The BEST of Artisanal Ice Creams in Manila

Manila’s Artisanal Ice Cream scene is very exciting. Filipinos are not settling anymore for the commercialized, not-so-yummy, imported brands. This holiday season, we encourage you to support the Filipino Ice Cream Artisan who makes the most delicious ice cream in Manila — guaranteed!

Here is a guide to the BEST of Filipino Artisanal Ice Creams in Manila (Anton’s List):

1. Paco Magsaysay’s Carmen’s BEST

Carmen’s Best was the overall winner in Rockwell’s Ultimate Taste Test with 4.24 rating. It is named after Paco Magsaysay’s daughter Carmen.

They offer one of the smoothest and creamiest ice cream we’ve ever tasted. They are the only artisanal ice cream company that also produces their own milk (Holly’s Milk), so they only get the best base ingredient for their ice cream.

Our favorite flavors are Malted Milk and Salted Caramel. 

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Paco Magsaysay

About Carmen’s Best:

Our mission is to delight our customers with the best gelato and ice cream experience by using only the best ingredients.

Facebook: Carmen’s Best artisanal ice cream and gelato
Twitter: none

Best Selling Ice Cream flavors:

• Salted Caramel
• Coffee
• Butter Pecan
• Malted Milk

2011 Holiday Flavors:

• Rum Raisin
• Egg Nog

Products/Pricing:

Standard Flavors – P350 (pint)

• Butter Pecan
• Butterscotch
• Strawberry
• Coffee 
• Rocky Road
• Cheese
• Chocolate
• Cookie Dough
• Salted Caramel
• Vanilla
• Avocado

Premium Flavors – P380 (pint)

• Malted Milk
• Tahitian Vanilla
• Spanish Turon

Where to Buy/ Contact Information:

Carmen’s BEST
Centrum II Building, 150 Valero Street, Salcedo Village,  Makati
Telephone: +632 809-2042 to arrange your order, +632 815-4406 loc.701
Pick up points are in Makati and Alabang.
Email: cb_icecream@yahoo.com

2. Ian Carandang’s Sebastian’s Ice Cream

 

Sebastian’s Ice Cream is the pioneer ice cream artisan in Manila. His ice cream is inspired by Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, and he continues to innovate not only with flavors but also with other forms, like his Dive Bars.

Sebastian’s is a favorite of Lori of Dessert Comes First who practically chronicled his rise in the last 6 years to become one of the most loved Artisanal Ice Cream brands in Manila:

• DCF | Ian the Ice Cream Man
• DCF | Chillin’ With A Chilly Burger
• DCF | 12 Desserts, 2 Hours, 1 Massive Sugar Rush
• DCF | Really Good Food (1st of 2 Parts)
• DCF | Good Food, Great Food (1st of 2 Parts)
• DCF | Christmas Gift List Purveyor #3: Ian Carandang of Sebastian’s Ice Cream

“Sebastian” was coined by one of his former partners in one long planning session. It was a happy coincidence that it had “Ian” in the name as well.

Our favorite flavors are Queso de Bola and Once in a Blue Moon.

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Ian Carandang

About Sebastian’s Ice Cream:

We boast of the most delicious, imaginative and unique ice cream flavors. We are constantly pushing ourselves to give our customers a new ice cream experience.

Twitter: @ilovesebastians
Facebook: Sebastian’s Ice Cream

Best Selling Flavors:

• Cookie Dough
• Chocoholics
• Macadamia White
• Butter Pecan
• Up All Night
• Blueberry Cheesecake
• Mango Sansrival
• Salted Butter Caramel

2011 Holiday Flavors:

• Queso de Bola
• Puto Bumbong

Products/Pricing:

Regular Flavors (Pint P300, Half Gallon P1,060, Gallon P2,110)

• Cookie Dough
• Chocoholics Anonymous
• Butter Pecan
• Mango Sansrival
• Macadamia White
• Blueberry Cheesecake
• Vanilla Bean
• Fro-Ya (Frozen Yakult)

