I went back here twice in a row because it was just so good! My friend took me to Papa Didi's and…read moreoh my gosh, I will be day dreaming about their ice cream! It was so yummy. I got the ube and cheese. My friend got the choco loving and tres leches. They also have traditional Filipino flavors like pastillas de leche and mango. It was honestly so good. The ice cream was so thick and didn't melt easily. The flavors were also rich and not muted. It had the perfect sweetness. There's a second room next to the ice cream shop for additional seating. The service was also fast. I wish we had this in Florida because I will keep chasing the taste of their ice creaming!

Davao meets Bicol (chocolate with red chili) was a bomb! For this visit, I've tried Chocolate lovin…read moreand Coffee. We've got 2 scoops for a Treat with a free cone. Ice cream was creamy and not overly sweet. The interiors were cute, too.

Summer can be quite unforgiving and what better way to cool off with a cup of yogurt?…read more Red Mango in Katipunan offers guilt-free yogurt anytime of the day and with all the toppings you can choose from. They have cheesecake, salted caramel, peaches, mangoes, graham - you name it they probably have it. This time around though, my friends and I ordered plain yogurt with graham toppings and another one with graham, mango and salted caramel. I like the latter better because the salted caramel gives a nice flavor to the yogurt and the graham gives the dessert some texture. However, I found that Red Mango tends to scrimp on the toppings such as the mango slices and I wish there was more. Another item I ordered was this berry fizzy drink. The fizz was a bit on the flat side and I can say that it was just right, and to be honest, nothing to be wowed about. Overall, I'll probably return to Red Mango for their yogurt and will probably try a cheesecake topping or a peach and mango topping- however, it won't be too often.

I love Ateneo to death, but I just don't get it why they can't put air conditioners in every…read moreclassroom. I usually spend about an hour to fix myself in the morning just so I could look presentable in school but because of the heat, everything just goes to waste. Good thing right outside Ateneo there are places to go to where you can chill until your next class starts. One of my favorite places to go to is no doubt Red Mango. Red Mango offers all-natural, non-fat, gluten-free (YAS! THANK YOU LORD) frozen yogurt. You can also add toppings by paying an additional 20 pesos. They have a wide selection of topics to choose from. They have blueberry cheesecake slices, mochi balls, crushed Oreo, chocolate syrup, nuts, and my personal favorite, popping boba. They also have a list of combinations you should try in case you don't know what toppings you'll like. Each bite of their frozen yogurt promises you a slice of summer at any given day!

Dairy Queen is one of my favorite ice cream parlors in Katipunan because of its convenient location…read moreand affordable price. As a student, I often have stressful and "I deserve this" kind of moments, so I just walk across from my school to get a treat and eat it on my way back. There are times also my colleagues and I crave for ice cream so we order a Blizzard cake and bring them back to our lab. I usually get a KitKat Blizzard. I like that they have a "Blizzard of the month" and feature a new flavor. When I have a tight budget, I get either their sundae cones or ice cream sandwich. Besides the basic ice cream, they also have drinks like Moo latte and shakes, and also banana splits for sharing. I'm really glad to have grown up with DQ because it did not only satisfy my sweet tooth, but I also got to bond with my close friends during high school, college and even during the present times! It's a classic for me and their ice cream quality did not change over the years (still the just right cold yet creamy goodness they can assure their customers: "served upside-down or it's free!"). I highly recommend to try out their ice cream cakes for a different birthday treat experience and also when they release a new flavor of the month. Check out their new products for every occasion (Halloween, Christmas, summer season etc) and who knows, some of these featured flavors/products might become a regular!

Dairy Queen is one of the most classic ice cream parlors in Metro Manila (even if it's not actually…read moreFilipino). They've got flavors that cater to a lot of palettes, and the classics like Oreo, Strawberry Banana, and Rocky Road definitely do not get old. The Ice Cream Cakes are particularly delectable as well, and they're a welcome treat at any birthday party, or celebration in general! I always find their Blizzards to be nice and thick, full of flavor and immensely creamy. I do wish that Dairy Queen would open a bigger branch already, particularly in Katipunan, where you can actually sit down for a bit and enjoy your ice cream and even work on your paper in peace, because I'd love to do some school work while enjoying a Blizzard. Starr's is well and good, but Dairy Queen just has that older charm to it, and isn't quite as pricey.

I've heard of this place a few times but never really bothered to search for where it was, until my…read morefriend and I surprisingly stumbled upon it while looking for dessert. Hidden from street view in a narrow alley beside National Bookstore, it's one of those blink-and-you-won't-even-see-it spots - a (literally) cool one at that. With light blue walls, white table sets, and glass fixtures hanging from the ceiling, it felt like we stepped right into an icy wonderland (it even rained while we were chilling inside). Since I love coffee and she loves chocolate, we ordered single scoops of their Sunrise Surprise and Nociolla ice cream respectively. It's prepared from scratch (you'll see a mass of cloud-like vapor coming from the mixers) and the servers even make a show of pouring extra liquid nitrogen into your cup as they serve it (more clouds!). There are also party trays full of popcorn, marshmallows, and chocolate wafers that you can freeze-dip yourself (remember when we all "smoked" Stick-O's as kids?). When it comes to this new type of frozen treats, Winter Garden is a true special snowflake.

Every now and then we all like to take a break from the monstrous and grease smothered burgers that…read morewe love. There are times when we feel like eating something lite yet flavourful. On those days, I visit Winter Garden. Their normal sized burgers satisfy my tastebuds overtime without leaving me bloated and lethargic. To top it off, their nitrogen scream and desserts also offer a new "nitrogen" experience. I've always found the place quite and not crowded. Perfect for get togethers with friends or maybe even a date.

