Icebergs

It was such a pleasant surprise when I saw the newly opened Icebergs on Banawe street, Quezon City.  Although Banawe street already has a lot of restaurants, I have always felt that it still needed a little bit more of variety.  And with Icebergs, we now have a place to go to for ice cream, desserts, and basically if we want something cold and sweet :p  Especially with the Philippines having hot weather, sometimes we just want something sweet & cold to get us refreshed and satisfy our sweet tooth.

Now, mom has been craving for halo halo ever since she arrived here in Manila.  So when we accidentally passed by Icebergs, we stopped and decided to have our early dinner there.  Coincidentally, a few weeks before that day, I had desserts at Icebergs, Harbour Square right after we watched CATS.  Another rare occurrence was that in both instances, I was wearing black! hahaha!

We ordered the ff. (I took the liberty to also include the desserts we had weeks ago):

• Icebergs Famous Sisig (Php 178)

In all honesty, when I do think of Icebergs, their meals and dishes usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.  And so, I really wasn’t aware that sisig was a famous dish at Icebergs!  Then we saw a big big picture on the menu and it turns out that sisig is indeed a specialty.  My mom ordered sisig so that she could try and judge for herself as to how Icebergs’ sisig differs from other places.  I also took a bite so that I knew how it tasted and in order for me to provide a review from my own perspective.

I can tell you that it was good, however, there’s really not much difference from their version to other restaurants though.  Although, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t good either, because what I look for in sisig is exactly what they provided.  The seasoning of the dish, which is always something I judge any dish on, the seasoning was just right.  The bits of meat, and the crunchiness of the chicharon too, really gave this dish a lot of texture and contrast which is important.  Combining the egg with the entire meal really completed this dish well.

• Southern Style Fried Chicken (Php 150)

I was extremely disappointed with my order of Fried Chicken.  It was overcooked and ended up being too hard to eat.  I ended up not eating the chicken and just ate the country fries included in the order.  Their country fries is truly one of the best, you can order ala carte too, price is at Php 128.  But I’m glad that we at least had a chance to try their chicken.  Now I know for sure that when it comes to chicken I’m probably still going to stick with KFC or Jollibee.

• Halo Halo Special (Php 88)

Icebergs’ Halo halo really satisfied my mom’s craving.  What I like about their halo halo is that the amount of ingredients they have in each order is just perfect.  And the amount of milk is also just right.  There’s nothing more disappointing when it comes to halo halo than too much ice, but not enough milk.  With Iceberg, the proportion of ingredients makes every spoonful rich, creamy, sweet, and delicious!  And do you see that big chunk of ube on top?  Yummy!

• Fresh Mango Iced Tea (Php 58)

I love this new drink from Icebergs!  It’s basically brewed tea with real chunks of Mango!  I love how they are catering to the Filipino taste, and an iced tea with mango chunks is truly unique and delicious!  I always like to order iced tea, but I’m glad that I was able to try this variation of the drink.  I really suggest that you try it too.  It’s a perfect recipe, which basically means it’s a yummy drink! :p  The balance in flavors gives it that right amount of mango taste without losing the iced tea flavor.  Sometimes flavored iced tea becomes too much about the flavor and suddenly we forget that its iced tea.  With Iceberg they were able to strike that balance in flavor with their fresh mango iced tea.

• Mocha Shake (Php 138)

I wasn’t really sure about this mocha shake.  I think the purposely made the shake rich, but when I think of a shake, my mind automatically thinks of a good mix of milk and whatever flavor the shake is supposed to be.  I think the shake was good, but it could have toned down on the richness and maybe added a bit more milk and maybe mixed it a bit more.  The cream was okay too, but I think however beautiful this shake may look, it could still use a little bit more refinement in its recipe or execution, or both.  The flavor was good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s sort of like having too much seasoning in a dish or meal, in this shake there was just too much.

• Mais con Hielo (Php 88)

Corn bits, corn flakes, milk, shaved ice and ice cream comprises mais con hielo.  A very old Filipino favorite and will continue to be mine.  Icebergs makes the traditional, simple, yet delicious mais con hielo.  Again, the proportion and the amount of milk they put in the dessert is really something I wish more places would practice.  It’s amazing just how simple this dessert can be, and yet Icebergs I know has done its homework when it comes to the proportions of its ingredients.  What I like about mais con hielo in general is that it’s not too sweet, but satisfies your craving for something sweet just enough.  And the taste of corn with ice cream and milk, mixed with some shaved ice is really something that can’t go wrong when you just need to cool off and relax.

• Strawberry Parfait (Php 168)

I know people go to Baguio for strawberries.  If you don’t have the resources to go there, you might as well order Strawberry Parfait in Icebergs!  When my friend gave it a try, she told me that this tastes just like strawberry jam only that it was frozen.  Their parfait consists of ice cream, some fresh strawberries, and strawberry syrup, and the whole thing topped with whipped cream.  I do recommend this too if ever you stop by Icebergs.  The only thing that I was wondering about this dessert is that I have always thought of parfaits to be a bit more light and fluffy, creamy, and even light in terms of flavors.  But other than that, I definitely would still recommend this dessert, parfait or not.

I would say though Icebergs has specialty meals, they are still a dessert place.  One of the popular ones in Manila actually.  They are expanding and it seems like they’re here to stay.  For hot days, when you need to satisfy your craving for something sweet, craving for ice cream or halo halo, or even some shakes, I suggest a stop at Icebergs.  You won’t regret it, and your sweet tooth will thank you for it! :p

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Icebergs
698 Banawe St., Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines