FOOD & CUISINE
Tutti-Frutti has a pay-byweight and self-service policy— customize and create your own serving!
small serving, mama bear means medium serving and papa bear means large serving. Every time I get to visit Spike’ s Frozen Treats, I have difficulty deciding on what to order but would often end up with my favorite – Arctic Blends made of“ creamy vanilla soft-served blended with yummy mix-ins.” I order a baby bear-sized arctic blend with double cookie dough drizzled with strawberry syrup, which is only Php49. Their mama bear size is only Php59. Other choices are sundaes at Php39, Big American Wafer at Php12, Big American Waffle at Php20, American Ice at Php45 and Php50, Ice Cream Cups at Php35 to Php45 and Shivers from Php65 to Php75.
Tutti Frutti
Over the recent years, frozen yogurt has invaded the Philippine soil – all capitalizing on yogurt’ s health benefits as oppose to the traditional dairy products we have come to embrace over the years. Though there have been several frozen yogurt stores parading in malls, I have not found myself frequenting these healthy establishments until I tasted Tutti Frutti. Don’ t get me wrong, I have tasted other fro-yo stores( the term coined with the sudden boom in frozen yogurt), unfortunately they were all too sour for my palate, unless I add tons of chocolate toppings which defies the purpose of eating something healthy. Tutti Frutti’ s take on the frozen yogurt was a perfect blend of fermented dairy and sweetener which is a palate pleaser even to nonyogurt eaters and without too much topping, afterall, Tutti Frutti prides itself of having“ the most delicious yogurt in town.”
The US-based company has over 100 stores across the globe – with locations in various states in the US, in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Arab Emirates and in Asia.
Filipino entrepreneur Paolo Bernabe egged on by his wife who found Tutti Frutti’ s original and berry raspberry flavors addicting. After visiting a store in the US in June 2008, they launch the first Tutti Frutti store in the Philippines in September 2009. In only a year I saw two more branches opening up, one at SM San Lazaro and another at Quezon City’ s
Centris. It is no surprise as Paolo targets to open ten stores in the Philippines in 2010 with as far as two branches in Cebu.
By rotation on a given day, there are about eight flavors to choose from their self-serve froyo machines with basic flavors of original, chocolate and taro with over
30 toppings from fresh fruits like banana, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, pineapple, strawberry, kiwi and mango as well as nuts and chocolate varieties. During my very first visit to Tutti Frutti at their Glorietta branch I tried strawberry which was mildly sweet and bursting with divine strawberry flavor but what keeps me coming back is their chocolate-flavored yogurt. I have been a sucker for chocolates and eating this flavor in a healthy form gives me the license to gorge on it anytime.
Aside from Tutti Frutti’ s delightful flavors, one of the perks here is that you get to actually buy what you can consume as they offer a pay-by-weight policy with a minimum of Php20 per ounce. If you’ re new to this, the trick here is to get the smallest cup and slightly fill it then have it weighed. Their friendly staff will even assist you in using their yogurt machines and eagerly help you as you weigh your choice.
Swirls- Frozen Kefir
I am very much intrigued when I saw the recently opened Swirls Frozen Kefir outlet, also in SM MOA opposite Starbucks( Swirls opened last January 2011 but had an initial outlet in Boracay). With a tagline“ healthier and tastier than yogurt,” I thought – can there be anything healthier than yogurt which invaded Manila with all sorts of brands from various parts of the globe?
At the store’ s wall, my thoughts were answered – they say Kefir is easier to digest and contains active and live cultures. It also has“ active yeasts forming a virtual SWAT team that housecleans and strengthens the intestines.” I found out another term called koumiss or kumis. Kefir is a beverage sourced from camel or cow’ s milk and is fermented
Swirl’ s‘ kefir’ is made from fermented camel or cows milk— tastes suprisingly good!
7107 ISLAND TRAVEL 23