After being closed for nearly two months, Bober Tea and Mochi Dough on Carmel’s Main Street reopened under new ownership July 27. The shop, originally owned by Irene and Dave Tang, closed after Dave Tang beat bone marrow cancer earlier this year and the couple decided to focus their resources on another business they own.
Bober Tea and Mochi Dough is now owned by married couple Hari and Aparna Prasad. Both are engineers by trade and frequented the shop when it was owned by the Tangs. The Prasads were interested in trying out a new profession and decided owning a business was the right direction to take. Both Aparna and Hari Prasad continue to work as engineers in addition to owning the donut shop.
“We were looking for something new to try out,” Aparna Prasad said. “Mochi donuts is something that we absolutely love, and also boba tea. We used to be a regular customer at the Mochi Carmel. The old owner had to close it temporarily due to some health issues, and that is when they closed it. We were really sad; it was one of our favorite places. That’s how it all started.”
Since reopening, the space has mostly stayed the same, down to the menu and much of the decor. Aparna incorporated some unicorn decor, flowers and balloons into the space, and she added Korean egg drop sandwiches to the menu.
A Korean egg drop sandwich includes eggs, meat and sweetened mayonnaise. Aparna was interested in adding something savory to the menu so the shop is “one place where you can get the savory sandwich and a drink and dessert.”
“This egg drop sandwich is not like a regular sandwich,” Aparna said. “It’s really popular in major cities like Chicago. We wanted to bring something unique to Indiana, and specifically Carmel. It’s pretty popular so far.”
In addition to Korean egg drop sandwiches, Bober Tea and Mochi Dough serves a variety of boba tea and mochi donuts, which are pastries that combine Japanese mochi with American-style donuts. The donuts are typically circular and made up of eight small balls that can be pulled apart.
Each Friday, Bober Tea and Mochi Dough refresh donut flavors on its menu. Popular flavors include churros and funnel cake, as well as pinot colada and Biscoff.
Bober Tea and Mochi Dough is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
