Not your usual ice cream: Four unique summer treats

On a hot summer day, no sight is as welcome as that of a sorbetes cart. The humble ice cream is a favorite comfort food of Filipinos, and comes in classic flavors like chocolate, cheese and ube. For the ultra-Pinoy experience, order ice cream in a bun!

For those looking for a more adventurous dessert, though, there are plenty of ice cream bars peddling unique concepts. Magnum, the Belgian chocolate-dipped popsicle, recently opened a make-it-yourself cafe where diners can add nuts, syrup and cookies. In Quezon City’s student-centric area of Maginhawa, one cafe flash-freezes ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

It seems there are always new ways to enjoy ice cream. Here are four cool treats featured on GMA News TV’s “Good News.”

Ice cupcakes
Cupcakes were one of the biggest food trends of 2014. J Cuppacakes, a dessert cafe in Makati, has a cool version (no pun intended) on their menu: Ice cupcakes!

The dessert has several alternating layers of ice cream and cake. Owner and chef Julianne Bernardo adds, “May mga decorations that you’ll usually see with ice cream, such as whipping cream.”

Their rocky road overload comes with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, fudge syrup, a candied cherry and a wafer stick; while the brazo de mercedes has a meringue topping, custard layer and ube ice cream. Meanwhile, the classic banana split has banana slices, strawberry wafer stick, chocolate and vanilla swirled ice cream. Each costs P90 to P95.

Tempura ice cream
Apart from some seriously tasty noodles, Ramen Bar serves up ice cream with a Japanese twist. “‘Yung mga customers namin, minsan nagtatanong kung talagang seryoso kami na may deep-fried ice cream,” admits Oya Olalia, PR Manager of Ramen Bar.

Big scoops of ice cream are dipped in tempura batter and quickly deep-fried, then served on a bed of crispy chocolate with wafers and chocolate syrup. The end result? An ice cream dish that doubles as a conversation piece! Each serving is good for two and costs P150.

Waffle cookie sandwich
Looking for a healthier alternative to an ice cream sandwich? Try the waffle cookie sandwich, which switches out the usual chewy bread with a delicate and crispy waffle cookie. Each waffle is layered with a milk chocolate spread, too.

Available at Pinkberry, this treat is made with low-calorie frozen yogurt. The tartness of the yogurt and the crunchy cookie make a great pair. Get yours for P115.

Ice cream milk tea
The international milk tea brand Gong Cha is most famous for topping their tea with “house cream,” a thick blend of cream cheese and milk. For a summer-ready take on their signature drink, they let you switch out the cream for two big scoops of vanilla ice cream. Try it for P95.

“One summer day, nag-decide ‘yung owner [ng Gong Cha] na lagyan ng ice cream ‘yung kanyang favorite na milk tea. Nagustuhan niya ‘yung lasa kaya nag-decide sila na isama sa menu,” shares Michael Papio of Gong Cha.

And just how much do people like ice cream? Michael adds, “Isa na [ang ice cream milk tea] sa mga top sellers ngayon.” –Cristina Tantengco/PF, GMA News