A waft of sweet, buttery air fills your nose as you step into the cozy cafe Fly Me to the Moon. Cheery Christmas music is playing through the speakers as you select a croffle adorned with crunchy green grapes. Taking a seat near the dazzling, decorated windows, you sip refreshing iced fruit tea and nibble on an onigiri. You walk up to the glass display case for some dessert and see the various croffles embellished with glistening fruit on top. After sitting back down, you bite into a sugary and chewy delight.
Fly Me to the Moon is a Modern Asian cafe that recently opened in Fresh Meadows, replacing the frozen yogurt establishment, Red Mango. The cafe has a selection of Asian inspired and classic treats ranging from croffles and onigiris, to acai bowls, smoothies, fro-yo, iced drinks and much more! While visiting the cafe, we tried two fruit teas, a croffle, fro-yo and two varieties of onigiri. Here’s how the experience went!
Grape Croffle
The grape croffle was adorned with large green grapes that were sitting atop a sticky grape jam and fluffy whipped cream. The croffle was chewy and the crunchy grapes provided a great textural contrast. The jam was tart and enhanced the grape flavor while the silky whipped cream balanced out the sweetness. The pastry was a bit hard to eat with the grapes constantly rolling off of it, but overall it was a pleasant bite. We definitely recommend trying this unique confection when visiting the cafe!
Rating: 4.5/5
Pink Venom (Fro-yo)
The Pink Venom is the name given to Fly Me to the Moon’s seasonal flavored strawberry frozen yogurt. It is definitely ideal for strawberry lovers as it is served with diced strawberries that surround the cup. The strawberries added that burst of fresh fruit flavor, altogether creating a rich, silky, and juicy mixture of flavors. At certain points, the fro-yo contained several ice granules, which threw off the eating experience. All in all, this dessert was simple yet tasty with its strawberry on strawberry combination and is a perfect sweet treat.
Rating: 3.5/5
Chicken Onigiri
This traditional Japanese treat consisted of soft chicken pieces in a sweet teriyaki sauce. The sweet, crumbly chicken contrasted really well with the soft rice and the crisp fresh seaweed encasing. However, the taste of the sweet chicken did get a little bit redundant as we kept eating. Additionally, the snack was a bit tough to open due to the sticker seal on the front, causing the flimsy wrapper to rip. Ultimately, the snack was filling and had an explosion of soft and crisp textures, making each bite more and more pleasant!
Rating: 4/5
Creamy Avocado Onigiri
Likewise, the creamy avocado onigiri does not disappoint with its umami enhanced avocado filling. This particular onigiri was served with teriyaki sauce on the side that gives it a versatile blend with the traditional flavor of avocado. The teriyaki sauce can be found inside the onigiri as well as on the side in a small condiment container. With its sweet sticky rice, umami teriyaki sauce, and the crunch with the seaweed, this dish by far won our hearts with its rollercoaster of flavors.
Rating: 5/5
Peach Oolong Tea
The peach oolong tea has a dark hazel color and is served iced. It leans more towards the bitter side, due to its powerful roasted tea flavor. As a result, we had mixed reactions to the drink as the first sip hit us with a punch of sweetness followed by a sharp unpleasant aftertaste. Although the peach oolong tea might not be for everyone, it is still a refreshing choice and can be enjoyed by those who are fond of unsweetened drinks.
Rating: 2/5
Mango Passion Tea
The mango passion tea was visually appealing with its bright gradients of orange and yellow hues. The drink was an explosion of bitter and sweet flavor, even so that the sweetness of the drink overpowered the mango flavor. In comparison to the peach oolong tea, the mango passion fruit was not as bitter, though we got tired of the drink pretty quickly. While the mango passion tea was not our favorite, it might align with other people’s palattes.
Rating: 2.8/5
Overall, we definitely enjoyed our visit to Fly Me to the Moon and would highly recommend checking out the onigiri! Though this establishment’s menu is limited, its charming ambience and welcoming workers make the experience all more delightful. We hope you get to visit this quaint cafe and discover the various drinks, snacks, and diverse pastries the cafe has to offer!
