as RedNote. The oversized treats are stuffed with fresh fruit and cream and have been popping up all over people’s feeds.
Now, a new North York spot called Mochi Lab is serving up the viral dessert in Toronto. The tiny shop at 10 Northtown Way, near Yonge and Sheppard, opened in late May and has already been drawing a steady stream of curious customers.
Traditional Japanese mochi has been around for centuries, made by pounding glutinous rice into a soft, chewy dough. In more recent years, the ingredient has taken on all kinds of new forms, from mochi ice cream to tarts, breads and cakes.
This new viral Chinese style takes a completely different approach. Instead of a thick, chewy dough, the mochi skin here is paper-thin and ultra-stretchy. Inside, Mochi Lab stuffs them with whole fresh strawberries or mango, cooked taro, and flavoured cream cheese fillings instead of standard whipped cream. To finish, everything gets rolled in crunchy coatings like egg roll crumbs, butter crumbs or crushed Oreos.
Each piece at Mochi Lab is hand-assembled and weighed before hitting the counter, often coming in at over 10 ounces! Making them nearly three-quarters of a pound each.
Because every mochi is assembled by hand to order, wait times can easily reach 30 minutes, even when the shop looks relatively quiet inside.
At $13 to $16 each, they are definitely on the pricier side for a single dessert. However, considering the sheer weight and generous portions of fruit, cream cheese and toppings, one mochi can easily be shared between two or three people.
If you are looking for a dense, dough-forward traditional bite, this might not be your speed. But if you want to try a rich, multi-layered dessert packed with fresh flavour, Mochi Lab is worth a look.
Mochi lab is located at 10 Northtown Way, North York