HAYO, a newly-opened yoghurt bar at Middle Road, Bugis, is jumping on and ahead of the popular yoghurt beverage bandwagon in Singapore with their healthy, yet delicious 100% Australian Artisanal Yoghurt Beverages.

I was recently invited to a media tasting session at HAYO where I got to taste three of their most popular yoghurt beverages.

The Store and Decor

As I walked towards the shophouse, hidden amongst the party supply shops at Bugis, the first thing that greeted me at HAYO, was their bright teal store front, drawing all eyes to a cool-white, studio-lit modern interior. 

Upbeat music enlivened the tropical foliage sprawling around metro-tiled walls and wooden board menu displays, emanating a bona-fide Australian cafe vibe.

HAYO is a takeaway outlet with no seating; it would have been nice to have a few bar stools perhaps surrounding the counter, for those who would actually like to sit down and enjoy their yoghurt, rather than taking it out of the store to drink immediately after purchase.

Superfood ingredients comprising a balance of flavours

Using carefully selected ingredients procured with care and comprising of superfood nutrients, the specially curated menu at HAYO comprises of a balance of flavours containing sweet fruits, savoury nuts and wholesome grains, all blended with smooth, farm-fresh yoghurt tanginess.

And as for the yoghurt base used in each cup, no compromises have been made either. This is because every batch of HAYO’s yoghurt has been cultured from scratch using 100% Australian cow’s milk sourced from farms located among the green fields of country Victoria in southeastern Australia.

This sets HAYO apart from some yoghurt shops which may use store-bought yoghurt or milk-and-water gimmicks in their beverages. So far, so good.

Preparation of yoghurt

In the three-step yoghurt preparation process at HAYO, the milk is first heat-treated before incubating the live probiotics in controlled parameters below 46 degrees C.

The milk then takes about 24 hours to ferment and thicken into yoghurt which is rich in casein protein, vitamins, calcium and probiotics, as well as being low in sugar, fats and calories.

Preparation and tasting of HAYO’s yoghurt beverages

During the media tasting, the three flavours of yoghurt I had were the Peachy Paradise ($6.80), Avo-Cardio ($7.70) and Yuzu Beautiful ($6.80).

These ones are among the top picks, according to HAYO.

With HAYO’s open-concept kitchen, I got to watch the yoghurt being scooped into the cups, blended and prepared before my eyes, a process which took roughly a couple of minutes per cup. 

Most of the cup comprises of yoghurt, the star ingredient, with approximately a tablespoon of fruit added depending on the flavour chosen. For example for the Avo-Cardio one, I noticed that about half an avocado is mixed inside.

Then to top it off, each cup is then decorated with a green coloured HAYO butter cookie, which I thought adds a bit of vibrance to the drink in terms of the presentation.

When I tried the yoghurt, I felt that all three yoghurt drinks had a similar texture, being rich and creamy, yet still sliding down my throat easily. 

The yoghurt is deliciously satisfying and filling. While having a slight hint of tanginess, I have to say though, that the yoghurt was not actually as tangy as I had expected.

And though the accompanying cookies were crunchy, they may be quite dry when eaten on their own. 

But I quite enjoyed dunking the HAYO butter cookies into the drinks and having them absorb the fruity notes from the yoghurt drinks, yet retaining their crunch at the same time. I thought that it was good, and the way that the cookies should really be eaten.

Yuzu Beautiful

My only gripe was that it was quite hard to scoop each cookie out, after it had fallen into the cup. So perhaps the provision of plastic spoons for this purpose might help!

My favourite drink out of the three that I tried, was the Yuzu Beautiful flavour. 

The addition of the Yuzu fruit added a slight sour note, which I thought had helped to give this drink an extra kick that I rather liked. 

When balanced with the tangy yoghurt, I felt that the combination of the yuzu and yoghurt went really well together and also tasted very refreshing to drink during the scorching hot afternoon. 

Avo-Cardio

I would definitely order this flavour again.

I thought that the Avo-Cardio flavour was somewhat more creamy than the other two flavours, most likely because Avocado is generally a creamy fruit. 

But other than that, the Avocado flavour was quite weak. For those who just want a creamy yoghurt drink that isn’t so sweet, then this one would be a great choice.

Peachy Paradise

The Peachy Paradise flavour tasted sweeter than the other two I tried, because of the significantly sweeter nature of peaches as a fruit. 

As well, I noticed that some canned peaches had been used in this drink, rather than the fresh fruit, and this may have also provided some of the sweetness.

But that aside, the peach flavours were significant and when combined with the creamy yoghurt, this was a delightfully fruity combination for those who prefer to go for something sweeter.

Besides the three flavours that I had tried, some of HAYO’s other interesting flavours also include Go Bananas, Lean and Lychee, High Passion, Purple Rice Madness and Feeling My Oats, the latter two being prepared with grains rather than with fruits.

Conclusion 

I had thought that while these sounded rather intriguing and worth trying, it would also have been interesting to have Asian or Singaporean themed flavours such as pandan and gula melaka added to the mix as well, to cater to the local palette.

Nonetheless, I think that if I am at the Bugis area again and craving for something cold and refreshing, I would drop by HAYO again, to enjoy a guilt-free drink.