Rotating/Seasonal Flavors (Pint P300, Half Gallon P1,060, Gallon P2,110)

• Salted Butter Caramel
• Peppermint Brownie
• Hazelnut Truffle
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
• Rocky Road Remix
• Fudge Caramel Cake
• Banana Bonanza
• Banana Cream Pie
• Bananutella
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Pastillas de Leche
• Hazelnut Cookies n’Creme
• White Chocolate Cookies n’Creme
• Caramel Cookies n’Creme
• Caramel  Machiatto
• Snack Attack
• Sebastian S’Mores
• Doubler  Cheesecake

Pinoy Flavors (Pint P300, Half Gallon P1,060, Gallon P2,110)

• Tibok-Tibok
• Champorado
• Mangga’t Suman
• Sapin-Sapin

Xmas Flavors (Pint P300, Half Gallon P1,060, Gallon P2,110)

• Queso de Bola
• Puto Bumbong

XMAS HOLIDAY PROMO -> Half Gallon is P850 (save P210)
Half Gallon orders this month require a lead time of 1 week production and minimum P100 deposit. Visit our branches or call our kitchen at 426 6935 for inquiries.
 
Sweet Freedom (sugar-free) (Pint P500, Half Gallon P1,500, Gallon P3,000)

• Vanilla Bean
• Chocolate
• Butter Pecan
• Mocha Almond Fudge
• Coffee
• Tibok-Tibok 

XMAS HOLIDAY PROMO -> Half Gallon is P1,290

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (Blue Cheese Ice Cream)

• PINT – P400 (plain), P420 (w/walnuts & honey)
• HALF GALLON – P1,360 (plain), P1505 (w/walnuts & honey)
• GALLON – P2,720 (plain), P3,010 (w/walnuts & honey)

XMAS HOLIDAY PROMO -> Half Gallon is P1,150 (plain), P 1,295 (w/ nuts & honey)

Where to Buy/Contact Information:
Scooping Stations
Podium Mall,
4th floor, near escalator
ADB Avenue, Ortigas
Telephone: +63 927 453 7426

Scooping Stations
The Block, SM North Edsa
3rd floor, near Cinema Ticket booth
Quezon City
Telephone: +63 927 290 1633

COLD COMFORT Ice Cream Parlor
SM Mall of Asia
New Entertainment Mall, 2nd Floor
(near IMAX exit)
Telephone: +63 915 489 5753

 

3. Kelvin Ngo’s Merry Moo

 

Merry Moo is a 3-time winner of the Ultimate Taste Test series:

• Overall Winner in Ultimate Taste Test 7.0 (4.14 rating) with Queso de Bola and Food for the Gods 
• Top 4 in Rockwell Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 (3.94 rating) with Milo and Brown Bread Flavor
• Top 13 in Ultimate Taste Test 5.0 (3.71 rating) with  Earl Grey Tea and Sea Salt Caramel

We love Merry Moo because of its playful flavors that please the Filipinos’ hearts and tummies. 🙂 It is a Mercato Centrale favorite both in the morning and midnight markets.

Our favorite flavors are Salted Caramel, Milo, and Poprocks and Mallows.

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Kelvin Ngo

About Merry Moo:

Merry Moo is a newly established homemade ice cream business. Merry Moo ice creamery churns for fresh, yummy, and fun ice cream. Our premium ice cream uses fresh, non-Ultra Heat Treated (UHT) dairy. It is locally sourced from local dairy farmers who offer holstein-fresian cows a huge pasture to graze and roam freely. Since our dairy is non-UHT treated, the flavor of the milk and cream is unaltered and it retains its nutritional content.

