Sweet Scoop by Allan Yuji de Torres

Sweet Scoop Artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cream Gallery

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

Ice Cream Lourve

New One of a Kind Ice Cream Poem: Number One

Flavored Perspectives

Art’s Cream’s Ice Cream

The Common Cold

Ice Cream Poem: Number Two

Artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cream Gallery

I C E CREAM LOURVE

of red in the colourful surroundings of Rob Mag. It shines sophistication and elegance. As you go near, you feel that sigh of relief like you are being taken into a place far far away from away from everything that stressful—an oasis in the middle of a maddening world. From afar, something shines with warm light that calls for attention—it could be a light that guides you to relaxation and bliss. Go closer and the name starts to appear. Art’s Cream Gallery. The simplicity of Art’s Cream Gallery will amaze and perplex you. ‘How did they create such elegance with such simple set-up?’ It has a red-white motif that looks like the peppermint red-white swirl candies and makes you want to crave for something sweet. Something so simple can make a void in your heart that only great, delicious gelato can fill. The Gallery pulls you into an abyss of mind-melting gelatos. You can compare the Gallery with the world’s largest famous museum—The Lourve. The lights that make the Lourve glow at night is similar to how the Gallery glows with the warm light coming out from the center. Even though the Gallery is an ant compared the scale of the Lourve, the majestic feeling of elegance remains uniform. The gelatos are displayed like masterpieces of art. They jump at you with such intensity that you instantly crave for one yet they do it with care that you will relax with every time you observe them.

Yuji de Torres

The wall of cool air hits you as you walk into Robinsons Magnolia. With the cool January breeze outside, Robinsons Magnolia feels like an extension of what was outside. The line between the mall and outside is now blurry. People rush into Robinsons Magnolia—or Rob Mag as they all it. They look like they just all came from work or from school. The relaxing vibe of Robinsons Magnolia helps them to unwind from the stress from where they all came from. Of course, just being in Robinsons Magnolia can’t fully take all the stress—people need something more and I’ve got the just the thing.

The floor of the Gallery is different from typical tilled floors of malls. Its floor has this wooden look to it separating it from what is typical to a grander, elegant feel. The Gallery has five white square tables that nicely contrast the

On the 2nd level of Rob Mag, you will find a small spot

vibrant red that embraces the whole store. Comfortable red leather chairs, and unique and beautiful stools with red cushions surround the tables. The stools are made with an intricate weaving design that goes great with the well-made, intricate Italian gelatos. The Gallery has more than enough seats for you and your friends as you hang out in the cool, relaxed vibe of Rob Mag while eating delicious gelato. The presentation of the gelatos explains the name. You can admire the craft and hard work that went into making those gelatos that displayed behind a glass case. The gelatos are like art works displayed behind glass frames. The gelatos are in trays, each flavour having its own tray. They are presented in long swirls of gelato goodness. The lighting of the gelatos make them glow as if they are gifts from heaven and they absolutely taste like it. You can see the glow of the gelatos from afar and it will absorb you with its everlasting charm for deliciousness and perfection. On the left side of the glass case is the menu of Art’s Cream Gallery. Presented at an angle, the menu is very striking and easy to read. Other than beautiful Italian gelatos, they also serve other tasty, stress relieving drinks. On top of the glass case is a fine selection of tea that can help you relax as you sit on one of those comfortable red chairs. But if you feel sleepy and you need to commute or drive back home, you can take a sip of Art’s Cream Gallery’s coffee. On the right side of the glass case is a tiny, adorable menu of their coffee.

You can catch the majestic and elegant gelatos at six

different branches in Metro Manila. From its humble beginning and bold statement of elegance, Art’s Cream Gallery is now a popular ice cream place for the people in the longing for something elegant. “The ice cream of the elite,” as how Noel E. Castro, the chief operating officer of the company that owns the Gallery, would put it in an interview he had with Philstar.

“The Ice Cream of the elite.” -Noel E. Castro

THE NEW ONE OF A KIND

Maggie Goco

Ahh…ICE CREAM—the soft, colored, multi-flavored, sweet species of snowballs. It seems that in whatever direction you turn your head, you’re sure to spot an ice cream stand. Apparently, the existence of already thousands or maybe even millions of ice cream stands in the country isn’t enough to pacify the monstrous craving of gelato-loving Filipinos. But who’s to argue against it? Ice cream, after all, is unarguably practically everyone’s favorite. Not much else can prove this other than the fact that ice cream shops and parlors continue to multiply almost as quickly as the ice cream itself melts. One of these recently opened ice cream parlors is the artistically designed Art’s Cream Gallery. Among its several locations is Robinson’s Magnolia, at which this gallery of art and Italian ice cream has been delighting customers since February 2012.

