This was the dreariest Christmas ever. It was the first time none of us at home had the energy to put up a Christmas tree that was 8 feet high. We were on general housecleaning mode especially with one room that we had to clean from top to bottom, inside out. To give ourselves the spirit of some Christmas cheer, I played Christmas carols all day long as we dusted, cleared stuff out, mopped the floors, scrubbed tiles and did spring cleaning of items.
Gifts sent to our home were very much appreciated but one that I really looked forward to trying when it came to the house was 4 pints of Fog City Creamery ice cream in Christmas flavors: Fruit and Nuts Deluxe, Brandied Cherries, Peppermint Brownie and Tablea. Hey, you are looking at one ice cream lover here!!!
I had been wondering about the name Fog City Creamery because the pints had a picture of the San Francisco bridge on the front. Apparently, the creator of the ice cream flavors, Edylyn Gamboa-Liu, known as Edy by her family and friends, used to live in San Francisco. Credit her missing her favorite Salted Caramel flavor to the birth of Fog City Creamery. When she returned to the Philippines, she began experimenting with flavors that reminded her of San Francisco.
What stands out for me, healthwise, is what Fog City Creamery says — that there are no preservatives or artificial stabilizers in their ice cream. They’re chemical-free!!! And the flavors were chosen using ingredients that agree with the Filipino palate.
I’ll give you a list later of other flavors Edy has concocted so far but here’s my two cents on the ones that I got for Christmas.
Peppermint Brownie
I’m starting out with my favorite of the 4 flavors – Peppermint Brownie. I love mint chocolates so fusing peppermint and fudgy chocolates clearly went down with me very well. Well done on this one. My kids and I loved this the best.
 |
| PhP 300/pint |
Tablea Sugar-Free
Tablea comes in second among the 4 variants we tried. This Pinoy round cocoa tablet which used to be made into hot coco during my time has evolved. The Fog City Creamery Tablea is sugar-free, sweetened by Coco Natura, an organic coco sugar made from coconut sap. I have used Coco Natura in the past instead of sugar to sweeten my morning coffee.
Fog City Creamery suggests that for another taste experience, pair up Tablea with a scoop of Ensaymada ice cream, brown butter ice cream with ensaymada bits, and queso de bola.
.JPG?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1) |
| PhP 300/pint |
It’s not bad actually but to ice cream lovers like me who love to fill our cups to the brim with ice cream, go slow on this one. Tablea can only be taken in small quantities. After several spoonfuls, it can get overwhelming.
Brandied Cherries
Here’s another flavor that uses Emperador Deluxe brandy. Dark, red cherries are soaked in the brandy and mixed in with an ice cream base for the Brandied Cherries variant. I liked the cherry taste but the liquor in ice cream takes some getting used to.
+(Small).JPG?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1) |
| PhP 320/pint |
Fruit and Nuts Deluxe
.JPG?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1) |
| PhP 350/pint |
Fruit and Nuts Deluxe is a mix of apricots, pistachio and almonds in an ice cream base flavored with Emperador Deluxe brandy. This variant for me was so-so. The ice cream base was a little too milky rather than creamy. I guess I’m also not a person very fond of fruit bits in my ice cream because while I like all these ingredients in fruit cake, it somehow had a different experience for me as an ice cream. But that’s me.
Fog City Creamery has several other flavors, with new ones coming up every so often. They have Bourbon Pecan, Ferrero Rocher with Nutella Swirl, Cherry Vanilla, Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate, Sorrento, Ensaymada (the first in the market), Salted Caramel and many more. Fog City Creamery offers more sugar-free flavors such as Butterscotch Pecan and Espresso Almond.
Direct pick-ups of Fog City Creamery ice cream are at Valle Verde 5 or Foccacia, A. Venue, Makati City. It’s also available via delivery by calling City Delivery at 87878.
Fog City Creamery
Website: www.fogcitycreamery.com
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/FogCityCreamery
Twitter and Instagram: @FogCityCreamery
Email: info@fogcitycreamery.com / fogcitycreamery@gmail.com
Mobile: +63 917 8833344