The name says it all. This is a place where ice cream finds a home. The name, I think, is apt…read morebecause, when we think of home, we imagine a place without fuss, a place where we can just relax and be who we are. Most of all, it is a place where we find comforting food which we can just eat, eat, eat. No pretentions at all. That's also the feeling I get when I go to Ice Cream House. The ice cream here is not in the league of Carmen's Best or Hagen Daz, but it is also, in my opinion, at par with most ice cream brands sold in the supermarket. Most of the time, I even prefer one particular line of ice cream from Ice Cream House than most brands in the supermarket. That line is the coconut-flavored ice cream often mixed with other ingredients, usually local fruits. But what I like best is the plain coconut flavored one which I can describe as simply delicious. Like a home, it is comforting, refreshing without unnecessary gimmick. I love it just the way it is and, even though I will explore other ice cream brands, I am sure I will keep coming back to this one.

When I was a kid, I used to absolutely love this place. It was cheap ice cream: the kind that I…read morecould actually by with my own allowance which is why I liked it so much. Recently though, I stopped by a branch at Marikina, my hometown. While it was pretty delicious, I think most of the child-like goggle sheen has worn off. Really, Ice Cream House serves fairly average ice cream. I think what was kind of disappointing was that it didn't have a distinctive flavor. Yes, I'm pretty proud that all the ice cream here is homemade (who wouldn't be?) but it's kind of disappointing that there's none of that unique texture and flavor that you've come to expect from ice cream made locally. It tastes like normal western-made ice cream. They offer a fairly decent selection of flavors and combinations (including the beloved banana split) but if you're looking for all pinoy ice cream, you're better off going to your local dirty ice cream vendor.

Sadly, this place does *not* have horlicks. Ah, Cold Layer... you have spoiled me indeed. But the…read morelack of horlicks isn't going to drive me away so easily. Snow Creme follows the same vein as Cold Layer: something that isn't quite ice cream but tastes kind of like ice cream. It's the same sheets of shaved ice that feel like a cross between ice cream and a slushie. It's usually marketed as being healthier for you than ice cream but eh. When it's this hot, who's counting calories, right? While it might have the same canvas as Cold Layer, Snow Creme has a different application entirely. I could probably say that Snow Creme is the more adventurous of the two. Because really... tiramisu? Honeydew? Pink cheddar? The Pink Cheddar for one turned out to be snow ice that tasted like cheese ice cream with strawberry syrup and a glob of egg pudding. Definitely interesting and definitely not what I expected. But prety good all in all. A medium sized bowl is big enough to share between two people looking for a snack. Aside from that, they also have *some* salty snacks... but if you ask me, the number of mojos you get don't match the 65php price tag. Still, they're good mojos. Not hard, thick cut and mealy... exactly how I like them. Given how warm it's been, it's no wonder they've been pretty busy as of late. While this isn't a place to go for a meal, this is a pretty good place for a quick snack or if you need somewhere to hide from the heat.

Oh, Manila summer. Thou art a heartless rhymes-with-witch. Not only is it hell hot, but the…read morehumidity makes everything so sticky, and the pollution makes everything so dirty. Needless to say, hot-sticky-dirty is a combination that prompts me to either take an ice bath, live inside the air conditioner, or get myself a cold confection. The third option seems like the easiest of the three, and I am glad that Snow Crème is there to cover me. PROS: Their snow ice is like the Pokémon evolution of the halo-halo, if the halo-halo was an Eevee. Finely shaved ice mixed with different toppings and syrups. You can choose one of their pre-set combos or choose your own toppings and syrups; There's just so much choices! Between milk teas and mousses and fruit teas and smoothies, I think you won't run out of options here. CONS: There's a bit of a wait time, during lunch or dinner rush; You may have to watch out and call dibs for a good table since there's always a lot of people in there. TL;DR: Bust the heat with everything Snow Crème has to offer. Take that, Manila summer.

Cold Stone has great ice creams, but I'd like to talk about its servers. They're really…read moreentertaining and funny. That time I was there, I gave some of my change in the tip can. It didn't register in my head what went on at first, but I think the severs unanimously yelled something in gratitude. There are also times when I'm at UP Town Center, and Cold Stone had this whole display of catch the ice cream scoop. One guy was at the top of the staircase just outside the shop, and another was on the field. I didn't understand what was going on until the guy by the shop threw a scoop of ice cream with his spatula looking tool, while the other held a Cold Stone cup in the air to catch it. Amazingly, he did! It was an amusing spectacle. Thank God they don't give those flying ice cream scoops away for free. Even if I enjoy freebies, a scoop topped with air dust and flies isn't something I'd like to try out.

The place is tiny and the counter and cashier occupy half of it. The cramped space was maid even…read moreless bearable by the staff's synchronized chanting every minute or so. Honestly, I don't even know what they were yelling; it was just noise to my ears. The staff looked neither amused nor encouraged by this gimmick, and none of the customers seemed to appreciate it either, so I really don't get the point. Annoying, loud, cramped ambience aside, I actually liked their ice cream! It was our first time there, and we were too old and low EQ to come up with our own ice cream concoction, so we just ordered two of their signature creations. Chocolate devotion is just chocolate chips, brownie pieces, and fudge. It was nothing special, and we wished we had just ordered two of the Cookie Doughn't You Want Some, which was really yummy despite its annoying name. Cookie dough, chocolate chips, caramel all swirled in a dense French vanilla ice cream... It's kind of the stuff long work daydreams are made of. My only request: Cold Stone, stop with the yelling already. We aren't listening, your staff isn't listening, and no one appreciates it.