Soon enough, the day gelato lovers had been waiting for had finally arrived! The first visitors and customers of Art’s Cream Gallery were no other than the chief operating officer of ACG Phils. Inc., Noel E. Castro, and the talented architect of the ice cream parlor and the brand’s co-owner, Rachy Cuna. Also included were several of the mall’s managers. And of course, the employees of the gelato café also got to treat themselves for free to some Italian ice cream which they undoubtedly enjoyed. As recounted to me by one of the employees currently working there, one of his co-workers that day even said, “Buti na lang pala masarap. Mukhang mageenjoy akong magtrabaho dito ah. Lalo na parang tatauhin palagi.” And true enough, that co-worker (or should I say former co-worker) regularly goes to visit the well-loved Italian ice cream parlor as no longer an employee, but rather a loyal customer.

Albeit not as big of an event as the opening of a restaurant, the opening of this particular ice cream parlor was nonetheless welcomed with much anticipation and sweet expectations. Having been openly placed in the middle of a busy mall, during the stand’s construction, a lot of passersby had stopped to observe the printed billboard-like walls that surrounded the small area in which the stall is now located. What met their curious eyes were pictures of flavor-labeled colorful ice cream scoops stuffed in gigantic Belgian waffle cones and ice cream cups in varying sizes. And let’s not forget their “Coming Soon” sign that constantly reminded people how many more days were left before they can finally have a scoop of gelato heaven.

The branch officially opened at around noon, right in time for mall goers to relax and sit for a while as they indulge in some ice cream for dessert. Seeing that it was a newly opened café that looked worthy of being tried, it was no surprise that it had an almost endless line of customers walking in throughout the day, trying out all of its different flavors with as much judgment as critics in a cooking show. Mr. Castro himself was more than eager to assist his own customers by occasionally even serving them towers of assorted ice cream flavors that he had scooped up himself. I was also told that they even had to extend a few hours because even when the mall itself was close to packing up and calling it a day, there were still some shoppers and mall employees who wanted to stop by and treat themselves before heading home. That’s something I won’t even question because the first time I tried it, I, myself wanted to go back and have another dose of my favorite Cookies n’ Cream before leaving Robinson’s Magnolia. Sadly, I was not able to satisfy my last minute craving. Oh well, at least I have a totally valid reason to go back: MORE GELATO!

When the day was nearing for the ice cream gallery to present to the public its sweet and creamy concoctions, the final preparations done weren’t as heavy and stressful as it would have probably been if it were a housed in parlor or a restaurant. With its wooden flooring polished clean, the tables equidistantly set, and the 14 red keg-shaped chairs properly arranged and pushed in, everything was as ready to go as it could ever be. Red garlands had been hung over the stand, and several pastel-colored abstract sculptures had also been perfectly placed in display right where they would sure to capture attention. By how it looked for its big day, it was definitely the kind of café that would have had people thinking it rightly belonged in an expensive and elegant museum. After all, it wasn’t called “the ice cream of the elite” for nothing. The only things left to be prepared at its actual day of opening were the many assorted ice cream flavors, as well as other specials (pizza, espressos, sandwiches, etc.) that make it more than just an ice cream place.

Two years after it opened in Robinson’s Magnolia, Art’s Cream Gallery continues to attract numerous customers not only with its head-turning sculptures and artistic designs, but also with its gelatos’ unique and undeniably delectable taste. It is no doubt that the corporation’s plans to expand its business by opening more branches in ideally busy areas will be just as successful as this one.

Ice Cream Poem Number One

The Emperor of Ice-Cream by Wallace Stevens Call the roller of big cigars, The muscular one, and bid him whip In kitchen cups concupiscent curds. Let the wenches dawdle in such dress As they are used to wear, and let the boys Bring flowers in last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newspapers. Let be be finale of seem. The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream. Take from the dresser of deal, Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet On which she embroidered fantails once And spread it so as to cover her face. If her horny feet protrude, they come To show how cold she is, and dumb. Let the lamp affix its beam. The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