Freshness is one of the key aspects to highlight our ice cream’s distinct smooth texture and creamy mooeyness. We strive to source fresh and local ingredients whenever possible so that the real flavors of the ingredients would shine through. Our ice cream is also homemade and done only in small batches to guarantee freshness. We strive to constantly experiment on different flavors and we love to get new ideas from our customers to create udder-ly delicious and unique flavors. We churn for creative flavors that excite, for our goal is to have you beaming with a smile with our ice cream.

Merry Moo’s mission is to provide yummy flavors to its customers using ingredients that are fresh, sustainable and sourced locally as much as possible. We want our customers to know where their food is coming from. Constantly innovate new products.

Our vision is to have Merry Moo products as a way for people to come together and enjoy life through our delicious food.

Twitter: @Merry_Moo
Facebook: Merry Moo Ice Cream 

Best Selling Flavors:

• Sea Salt Caramel
• Earl Grey Tea
• Apple Cinnamon
• Rum and Raisin
• French Vanilla
• Aztec Chocolate
• Strawberry Basil

2011 Holiday Flavors:

• Food for the Gods
• Queso De Bola with Fiesta Ham

Products/Pricing:

Original Flavors – P270 per pint

• Sea Salt Caramel – light sea salt and slow-cooked caramel, the contrast is surprisingly good
• Earl Grey Tea – a very special blend of Chinese tea leaves with citrus bergamot
• Candied Bacon – Just because everything goes well with bacon…
• Coffee Kahlua – Double roundhouse kick of Philippine Arabica coffee and coffee liquor

Premium Flavors – P290 per pint

• Milo – Another kiddie treat for the young and young at heart
• Strawberry Basil – A refreshing combination of fruit and herb
• Coffee Kahlua – Double roundhouse kick of Philippine Arabica coffee and coffee liquor
• Honeycomb – Caramel crunch candy mixed in with our yummy ice cream base
• Poprocks and Mallows – Popping surprise in your mouth with added roasted marshmallows for the inner kid in everyone
• French Vanilla – Classic custard based Vanilla ice cream
• Honey Almond Choco
• Belgian Chocolate

Holiday Flavors – P290 per pint

• Food for the Gods – our sea salt caramel base mixed in with chunks of FFTG cookies
• Queso De Bola with Fiesta Ham – Queso de Bola Ice cream mixed in with bits of sweet and salty fiesta ham

Where to Buy/Contact Information:

Mercato Centrale @ BGC
34th St. and 9th Avenue,
(Beside MC Home Depot)
Bonifacio Global City
Fridays and Saturdays 10pm-3am
Saturdays and Sundays 7am-2pm

Merry Moo
Mobile: +63 917 528-9590
Email: merrymoo@ymail.com

4. Edy Gamboa-Liu’s Fog City Creamery

Fog City Creamery, inspired by the popular Bi-rite Creamery of San Francisco, is a home-based business of newlywed Edy Gamboa-Liu. We love their unique and innovative flavors. They also offer sugar-free ice cream alternatives.

Our favorite flavors are Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate and Sorrento (Limoncello).

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Edy Gamboa-Liu

About Fog City Creamery:

ALL NATURAL. ALL FRESH. Fog City’s delicious all-natural ice cream only uses the best quality ingredients from around the world. Our ice cream contains absolutely no preservatives or artificial stabilizers. Our commitment to freshness and quality means that we are always on the lookout to use ingredients that are organic or free of chemicals that are oh so not good for our body.

LESS IS MORE. To us, more is not always better. Using the finest and purest ingredients means more flavor and taste.  We strive to make our ice cream with a few, key, simple quality ingredients that yield the greatest depth in flavor; we make it pure and simple, the way ice cream should be.

JUST-IN-TIME. Our ice cream flavors are only made in small batches at a time. This means every scoop is made with a lot of love and attention. Our ice cream flavors vary daily since we base our ingredients on what is fresh and in season, so please email or call us to ask for available flavors.

