I love green tea, matcha (the bolder the better--authentic, ideally). Whoa, wish granted! I'm…read moreglad to find an authentic matcha source like Tsujiri in some random space in the S Maison mall attached to the Conrad Manila. Loved the experience ALOT. From the website: http://tsujiri-global.com/ "The time was end of ancient Edo period, and in 1860, the brand Tsujiri was first established by Riemon Tsuji in Uji of Kyoto, Japan. The founder Riemon tapped his own wealth to improve the tea industry, advancing and innovating the method to enhance the flavours and sweetness of the tea to accomplish in making the highest quality Gyokuro tea leaves. He also devised the tea cabinet to keep the tea leaves fresh longer, thereby enabled to revive the popularity and marketing of the Uji tea. His effort was well recognized by many and to attest to that, his statue was built in Byodoin, the Kyoto's world heritage temple" I've had two things here: the ceremonial matcha tea (eye-opening, heavenly) and the Shiratama sundae (green tea matcha softserve with mochi, adzuki, black sugar, which was memorable). Really glad to experience this authentic product outside of Japan and appreciate the flavors I've experienced here. Would love to sample again when I return to MNL. Visits: 3

The best Japanese tea ceremony for 1st timers... You would love the vibe it brings …read more.. I really enjoyed the taste of real ground matcha green tea leaves.

So, this is my 3rd visit to a Magnum: Rome, Copenhagen and now Manila. By far, this location is…read morethe cheapest at about $2.20 a bar, compared to double that at least in Rome and Copenhagen. This is a relatively new store and gaining recognition among Manileños. Seeming that there is a cafe that closed in 2015, this must be the resurrection of MM in a stall type setup. It's on the second floor of the MOA (Mall of Asia) next to an Illy coffee shop (perfect combo). You pick 3 toppings, all laid out on the counter. So the playbook goes: pick your ice cream, your 3 poison toppings, and the person behind the bar assembles your Magnum. The toppings were delicious, the ice cream authentic; Magnums shipped to world locations like Manila, frozen. The flavors are consistent to the brand ice cream-- the only difference is each city has it own local flava when it comes to toppings. Great product, one less star for new and untrained staff. Visits: 2 Tip: An espresso with this bar (next door) is delish if you like strong coffee.

Okay so I was sooo looking forward to this place. So basically you choose a magnum bar (vanilla or…read morechocolate) and you coat it in a chocolate of your choice and add 3 toppings on the coating. Okay cool right?! Wrong! I got there and the guy was like "The right kind of ice cream wasn't delivered so you can't coat your ice cream in chocolate." So I thought okay fine. So then I picked a pre-made chocolate ice cream bar (because they didn't have vanilla) and I picked my toppings. He charges me the same price even tho it wasn't the same experience. The chocolate ice cream bar was mediocre. This entire experience was just a let down. I should have saved my money. And they just opened so idk why they didn't have all their supplies restocked. But I made the toppings work by biting the ice cream bar to make it a little melts and dipping it in the toppings.

Great chocolate cakes ie classic, death by Tablea, caramel, Baileys, home made and hand made!read more

Being sugar-hooked family, we are always on the look-out for good places to have dessert. This is…read morehow we stumbled upon Chocolat. Being one of the first few establishments in Mall of Asia serving mainly dessert, it quickly became a favorite, to the point that there was one Christmas we gave away loaves of their cake to family and friends. Our favorites would be their tablea cheesecake and their Death by Tablea. The table cheesecake is a twist on the cheesecake, using the same tablea they use for their prime bestseller - the Death by Tablea. It's an incredibly moist and fluffy cake, with chocolate frosting of tablea, and shavings of the tablea tablets making it an overload of tablea. It's full of the chocolatey taste that is distinct to using real tablea - not too sweet, but oh-so-lip-smackily good, it'll leave you wanting to buy a whole cake after having a slice! They are now available all over Metro Manila, with branches in San Juan, Loyola, Addition Hills and a few more.