FLAVORED PERSPECTIVES Chan Uy

Gelato Tasting from an Occasional-Lover-of-Ice-Cream’s View One of the people I went to eat ice cream with two Saturdays ago was Tricia Peñaranda. She was dressed in a striped navy blue and white shirt paired with jeans and flats, a typical college student outfit. She had on a small sling bag slung on one shoulder, just enough to fit in her wallet, phone, and other necessities. Both of us, along with three other people, went to Robinson Magnolia mall, where the main branch of Art’s Cream Gallery is located. Art’s Cream Gallery, from the name itself, can be deduced to be an ice cream, or more specifically, a gelato shop. The five of us have a purpose there—to try out their gelatos. The gelato place was located in the middle of the second floor of the mall. It was not a store, but more like a stand with mini sofas, chairs and tables scattered neatly around the area. Although the place looked nice enough with the Japanese-style designs and color combinations, I later found out after talking to Tricia that she was somehow disappointed by the gelato place. “I was expecting it to be a store,” Tricia, hailing from Davao, told me in a mixture of the Tagalog and English language, with a bit of the Cebuano dialect. “Akala ko kasi na we will go sa murag restaurant bitaw nga type (I really thought the place we were going to was like a restaurant type).” The flavors of the available gelatos were on display in a curved glass case for all the customers to view. Tricia exclaimed at how colorful the colors of the flavors were. I noticed that while the rest of us ordered flavors of ice cream that, although popular and familiar, were quite distinctive (among them, Cookies and Cream, Bubblegum, Baileys, and Coffee with Toblerone), Tricia opted for something more leaning towards the ordinary. cone, said in Cebuano with a laugh. “I like ice cream pero not all ice creams. I didn’t like Art’s Cream Gallery’s [because it was] so expensive.”

When asked what her favorite flavor of ice cream was, Tricia said that she currently likes Pistachio. She admitted that she did not know why she picked Mango in the first place when we were in Art’s Cream Gallery. “Ube noon [ang gusto ko], Pistachio ngayon, pero pag playing safe, [I order] vanilla (I liked Ube before, now I like Pistachio; but when I’m playing safe, I order vanilla).”

Art’s Cream Gallery did have big servings, I have to give them that.

Gelato Tasting from a Lady Who is not Fond of Ice Cream

Once we all got our orders, the five of us sat down in the black cylindrical backless chairs with pink cushions placed on top. Tricia was seated to my left. Topics of different nature came and went in the conversation and she participated in the talking actively. Before I knew it, she had already finished her gelato. Her tired face and eagerness to get gelatos can probably be traced to her hunger. With no gelato to keep her occupied, she looked around and surveyed the flavors of gelatos again. Despite finishing her gelato rather quickly, she did not seem satisfied.

The one and only time I ever saw her was in Art’s Cream Gallery in Robinsons Magnolia. She has a long black hair reaching the middle of her back and black thick-rimmed rectangular glasses. The lady, who looked to be in her mid-twenties or early thirties, did not strike me to be a mother when I first saw her. The little spirited yellow-shirted boy with her was the giveaway. Once they got their order of chocolate gelato in a small cup, the duo sat in the table next to where I sat, with the kid seated in the mini sofa and the lady in the black and pink cylindrical backless chair right across her. Her kind demeanor, as seen in the way she talks to and goes after the wandering little boy, regarded

Though the gelato was satisfactory taste-wise, she did not approve of the price. “Kung cheaper, mubalik ko (If it was cheaper, I’d go back),” Tricia, who paid Php100 for her gelato in a

her as a very approachable and nice person. The little boy, Prince Qian, kept waving his tiny hands at me with a big smile plastered across his sweet face after every bite of the chocolate gelato they ordered. “Actually siya ang may hilig sa ice cream (Actually, he is the one who likes ice cream),” Joy Legaspi said referring to the young boy, whom she calls fondly “shoti” which in Chinese literally means younger brother, but is often used by mothers to call the “shoti” in the family. “Hindi ako masyadong mahilig sa ice cream (I don’t really like ice cream).” Chocolate, as it turned out, is the three-year-old’s favorite flavor, which is why that is the flavor he chose in Art’s Cream Gallery. He seems to really enjoy the ice cream, but he probably likes all kinds of ice cream and gelatos given that he is just a young kid. Joy, on the other hand found the chocolate to be quite bitter. “Parang ordinary lang yung ice cream. Medyo magkapareho lang sa mga ibang ice cream,” she commented on the chocolate gelato she bought for Prince Qian. She repeated that

she was not very fond of ice cream but that the chocolate ice cream was bitter. Turning away from ice cream talk I asked if they were Chinese, since I heard her call the young boy “shoti”. She replied, “Yung father niya Chinese.” I would have loved to get to know her better and ask her more questions but my shyness made me hesitate. Besides, they were already finished with their ice cream, which Joy helped finished for her son, so we said good-bye.

