By: Kelly Nguyen
SomiSomi, a Korean soft serve and taiyaki dessert cafe, recently opened on 19540 Vallco Parkway in Cupertino. It’s located in a modern plaza with other restaurants and dessert cafes. SomiSomi offers a wide range of soft serve flavors such as ube, matcha, and oreo. The soft serve comes inside of taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped crispy bun, or inside of a cup (with taiyaki on the side, as an option).
Since SomiSomi is relatively new, there’s going to be a long line for the first few weeks. The wait on a Sunday afternoon was about half an hour long, granted that it was a warmer day. The inside of the cafe is extremely compact: there’s a swarm of people crowding around the cashier, trying to choose their toppings and pay for their soft serve.
I ordered the oreo and ube swirl soft serve with nutella-filled taiyaki and the milk and matcha swirl soft serve with custard-filled taiyaki, both in a cup. They offered a variety of toppings, which were unlimited. In the oreo and ube swirl, I added fruity pebbles and a macaron. In the milk and matcha swirl, I added matcha powder and rainbow sprinkles.
The soft serve itself was true to flavor, and the flavors in each swirl complimented each other well. It had the perfect consistency, not too overly soft and creamy. The only downside to the ice cream was its sweetness, which was a little overpowering. The matcha and milk was less sweet, but it lacked flavor compared to the ube and oreo. On the other hand, the taiyaki resembled a flaky waffle with a thin layer of filling. It was my favorite part, not too bland or too decadent.
Overall, I’d rate both soft serves 4 stars out of 5 stars. The presentation gets a higher rating, but the flavor and sweetness bring it down a little. The soft serve wasn’t unique compared to other dessert cafes, but the taiyaki definitely sets it apart. I enjoyed all of the different flavors and toppings, and I’d recommend swirling for a more tasty and fun twist.