Before all these artisan ice cream brands popped up, there was Sebastian's. Before all these brands…read morehad all these weird, far out local flavors, there was Sebastian's. Before other brands popped up trying to push the envelope, THERE WAS SEBASTIAN'S. Sebastian's does not get enough credit for changing the way we look at ice cream. Talk about pushing the envelope; Sebastian's introduced us to Green Mango ice cream (with Bagoong), as well as Champorado, Sapin-Sapin, and Quezo de Bola. And with their price point being on a manageable scale, this ice cream joint deserves more love. Am docking a star because their physical branch in MOA is a bit on the pits. Hey, it has to be said.

I love experimenting in the kitchen. And I have a lot of appreciation for those for those who take…read moretheir experimentations to a whole new level. Sebastian's has become the epitome of innovation when it comes to ice cream, and I love how it has always pushed the envelope when it comes to offering new flavors for Filipinos to try. Green Mango and Bagoong ice cream, anyone? Or how about Bibingka Espesyal, Sapin-Sapin, or Puto Bumbong? I'm quite sure you haven't heard of these ice cream flavors before Sebastian's. If you're excited to get a taste, head to their nearest scooping stations and have your fill. But be warned: Some of their flavors, like the last three, are seasonal, by the way. But don't worry, you'll have many other equally yummy flavors to choose from there. Or better yet, head to Cold Comfort (the perfect name for their product, don't you think?), Sebastian's ice cream parlor, and get ready to ooh and aah over their selection of their ice cream sundaes, "dive bars", pies, and "burgers"! For those with non-adventurous palates, a.k.a. those who just want chocolate or strawberry or caramel, there's something there for your liking, too!

I really want to love (as in 5 star love) this dessert place. Taho has a very special place in my…read morestomach growing up. Taho is all they serve here. After a disappointing meal at another restaurant, I was ready for something to cheer me up. The taho if I remember right, you can ask it to be sweeter. I wasn't given that choice. I want my taho sweet. But the taho itself was nice and the tapioca was well cooked which is how I want it. I just wanted it sweeter. For a new establishment, it definitely deserves a chance. I'll give it 4 stars! Will I go back, there are tons of other dessert places to try first.

I was once asked what kind of Filipino meal I would give a foreigner who's never had our food? And…read morealmost immediately I gave this answer: For appetizer, kinilaw na tuna, chicken adobo with steamed rice for the main course, fresh buko to knock it all down and an ice-cold halo-halo. But it has to be the right halo-halo and when I say the right one, I mean that it must be a halo-halo from Mt. Arayat, So what makes this so special from the others? I have no idea. I can't quite explain why it's so delicious, it just is. Now, I could go on and on about its cool and creamy mixture perspiring on an ice-filled glass with melting ice cream, but I leave it to you to see for yourself why I think it's the best place for this dessert.

Halo-halo is one of the most celebrated Filipino desserts, and can be found on the menu of…read morerestaurants belonging to a broad spectrum of price points. While quality varies, the commonality is in the array of ingredients and the attendant colors they bring to the dish. Pampanga-style halo-halo, though, does not fit into this mold. At Mt. Arayat, the choices are limited to size. You can get the small or regular, and that's it as far as your decision-making goes. Rest assured, though, that your halo-halo will be delicious and freshly made, with the ice shaved only when you order. Limited seating is provided (and that means just four tables). This actually doesn't present much of an issue, though, as you can choose to sit at any of the nearby public areas. Better yet, come before sundown and bring your halo-halo to the SM by the Bay area for an amazing view (just head to the outskirts to avoid the throngs of people who are sure to be present for the same reason).