Gelato Tasting with a Lover of Things Called Food The second time I went back to Art’s Cream Gallery, I brought along a friend. One of the first things I learned about Megan Sia is that she loves food. Once, she even showed me and another friend Buzzfeed article entitled “Can You Make It Through This Post Without Feeling Sexually Attracted To Food”, an article that had over 40 gifs of mostly desserts but with waffles, pancakes, french fries, and pasta making appearances. This just goes to show how much food is way up high in her top favorite things in life.

Upon reaching the second floor, where the gelato place is located, I heard her mutter something indistinctive. It turns out that she was disappointed with the size of the gelato place. “It’s smaller than I thought,” she said. “I thought it was going to be attached [to the mall, and not be in the middle of it]. You’re expecting a lot bah [from far away], because the ambiance looked nice.” Although she was disappointed with the place, she did say that she admired the chairs. “The chairs, the tables, and even the freezer looks nice,” she said with a laugh as she gestured towards the freezer behind her, where the colorful flavors of gelatos were displayed. Not only was she disappointed with the place, she was also disappointed with the gelato itself. “I got my cup [of gelato], paid my Php90.00, ate from [the cup of gelato]. I got disappointed.” When I asked more about the taste of her gelato, she replied that it was not as smooth as the other gelatos she tried. I saw her mixing the gelato with her spoon before she tasted it. She was actually checking its texture. Megan ordered a cup of two flavors, cheese and choco marble. The cheese, she remarked that it was too sweet. She kept repeating throughout the whole conversation we had about the “cheese bits” in her cheese gelato. “It’s just sweet, that’s it. The texture is not even [like a] gelato. It’s like ice cream. It’s very sweet. [The cheese gelato is] just yellow cheese stuff with yellow tiny cheese bits,” she laughs while holding her index and thumb close together indicating the tiny cheese bits. The choco marble, on the other hand, she stated that one can hardly taste the chocolate. Overall, her opinion of the gelato was not very good. She mentioned that it was like normal, regular ice cream from the supermarket.

“Appearance can deceive,” she summed up.

ART’S CREAM’S ICE CREAM Patricia Penaranda

After a long day of school and stress, eating ice cream was a heavenly idea so my group mates and I headed to Arts Cream Gallery. With a myriad of great ice cream flavors, the ice cream shop also expanded its menu to include pizzas. Despite the change, its signature ice cream still stood out and practically dominated the humble little stall. It was the object of the center of attention in the place. The mere sight of the half-transparent fortress beholding all the frozen sweetness attracted different customers like magnets. Then, these customers fell under the spell of the enchanting free samples, which led to purchasing a cone or a cup of happiness. I guess we were one of those customers. There were a variety of familiarly classic and uncannily new flavors, which called on the shoppers to spend money for a good taste of the creamy, cold decadence. All the flavors seemed so yummy. In fact, we had a hard time choosing which flavor to order. There were just so many appealing flavors like Caffe con Toblerone, Biscottie e Crema, Cappuccino, Mango, Monte Rosa, Vaniglia Vanilla, Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip, Cantaloupe, Cioccolata della Ciliegia, Cioccolata, and lots of others! Why do the flavors sound so foreign? The ice cream was actually based on a mixture of Italian ice cream, also known as gelato, and the maker’s artistic potential. In addition to that, the gelatos that the owners based the shop on originally came from Sicily, Italy. But despite the fact that it was based on Italian ice cream, I can’t help but notice that when I tried my ice cream, its creamy iciness strangely brought me somewhere else. It actually brought me to my childhood. The ice cream seemed to be homemade and it made me feel like a kid again. The coffee been aroma and presence of one of the best chocolates in the world in The Caffe con Toblerone reminded me of the sweet iced coffee my mom used to buy me when I was a kid and as for the Toblerone, I’ve liked toblerone ever since I first encountered it. The Biscotti e crema, a refined version of cookies and cream with a hint of caffeine, which I mixed with the Cappuccino, brought back the little girl who sat on the couch dipping Oreo in milk and loved drinking all the iced coffee in the world that she wasn’t supposed to. Mango, on the other hand, was classic and creamy but not too sweet. It tasted natural and simple, like one of the natural fruit ice creams or mango iced candies my grandmother used to make whenever she was in the Philippines. Last but not the least, the playful and candy-like taste of Monte Rosa, which was a wonderful blue bubble gum ice cream, also brought back some of the best memories of my childhood as it used to be my favorite color (aside from green) when I was little and I used to have a thing for everything bubblegum-flavored. Some of the other flavors were:

Vaniglia Vanilla No ice cream stall is complete without good ol’ Vanilla ice cream. You can definitely taste the vanilla on the tip of your tongue, with a bit of delicate sweetness. It tastes like French vanilla, but it’s not ‘cause it’s Italian! It’s the best of both worlds!

Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Chocolate-chip goodness¬—without the guilt! Murray’s sugar-free Chocolate-chip ice cream in the midst of Italian gelatos! It’s also lowfat! Soft creaminess, topped with crunchy chocolate chips. You won’t even know it’s sugar free!

Cantaloupe This is one of my personal favorites. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so refreshing because of its tangy melon-y twist. Absolutely delightful!

Cioccolata della Ciliegia Chocolate with sweet red cherries!

Cioccolata

Nothing could possibly go wrong with chocolate. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a classic! In fact, this is the shopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best seller, according to Kuya.

Ice cream really is a comfort food that everyone must have a little taste or even binge on once in a while. It was a nice way to end one of the many hell weeks in life. Just eating the cold sweet instantly made me feel better. Just sitting there, thinking about how this one treat helped me through a lot of things, whether it be sad or happy times, embarrassing or triumphant moments, hell or heavenly weeks, or bad-hair days or my-hair-is-nice-but-Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m-just-stayingat-home days, it brought some harmony and calm to my soul. It sure did brighten my day too. Suffice to say that on dark days, one of the best things one can do is eat ice cream. It will make you feel happy. So go get some! (but not too much!)

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.â&#x20AC;?

-Donald Franklin Kardong, a noted runner and author

Ice Cream Poem Number Two

Ode to Gelato by Teranika Gelato you are yummy Gelato you are fine Gelato you are tasty Gelato you are mine Gelato you are wonderful Cold on a summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day Gelato you are marvelous Like a Parisian cafĂŠ Gelato you are kind Gelato you are cool Gelato you are icy Gelato you make me drool

T h e Common C o l d

still up to make new ideas and inventions. Similar to The Art’s Cream Gallery, whose ice cream is merged with gelato to give it a more creamy, mouth watery, addictive feeling. The once pure ice cream, which we all celebrate worldwide, has been transformed in to many delicacies, but no one has attempted a combination and sophistication like The Arts Cream Gallery. Just like the epidemic of the common cold, ice cream itself went viral and infected many corners of the globe, just like this ungodly phenomena, the franchise of the arts cream originally started from Italy, and it captured the vivid flavours of fruits and chocolates which give a deeper depth to its flavour which is significantly noticeable with every stroke of your tongue. And as we speak, I am craving to get myself a bubble gum flavoured gelato ice cream, wrapped around a Belgian cone, which I always get every time I visit Robinson’s Magnolia. The fast growing number of people are starting to get annoying though, the first time I went there it was always empty and you could easily buy and go, but now there are times where you have to fall in line and wait your turn. And that’s when I realized that this is a growing trend common already to regular shoppers at Robinson’s Magnolia. And if you scavenge the place of the beautiful mall, you would 1 or 2 more ice cream places.

JC Sta. Maria

What guides us in choosing our favorite food and restaurants? Our senses. A food that looks inedible, no matter how delicious it may really be, will not reach our palates. All of our senses must be convinced, or else we will not be able to enjoy the meal adequately. In my unending search for delicious delicacies, I spotted a new oasis which sprouted in the middle of Robinson’s Magnolia, Quezon City. Properly named, Art’s Cream Gallery, not only does it provide mouth-watering meals, but it provides food for the eyes as well. Art’s Cream Gallery specializes in my favorite dessert. When comes to price, it is really worth it, 3 scoops big scoops for a hundred pesos? No wonder this franchise is fast expanding! one of the best tasting ice cream ever! Art’s Cream Gallery also serves cakes, coffee, and pasta for those who want a warm up before diving into the ice cream experience. If you need a place of relaxation after a day’s worth of shopping, don’t go to the spa. Give your diet a break and try Art’s Cream Gallery and come join this fast growing trend among shoppers in Robinson’s Mall. Ice cream always had this stimulating effect on us since the early 50’s, and not surprisingly, until now the ever growing companies who are handling the production of such delicacy is

Who knew that something as simple as a common cold could be viral enough to spread through seas to reach far ends of the earth and be recreated a hundred times over, the experience itself is amazing, seeing that you are being part of the wave that we’ve been enjoying for almost a century now. Yet The brilliant exhibit of flavours presented to me in the arts cream gallery truly lives up to the reputation of ice cream itself. Their craft proves how they live up to the so called vivid flavours of Italy. Indeed the epidemic is spreading faster than we thought and it is affecting more and more people—they love it!

Artâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cream Gallery Maggie Goco Patricia Penaranda Chan Uy Yuji de Torres JC Sta. Maria