I love ice cream. For me it's the perfect dessert to cap off a satisfying meal. Luckily, you're never too far away from ice cream here in the Philippines, and there are a lot of places where I could go to satisfy my cravings. There are also a lot of ice cream or gelato shops that are popping up everywhere, and I have yet to try some of them.
A recent visit to SM Aura led us to this new gelato place called Bono Artisanal Gelato, which, judging by the information I've gathered online, opened shop just this year at SM Makati. Since then, they've managed to open up two more shops, the second one at Podium and the third one at SM Aura.
Here's a bit of information I gathered: The co-owners, Rea Gomez-Harrow and her friend Zarah, got their training in gelato-making at Carpigiani University, under Giacomo Schiavon, who is widely known and respected in the gelato-making world. Ms. Rea Harrow jokingly refers to him as the "Bono of gelato" (after the lead singer of the band U2), and that's where they got the name for their shop.
Bono's SM Aura shop isn't even fully opened yet. The lack of a bigger space, however, did not stop many people from trying out what they have to offer.
This is only a temporary stall until a bigger stall with, I'm guessing, seats and tables would open in the near future.
Based on the tarps posted around the stall, you can immediately see that the owners of Bono put great emphasis on the quality of their gelato. Their gelato is also made from all-natural ingredients, which means that they don't put artificial flavorings or preservatives. They also use as little sugar as possible, so those who are more health-conscious don't have to worry about anything.
Bono keeps their gelato hidden from public view and are placed on Pozzetto Cabinets to preserve their freshness and to prevent contamination. So far, this is the only gelato shop I know that does this. Other gelato shops would usually put their gelato on rectangular containers and put them on display for everyone to see. Very impressive.
They only had a few flavors available, because their stall at SM Aura is only a temporary one. Their Facebook page shows a lot more flavors, with some pretty unique ones too, like Chili Tamarind, Taho, and Lemon Basil. Too bad they didn't have at least one of these flavors at SM Aura--I would have been more than willing to try them out!
My dad and brother each got a scoop of their Milo Dinosaur gelato. Each single scoop costs P130, which is competitively priced vis-a-vis the closest competitor that I can think of. Milo Dinosaur is a popular beverage "invented" in Singapore, made from Nestle's famous brand of chocolate milk.
My "health conscious' (emphasis on the quotation marks) mother got a scoop of their Cioccolato gelato, which is 70% pure dark chocolate. She says it tasted bitter--but what else do you expect from dark chocolate, really? Oh, mom.
Bono Artisanal Gelato is in on the whole speculoos-and-cookie-butter craze as well, so they also offer Speculoos gelato, which was what I got. Since I was still too full from lunch, however, I did not get to taste what my family ordered so I was only able to try this one.
My verdict? Well--incredible (and I only got to taste one flavor, mind you).
Bono Artisanal Gelato really gives justice to the word "artisanal" that they use. You can really tell that their gelato is of very high quality. It stays frozen longer and doesn't easily become runny once it's been out of the freezer for a while. Each bite is also very flavorful, with bits of speculoos cookies mixed in. Also, because they use as little sugar as possible, their gelato isn't too sweet, which is a plus for people like me who can't stand very sweet food.
It's a shame, though, that they don't have as many flavors available compared to their other branches. I guess it's only a matter of time before their SM Aura shop fully opens--I can't wait to try out their other flavors (I mean, Chili Tamarind? Really?).
I think I've just found my new favorite ice cream/gelato place.
Here's a bit of information I gathered: The co-owners, Rea Gomez-Harrow and her friend Zarah, got their training in gelato-making at Carpigiani University, under Giacomo Schiavon, who is widely known and respected in the gelato-making world. Ms. Rea Harrow jokingly refers to him as the "Bono of gelato" (after the lead singer of the band U2), and that's where they got the name for their shop.
My verdict? Well--incredible (and I only got to taste one flavor, mind you).
Bono Artisanal Gelato really gives justice to the word "artisanal" that they use. You can really tell that their gelato is of very high quality. It stays frozen longer and doesn't easily become runny once it's been out of the freezer for a while. Each bite is also very flavorful, with bits of speculoos cookies mixed in. Also, because they use as little sugar as possible, their gelato isn't too sweet, which is a plus for people like me who can't stand very sweet food.
It's a shame, though, that they don't have as many flavors available compared to their other branches. I guess it's only a matter of time before their SM Aura shop fully opens--I can't wait to try out their other flavors (I mean, Chili Tamarind? Really?).
I think I've just found my new favorite ice cream/gelato place.
Bono Artisanal Gelato
Branches: SM Makati, Podium Mall, SM Aura Premier
Website: http://gelatobono.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/BonoGelato
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bonogelato
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bonogelato
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