I have been a fan of BONO Artisanal Gelato since it first opened in SM Makati (They were asked to move out when SM Makati was under renovation, so we will keep you posted). I was still with Forever 21 back then, so it was easy to just swing by the BONO hehe…
Come to think of it… I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t LOVE BONO! Â Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant Secrets (MBKRS) agrees with me, with BONO being part of the list for 2014.
I was able to recruit another fan in the form of our co-blogger Keri 🙂 Marketing & Media Relations Director Treena Cueva-Tecson invited us last Friday to visit their branch in SM Aura Premier, and we were definitely in for loads of treats. Treena offered us Affogato, so I asked Keri to have it since I was still breastfeeding:
How to drink Affogato? Simply pour the hot espresso onto the coffee cup with your choice of ice cream.
It was love at first sip for Keri: “I loved the espresso, and it’s a great mix with Vanilla.” Treena shared that Vanilla Bean (their flavor) is the best for newbies; some will experiment after the first try, with flavors such as Bourbon and Butterbeer.
Speaking of Bourbon and Butterbeer, we were also offered samples of their other flavors. They have 12 available flavors daily, all freshly made and not more than 20 hours “old,” if you know what I mean. Here are the five flavors that we chose to try:
From top to bottom: Milo Dinosaur, Bourbon Butterscotch, Movie Night, Butterbeer, and Matcha & Azuki
I have always been a fan of Bourbon Butterscotch. My hubby, who is allergic to alcohol, can never resist this flavor, too!
Butterbeer is Keri’s favorite. For me, it tastes almost the same as Bourbon Butterscotch without the alcohol.
Movie Night is a mix of salty and sweet with its homemade (like everything in BONO) ingredients of chocolate potato chips and chocolate malt balls.
I am not into green tea served in gelato form, so Keri would be the best person to talk about Matcha & Azuki: “You can tell that the matcha is fresh and teh beans blend well with it, giving it a unique taste.”
It’s the first time I’ve had Milo Dinosaur, and it’s by far the richest Milo gelato I have ever tasted!
We were then introduced to the “star” of the afternoon – Mango Ube Symphony. Like all the gelatos in BONO, this is their Chief R&D, Zarah Zaragosa-Manikan’s latest concoction, which made it to the top 16 competing for the “World’s Best Gelato” title.
Mango Ube Symphony: a combination of two iconic Philippine flavors – smooth mango gelato heightened with swirls of purple yam jam, accented with rhum soaked dried mango strips, for a truly irresistible (and colorful) symphony of flavors.
What Keri thinks: “I love Ube Symphony’s unique flavor because I’m a fan of both ube and mango.”
What I think: “The rhum adds a delicious flavor mix into the dried mango strips. Figuratively, a mouthful of symphony!”
On March 20-22 at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, BONO Artisanal Gelato’s Mango Ube Symphony (the only Philippine contender) will try to make it to the top three, which will then go on to compete in Italy against winning flavors from around the world at the grand finale in September 2017. The Gelato World Tour is presented by the prestigious Carpgiani Gelato Universtiy and the world’s premier gelato and artisan confectionery expo, Sigep-Rimini.
Thank you for having us!
From left to right: R&D/Production Manager Zarah Zaragoza-Manikan, Marketing & Media Relations Director Treena Tecson, me, Keri, and Marketing Officer Beryl Chan
And the team is off today for Singapore! If you’re in Singapore, please do visit them 🙂 As for us here, let’s wish the team good luck by visiting BONO Gelato and having a scoop (or two) of this entry: Lower Ground Floor of SM Aura, Ground Floor of The Podium, Ground Floor of Mega Fashion Hall SM Megamall, and SM Southmall.
*BONO Artisanal Gelato also caters private events and creates custom flavors. For inquiries and bookines, contact Beryl Chan at 0917-8912653 or send an e-mail to berylchan@gelatobono.com Keep up with the latest BONO Gelato news on facebook.co/BonoGelato and instagram/@bonogelato or log-on to www.gelatobono.com
bono gelato, gelato, mango, sm aura, ube
