The heat in the Philippines has become pretty crazy. People get cranky more often now, barely anyone wants to stroll around the city without some form of shade, and generally, we’ve noticed that the tendency to get lazy has increased as well. But the reality is, that we can’t just stay this way forever! Get up and beat the heat, with Novotel’s newest addition to their four-star hotel, the Ice N Cream Shop. Their unique and innovative flavors, will surely bring, not just your energy, but also your mood, right back up!
How Novotel’s Ice Cream Shop Came to Be
What was originally supposed to be a souvenir shop but turned into an Ice Cream shop, is now one of Cubao’s hottest (or coolest for this matter) go to places! How did this shift happen? Well, upon realizing that there were already so many stops where people could buy items around the area, the Novotel heads and staff decided to scrap the original plan and bring to life the creation of their Ice N Cream shop! Together with Carmen’s Best, they have come up with creative and delicious flavors, which serves all groups and ages.
We Scream for Ice Cream!
Novotel serves over 18 different kinds of ice cream, divided into four Classics, four Philippine flavors, five sorbets, two sugar free options and even three alcoholic ones! They’ve come up with the cutest names like the Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go! (cafe latte), Papa Don Preach (rum raisin), It’s Matcha Been Love (Matcha), Kirsh Me (alcoholic Black Forest), and many more. While those are the Novotel Originals, Carmen’s Best also offers 12 flavors, with some creative titles like their Hokey Pokey, He’s not Worth it, and Madagascar Vanilla.
Here’s a review of some of the flavors that we’ve had the opportunity to try out!
Hokey Pokey
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Drool! The taste of the Hokey Pokey somehow resembled that of the famous Brazo de Mercedes cake. What we loved about this flavor was its very creamy and smooth texture. The vanilla taste also complimented the caramel well. The only downside to this flavor is how sweet it is. Some people who arent as in love with sugar as we are, might not like it that much.
Oh Honey Honey
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One of our favorites! We found it to be very light and refreshing. Beautiful ice cream texture that just sort of melts in your mouth differently compared to the other flavors. A must try for calamansi lovers.
Yo Berry Yo
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This flavor has actual berry’s in it. A thick ice cream with a pretty interesting after taste.
Kirsh Me
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Alcoholic ice cream anyone? This mix was the main reason why we felt the need to try it out. A dessert inspired by the black forest cake, with yes, you guessed it, actual bits of that in the ice cream! It was good, with an evident flavor of alcohol. Something we’ll eat again soon.
Good news! If you also enjoy your ice cream with toppings, they have a variety that you can choose from. Some of these include toffee, white chocolate, sprinkles, M&M’s, gummy bears, and crushed Belgian waffle cones.
Here’s a photo of their menu, where you can check out their other ice cream flavors:
Baked Goodies
Aside from their ice cream, the shop also takes pride in their in-house baked goodies – from croissants to breads to cookies, they have a pretty good mix. We got to try out two of their best sellers, the Cream Cheese Croissant and the Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Tip: Make sure to request that they heat up your orders. They taste best when they’re warm
Chocolate Chip Cookies
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We were surprised by the generous amount of chocolate mixed into each cookie! Honestly, we just couldnt get enough of it. Since we got it heated, the chocolate was served slightly melted. Going to order this again when we come back, that’s for sure.
Cream Cheese Croissant
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Such a tasty creation. What we loved most about their bread was its multiple thin layers which gave off a bit of a crunchy texture. The cream cheese went so well with it. We also loved how they used confectioner’s sugar because it really added to the semi-sweet taste of the pastry!
Aside from that, here’s a look at their other baked products, made readily available inside the shop:
Check out their breads and cookies menu for your personal picks:
The next time you want to cool down from the intense Metro Manila heat, just head over to Novotel for the coolest and sweetest treats!
Novotel Ice N Cream Shop
Address: General Aguinaldo Ave., Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Contact Number: 990-78-88
Facebook: @NovotelManilaAranetaCenter