I've been here twice and have had the same thing both times - the afternoon tea set. It's available…read moreall day, thankfully. The ambience and service are the standout aspects of the Oasis Garden Cafe - it's calming, there's a pianist most of the time, and the service is pretty great. The afternoon tea set has two options - the oasis tea set (English style) or the Solaire tea set (Filipino style, which features traditional Filipino merienda staples), and you can get either tea or coffee. Each set comes with three tiers, and with the English tea set you get scones (4 of them), a tier with savory bites, and a pastry tier (that hazelnut and chocolate slice! That eclair with the custard in it). You can split this with 2 other people, because the pot of tea has I think 5 cups of tea in it, and the tiers have more than enough food on it to share. This is a good place to spend a lot of time in! So if you're in need of a dessert fix or coffee, here's a good place to satisfy it!

Surrounded by sprawling, lush garden with a (probably) five meter waterfall, replete with beautiful…read moreskylights and modern architecture, Oasis is one of the nicer cafes in Manila where you can just relax and take a break. Despite being inside a casino that's notorious for its (very) bad exhaust system, leaving casino goers (and even just passers by) smelling like cigarette smoke, Oasis is the perfect place to hang out in with your family or significant others, if you want to feel like you're in nature-- without sacrificing comfort and luxury. Located in the newly opened wing of Solaire called the Sky Tower, Oasis is well known for its yummy cakes and desserts (which are just around 150-200 pesos, similar to the Patisserie in the crowded food court), as well as the afternoon tea selections (which is around 500 pesos), including three tiers of different mini sandwiches and a pot of tea of your choosing. Oasis also offers a variety of other food, my favorite would be the Beef Kalbi (so soft, so good!), Pad Thai, beef pastry (it's like a tiny siopao only glazed), and the ceasar's salad (ask for the shrimp to be browned so it wont add to the slimy texture of the anchovies). Most meals range from 200-400, and are well worth the tag, in my opinion. Come later on and their's usually a live pianist at the sleek grand piano sitting off to the side of Oasis. They've got darned good cocktails too! My favorites are the Japanese inspired ones, which I forgot the name of. But they have sake in it! (And while sake is strong and has distinct kick, this cocktail went down smoothly! I could have like, 5 of them.)

Surprised to find this in Mall of Asia. It is just like…read morehome. Caramel Banana Crunch A MUST Try

Stickiest ice cream all the way from Turkey has now invaded the Philippines! According to the…read morestaff, Merhaba is a turkish equivalent of Hello or Kumusta. It was a very sticky ice cream, you can get the entire liter using a small spoon. Few flavors were available - hoping they can add more to it. A cup of ice cream costs around P100. Heaps of toppings were available to choose from!

When you're at MoA and you want ice cream, what are the ice cream parlors that come to mind?…read moreProbably Sebastian's, Cold Stone, maybe Merry Moo. Same here lol. Well, me and some friends were walking around MoA when we happened to come across this shop that sold Turkish Ice Cream. I had no idea what that was or what made it different from normal ice cream, but there was a very friendly looking Turkish man who was at the back scooping the ice cream so it seemed pretty legit. We decided to try the three-flavor ice cream and split it. Upon serving, it looked like normal ice cream. In fact, it looked extremely ordinary. It was a triple serving of vanilla, chocolate and mango, topped with some very kiddy-like sprinkles and marshmallows. I was kind of confused and I found myself wondering if this was worth the price, cause it didn't seem particularly special. Don't knock it till you try it. It was so weird how good it was, but it was so good. It tasted like no ice cream I've ever had before. It had this moshi-esque texture which made it chewey and made eating it kind of great, but unlike moshi it doesn't come with the annoying coldness that normally gives my sensitive teeth some pain. Taste-wise, the mango ice cream alone is a huge knockout. It tastes like a mango. Like you plucked a mango straight from the tree and mashed it into an ice cream machine. The chocolate and vanilla flavors are also bursting with flavor: there's a certain natural vibe to them almost, like you're tasting it straight out of the cocoa bean or vanilla leaf, that you just don't get from most ice cream. Of course, I could've done without the sprinkles, but otherwise, this ice cream is definitely worth going back to. And it's catching on - every time I go to MoA, more and more people are buying from here. I'd say that if you want good ice cream and are tired of your convenience store flavors but are also kind of bored of the abundance of artisinal ice cream, this one's definitely worth checking out.