gelato – Jellybeans in the City

Gelato break at Cara Mia, Robinsons Galleria

It seems that no matter the weather, frozen treats are a sure bet. Whether your find yourself in the midst of a sweltering summer or wet monsoon season, you can always take comfort in something cold and sweet.

Take gelato, for example.

This dessert which originated from Italy has become a mainstay in the Pinoy dessert scene. And why shouldn’t it? Made with a base of milk, gelato uses a lot less cream than ice cream, resulting in a denser and creamier dessert.

Premium gelato brand Cara Mia (“my dear” in Italian) got its start when Fr. Gianluigi Colombo, the Salesian Priest who started Amici di Don Bosco in Makati started selling gelato in one of the sections of the cafeteria style restaurant when it opened in 2001, in effect making it among the first to offer this kind of dessert to Pinoys.

Years later, Cara Mia was spun off into a separate brand with its own stores all over the metro, such as the kiosk in Robinsons Galleria that my son and I visited when we were in the mood for dessert after our steak lunch.

We gave up trying to walk off the calories and just opted to sit down at the kiosk and relax with our chosen cup of gelato.

I got myself a Coffee Mudslide (Php95), a sweet treat fortified by espresso shots incorporated in the gelato.

My son got a cup of Cookies and Cream (Php95), rich vanilla gelato interspersed with Oreo crumbs, definitely one of his favorites!

What a lovely end to meal and a way for mom-and-son to spend some quiet time together!

This Cara Mia branch is located at Level 2 Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Center, Quezon City.

Other branches include: Ayala Malls Feliz, Greenhills, Don Bosco, Tomas Morato, Ayala Triangle, Alabang Town Center, Robinsons Manila, Estancia Mall, Trinoma, Fairview Terraces, SM Megamall, SM Fairview, Lucky Chinatown Mall, Greenhills Promenade, Festival Mall, Gateway Mall, Venice Grand Mall and Uptown Bonifacio

Cara Mia products can also be enjoyed inside Amici stores such as UP Ayala Technohub, SM Mega Atrium, SM North EDSA The Block and Katipunan Avenue.

Frozen treats at Fiorgelato, Sta Lucia East

Just when we Easterners thought gelato treats are way above our budget or inaccessible to us, a Fiorgelato scooping station sets up shop right in our turf.

Gelato is a type of frozen dessert that originated in Italy. Made with a base of milk, gelato uses a lot less cream than ice cream, resulting in a denser and creamier dessert.

Fiorgelato produces several gelato flavors that make use of the finest ingredients such as chocolates, fresh fruits and imported Italian flavorings.

Together with my fellow foodies from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH, I visited the newly opened Fiorgelato scooping station at Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall.

The store stocks gelato variants that include: pistachio, pragola (strawberry), salted caramel, choco nut fudge, biscotti (cookies ‘n cream), ube (yam), menta (mint) and fior de panna (vanilla).

These flavors are mixed and matched, topped with goodies and made into yummy gelato-based treats, which, thanks to an ongoing rainy season promo, are currently available at discounted rates.

Check them out:

Regular Cup (Php60 from Php70).

Banana Split (Php110 from Php120).

Ice Cream Blend (Php110 from Php140).

And the soon-to-be-launched Revel Bar ala Mode (no price yet).

Just imagine what other gelato treats await us! Personally, I would really love it if Fiorgelato adds chocolate chips and chopped nuts among its toppings.

Many thanks to Oliver and the staff of Fiorgelato Sta. Lucia for having us!

This Fiorgelato kiosk is located at Second Floor, Building 3 (in front of the department store), Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, Felix Avenue corner Marcos Highway, San Isidro, Cainta.

Other kiosks are located at:

Medical City, Ugong, Pasig
Rustan’s Makati, Glorietta Complex, Makati
Ayala Malls Circuit, Olympia, Makati
Salcedo Village, Makati
Sampaloc, Manila
Fairview, Quezon City
Robinsons Place Manila, Ermita, Manila
Fisher Mall Malabon, Longos, Malabon City

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I attended a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Gelato Treat at Morelli’s, Powerplant Mall

We Pinoys love sweets, and with a tropical climate such as ours, we won’t say no to frozen treats even in December.

While ice cream is more prevalent, gelato desserts are also growing in popularity in the country.

Gelato is a frozen dessert which originated in Italy. It has a much creamier and silkier texture than ice cream, given its increased use of milk rather than cream compared to ice cream. Gelato also does not make use of eggs, unlike ice cream, and is usually served using a small spade instead of a scoop.

That’s what I treated my family to over the holidays. After Christmas lunch at nearby Fireside by Kettle in Rockwell, we headed straight to Morelli’s Gelato for dessert. (Thanks to Jen of SandUnderMyFeet.com for sharing her GCs!)

The Morelli’s gelato brand started in Scotland in 1907 when father-and-son Giuseppe and Mario started selling the ice cream prevalent in their native Italy. The brand expanded to UK in 1932, and then went on to establish its presence in other countries, where its gelato offerings are made fresh everyday using natural ingredients.

My kids, mother-in-law and I enjoyed our scoops of truffle, chocolate, pistachio and vanilla gelato which served as a great cap to our Christmas lunch.

This Morelli’s Gelato branch is located at Second Floor, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City. Another branch is located at Level 3, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City.

Ice cream indulgence at Indulge, Novotel Manila Araneta

Novotel Manila Araneta is located in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Cubao.

Despite this busy location, it offers its guests and visitors a welcoming haven to relax and rest for a bit.

Take for example its dessert bar Indulge.

Situated at the hotel’s lobby, Indulge can be a dessert stopover on the way to one’s hotel room, or before going out of the hotel.

It offers a variety of sweets – from premium ice cream and gelatos, shakes and floats to bread and cookies – that can serve as a yummy cap to a meal or as a snack treat to sate one’s sweet cravings in between meals.

Take for example the avocado ice cream I recently treated myself to. Imaginatively named Green with Envy, it is rich, creamy and not too sweet, with some crunch to it thanks to sprinklings of chocolate chips.

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It’s time to INDULGE in some luscious ice cream, yes? This cup of #avocadoicecream has some added texture thanks to the yummy dark chocolate chips mixed in. This is just one of the luscious artisanal ice cream flavors available at @novotelmanilaaranetacenter’s pastry shop, Indulge. . . . . . . #sweetdreamsaremadeofthis #alwaysroomfordessert #sweetstothesweet #justdesserts #sweetsph #dessertph #dessertsofinstagram #sugarcoma #sugaraddict #sweetcraving #sugarrush #sweetfix

A post shared by Jellybeans in the City (@beingjellybeans) on Dec 6, 2018 at 12:00am PST

I would definitely welcome another opportunity to try its other offerings, particularly its spiked ice creams.

Indulge is located at the lobby of Novotel Manila Araneta Center, General Aguinaldo Avenue, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.