Facebook: Fog City Creamery
Twitter: none
Website: http://www.fogcitycreamery.com

Best Selling Flavors:

• Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate
• Salted Caramel
• Sorrento
• Butterscotch Pecan Sugar Free
• Vanilla Malt with Maltesers

2011 Holiday Flavors: 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon

• Peppermint Bark
• Amaretto Almond Crunch
• Dark and Mint

Products/Pricing:

Signature Flavors

Cherry Vanilla. 240 per pint / 450 per quart / 860 per half gallon
Our vanilla has a very delicate and clean flavor that can only be achieved with really good vanilla extract. Dark red Bing Cherries… everybody loves a cherry on top, why not have it all over instead?

GHIRARDELLI Semi-Sweet Chocolate. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon
Our most decadent chocolate ice cream ever. It has that oh-so-delicious melted-chocolate-bar taste that is every chocolate lover’s dream!

Salted Caramel. 240 per pint / 450 per quart / 860 per half gallon
Creamy smooth caramel ice cream with just a hint of Fleur de Sel French Sea salt sprinkled with salted caramel candy brittle… Sweet and Salty never tasted so good together.

Ferrero Rocher with Nutella Swirl. 270 per pint / 520 per quart / 1000 per half gallon
Sweet cream with hazelnut liqueur showered with pieces of Ferrero Rocher layered with Nutella. Dedecated to all the chocolate hazelnut lovers out there!

SORRENTO. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon
The inspiration came from a trip to Italy, tasting authentic limoncello made with real sorrento lemons. It was love at first taste! Right then and there, I knew I had to make ice cream with that luscious lemon liqueur. What better way to showcase the flavor but with white chocolate chunks and toasted almonds?

Bittersweet Chocolate Orange. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon
What is there not to love? Bright orange notes adds a refreshing zing to the smooth taste of rich chocolate, showered with lots of candied orange peel for added citrus taste… The combination of chocolatey goodness and citrus is a match made in heaven.

Butterscotch Pecan.
Our most popular sugar-free flavor to date. This creamy, oh so yummy ice cream is a favorite of everyone, young and old, and those watching their sugar intake or not. The complex, rich, creamy taste of the ice cream is complemented well with lots of toasted salted pecans.

Vanilla Malt with Maltesers. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon
This one tastes like frozen french vanilla milk shake… rich vanilla flavor with lots of malt chocolate chunks all over. It’s just pure love in a scoop.

Strawberry Short Cake. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon
Our version of that yummy yummy cake! Vanilla sweet cream layered with fresh strawberry sorbet with chunks of buttery pound cake. Close your eyes and you’d think you’re eating a slice instead of having a scoop!

Bourbon Pecan. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon
I haven’t yet met anyone who has tasted pecan pie who didn’t love pecan pie! The best part? The filling! This ice cream is all about that gooey goodness!  Pecan pie filling mixed in bourbon ice cream.

Almond Lychee Sherbet. 280 per pint / 540 per quart / 1040 per half gallon
Our take on everyone’s favorite Chinese dessert. Nothing is more refreshing than having a bowl of this goodness. Perfect end to any meal.

Orange Cashew. 300 per pint / 580 per quart / 1110 per half gallon

Sugar-Free Flavors

For those watching their glucose levels. Our sugar-free flavors are sweetened only by COCO NATURA Sugar, a natural sweetener with no chemicals or additives. Taste them and you’ll never think sugar-free means boring flavor ever again!

Bourbon Pecan. 285 per pint / 550 per quart / 1060 per half gallon
I haven’t yet met anyone who has tasted pecan pie who didn’t love pecan pie! The best part? The filling! This ice cream is all about that gooey goodness! Pecan pie filling mixed in bourbon ice cream.

Espresso Almond. 285 per pint / 550 per quart / 1060 per half gallon
Are you a coffee drinker or love anything coffee flavored? This one is for you! We use freshly roasted coffee beans to create that creamy and intense coffee taste that’s sure to wake up your taste buds! What better way to add some crunch but with toasted almonds? Have this with freshly brewed espresso poured all over — it is divine!

