There's a Mango Mango in Chinatown (the original) and Flushing and each give off different vibes. Here the bright yet plainly white interior ranks second to Flushing's. The combination of a stark vast space, a slower business and lack of energy leads to prominent observation of service wherein 2-3 young workers serve in a distant, deadpan manner whether busy or near empty. It's the minimum and is acceptable.
Ordered:
- Combo D: 2 flavored teas + 1 mille crepe cake ($15)
- A01 Special mango juice sago with pomelo and mango ice cream ($6.50)
- S06 Special Mango Platter: 1. mango ice cream atop lychee jelly, 2. mango mochi atop diced mango, 3. chilled pureed mango with tapioca balls and diced mango ($7.95)
This is definitely one of those places where your experience with quality fruits, especially in Asia, and when/what you order determines whether you have a decent or good experience. The presence of that supremely sweet, juicy and bright taste of a ripe, sweet mango isn't present or consistent in their offerings.
I was here at the end of September and their mochi is yellow with a piece of mango at its center but without flavor apart from the faint coconut flakes. Basically a plain mochi. I will say it excels in its soft, goopy texture which may warrant a try as comparison to store bought mochi. The diced mango was not sweet and lacked flavor while the mango ice cream was odd in only having a hint of mango and something else, leaving a lingering powdery feeling on the tongue. All the flavor came from the lychee jelly. What did actually taste closer to sweet mango--though still very weak--was the chilled pureed mango soup.
I can only theorize and peg this all to an interplay of: 1) unpopular items leading to low turnover, 2) ill- prepped or executed items, and 3) my coming at the end of the day outside of peak mango season. From a pic provided by a fellow Yelper, they use Ciruli Brothers Champagne Mangoes, an ataulfo variety harvested from Mexico where their availability is from February to July-August. Ataulfo mangoes in general are at peak from March to June. That doesn't bode well for the business or its patrons where mangoes are the star of the show. It makes me wonder if they rely on other readily available varieties.
So while hard to suggest, try coming earlier in the day for potentially fresher items and during peak mango season for the better mango experience. Outside that period it's perfectly fine to come chill and chat with friends over a cup o' tea at $4.50 a pot. The mango green tea and jasmine dragon tea is surprisingly not bad for tea bags. Helps the teapot-atop-tea-cup design is cute. Also, you save $1 with Combo D compared to ordering separately.
I don't love it but Mango Mango fills in that Hong Kong dessert void for an area highly concentrated with Asians. Being also near Rutgers it's a smart move, sharing something commonly found in Hong Kong to serve as an intro for those not exposed to HK deserts. I'd recommend coming here for that alone.
3.25 stars. read more