We also make Paleo Diet-friendly ice cream flavors.

Where to Buy/Contact Information:

Home-Based Business. Lead time is 2 days. But we do have limited stock of certain flavors on hand all the time mostly in pint sizes though. For now, our pick up points are Valle Verde 5 for all flavors and Bel Air but limited flavors only.

Fog City Creamery
Email: fogcitycreamery@gmail.com, info@fogcitycreamery.com
Phone: +63 917 883-3344 

 

5. Ginny Gonzales’ Home Made Ice Cream

Photo by Shinji Ikari

Ginny’s homemade ice cream is one of the creamiest because she uses only the best Carabao’s Milk. With no advertising (no branding, no Facebook, no Twitter) except her stalls in Legaspi Sunday Market and the Xavier First Saturday Market, she gained a following on the strength and quality of her products.

She always experiments with new combinations and adds to her growing list of flavors. She supplies the yummy homemade ice creams of Chateau Hestia in Tagaytay.

Our favorite flavors are Guava, Choc-Nut, Ferrero, Pastillas Tostado and Grand Marnier.

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Ginny Gonzales

About Ginny’s Homemade Ice Cream:

It is a home-based ice cream business by Ginny Gonzales that became popular through word of mouth.

Over the years, the list of flavors increased as Ginny continues to experiment with new flavors to delight the foodies of Manila. Her ice cream uses only the best carabao’s milk and the finest ingredients.

She sells in the Legaspi Market and Xavier Sunday Market.

Facebook: none
Twitter: none

Products/Pricing:

Standard Flavors – P390 (quarts)

• Atis  
• Avocado
• Buko 
• Choc-Nut
• Dough
• Coffee 
• Frozen Hot Choco 
• Guava   
• Guyabano
• Langka
• Macapuno
• Mango 
• Queso
• Strawberry  

Premium Flavors – P435 (quarts)

• Apple Crumble 
• Brazo de Mercedes
• Caramel Crunch 
• Choco Crinkle
• Coffee Chip 
• Cookie Crumble
• Grand Marnier
• Green Tea
• New York Cheesecake
• Pastillas de Leche
• Pastillas de Ube
• Pastillas Tostado
• Peppermint Chip
• Turtle Pie  
• Vanilla

Ultra Premium Flavors – P515 (quarts)

• Almond Roca
• Amaretto Choco Chip
• Caramel Macadamia           
• Choco Chip Cookie
• Choco Walnut Torte
• Cookies ‘N Cream ‘N Choco Chip
• Ferrero
• Fudge Brownie Overload
• Kahlua Coffee Chip
• Lindt Dark Choco
• Lindt White Choco
• Macadamia White Choco
• Pistachio
• Snickers Bar 
• Super Rocky Road 
• Toblerone Choco Chip
• Ube-Macapuno con Pinipig

Homemade Barquillos P110/box
Gift Packaging for 1 or 2 Quarts P80

Where to Buy/Contact Information:

Home-Based Business. For pick-up in Magallanes Village, Makati City.

Also available at the following markets:
Legazpi Sunday Market from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm
Xavier School Market every first Saturday of the month from 3:00pm to 8:00pm.

Homemade Ice Cream (Ginny Gonzalez)
Mobile: +63 929 683-4350

6. Troy Hatcho’s Paradis Natural Ice Cream

Paradis ice cream flavors are made from natural and healthy ingredients. It is quite different because it uses ingredients like Coconut, Malunggay, Olive Oil, Agasajo (Chili Chocolate) and Saffron.

Our favorite flavors are Agasajo (Chili Chocolate) with Saffron and Coco Vanilla.

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Troy Hatcho

About Paradis:

Freshly made ice cream everyday from all natural and fresh ingredients.

Facebook: Paradis
Twitter: none

Best selling Ice Cream flavors:

• Malunggay
• Coco Vanilla
• Chocolate & Tomato
• Nutty Peanut Butter
• Pumpkin
• Ube Taro
• Caramel
• Vanilla Milk
• Strawberry
• Passion Fruit-Guava
• Mix Berries
• Yolive

2011 Holiday Flavors:

• Chestnuts
• Durian

Products/Pricing:

Signature Flavors – P110 (small serving equivalent to 1.25 scoops)

• Malunggay
• Coco & Vanilla
• Chocolate & Tomato
• Nutty Peanut Butter
• Agasajo (Chili Chocolate) with Saffron
• Red Beet & Orange
• Pumpkin
• Wasabi

Traditional Flavors – P85 (small serving equivalent to 1.25 scoops)

• Ube Taro
• Triple Chocolate
• Caramel
• Vanilla Milk
• Mango
• Strawberry

Soybet Flavors – P95 (small serving equivalent to 1.25 scoops)

• Pineapple Rosemary
• Mixed Berries
• Strawberry
• Raspberry
• Passion Fruit-Guava

Yogurt – P95 (small serving equivalent to 1.25 scoops)

• Yolive – Yogurt with Olive Oil

Holiday Flavors – P110 (small serving equivalent to 1.25 scoops)

• Chestnuts
• Durian

Where to Buy/ Contact Information:

Paradis Natural Ice Cream
1st Floor Unit B Kojack Bldg cor. Sct. Castor, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

Jo Christie Tayco (Operations Manager)
Telephone: +632 709-4518
Email: jo.christie.tayco@gmail.com

Note: Transferring to Il Terrazzo Kiosk, Tomas Morato by February 1 and Opening in Podium, Ortigas in April.

7. Mark Isidro’s Mad Mark’s

Mad Mark’s is the latest artisan ice cream maker in Manila with a cute ice-cream parlor shop in Brgy. Kapitolyo. They take pride in sourcing their ingredients from the best regions in the world — the Best Vanilla Beans from Madagascar, the Best Coffee Beans from Sumatra and the Best Cocoa from Java.

Our favorite flavors are the Javan Hot Chocolate and Madagascar Vanilla Bean.

Artisan Ice Cream Maker: Mark Isidro

About Mad Mark’s:

No Short-Cuts.
We put all our money in our food.
No Nonsense.
and we go places just to give it to you.
No Compromise.

Dairy from Australia
Cocoa from Java
Coffee Beans from Sumatra
Vanilla Beans from Madagascar
Strawberries from California

Facebook: Mad Mark’s Man Sandwich and Frozen Desserts
Twitter: none

Best selling Ice Cream flavors:

• Madagascar Vanilla Bean
• Javan Hot Chocolate

Products/Pricing (P68 – 1 scoop, P98 – 1 scoop):

• Madagascar Vanilla Bean
• Javan Hot Chocolate
• Half Baked Madagascar Chocolate on Chocolate
• Milk chocolate
• Salted Sumatra
• Mango Sorbet
• Watermelon Sorbet

Where to Buy/ Contact Information:

Mad Mark’s
23 East Capitolyo Drive, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Mobile: +63 922 495-0267
Telephone: +632 342-6802

 

So this holiday season, make a commitment that when it comes to Ice Cream, buy Filipino and buy only the best Artisan Ice Cream! 🙂

 

Live an Awesome Life,

 
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Call or Text Me: +63917 5683-627 (LOVE-OAP)
Follow Me FacebookTwitterFlickr Youtube

Full Disclosure: I met all the Artisan Ice Cream Makers through our Ultimate Taste Test events, Mercato Centrale or from a friend of a friend (with the exception of Mark Isidro).  We are only officially connected with Merry Moo, who is our current vendor partner in Mercato Centrale.

P.S. I’m planning to complete the list for the Philippines; let me know if there are other talented Artisan Ice Cream Makers in and outside Manila…

…like the homemade ice creams of 1st Colonial Grill in Bicol:

1st Colonial Grill’s Tinutong Ice Cream (P79) and Sili Ice Cream (P79).