Eating ice cream in December? The wisecracker would quickly retort, you drink coffee in summer, don’t you? Really, why not. Especially if it’s the luscious and oversized ice cream treats being served at the iconic Peninsula Manila Lobby.
“December is the time when a lot of people come and get together traditionally, just like at The Lobby where we are launching our latest ice cream menu. We do get a lot of people coming together and who ask for our ice cream,” shares Adam Lifshitz, the Pen’s assistant food and beverage manager.
Not only that, Executive Pastry Chef Sebastien Coquery notes guests of the hotel are fond of eating their frozen delights anytime of the day. “I have been traveling around the world for 20 years now, and this is the first country where we serve ice cream for breakfast. In the buffet, it is not only kids but also adults as well who enjoy our ice cream. They take their cup of coffee with ice cream (on the side). I’ve never seen that anywhere in the world,” the French chef says with an amused tone.
Guests screaming for ice cream in the hotel’s lobby and restaurant outlets encouraged Executive Chef Patrick Bocheur and Chef Coquery to improve the Pen Lobby’s dessert collections to serve more tempting concoctions under the collective name Frozen by the Sun. The Sun, of course, is a reference to National Artist Napoleon Abueva’s iconic “Sunburst” sculpture set above the Lobby.
In the midst of the artisanal ice cream rage, however, don’t expect unusual flavors like bacon, wasabi, and blue cheese to be served here. Lifshitz shrugs his shoulders and says the hotel prefers to offer more familiar flavors. “We decided to stick to the more traditional, classic flavors of ice cream as these are what the people look for. People want something they can recognize.”
Instead, the hotel found its perfect chill buddy in food service giant Unilever Foodsolutions, which carries Selecta, one of the country’s leading ice cream brands. Chefs Bocheur and Coquery then created festively served frozen desserts guaranteed to delight not just Filipinos but foreign guests, too.
Lifshitz shares that the new and improved cold desserts will also surely make people feel good. “Most of the people who order ice cream at the Lobby are adults. (That’s why) we try to give our ice cream a playful feel so they can embrace their inner child.”
Chef Coquery adds that the ice cream creations are not just for satisfying the sense of taste but the sense of sight as well. “We eat first with the eyes. Just see what we did with the Nutty Page Boy, which has marshmallows, rich caramel sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles on it. Kids will certainly like it.”
The Choco Loco Sundae, for instance, is definitely a chocoholic’s fantasy with its chocolate truffle and chocolate hazelnut ice cream together with moist brownie chunks and whipped cream.
Can’t Say No consists of ice cream classics like chocolate truffle, vanilla, and coffee almond topped with white and dark chocolate, and whipped cream.
Then there’s the all-time Pen Lobby favorite Pen Pals—all 19 scoops of guiltless ice-cream goodness. Unless you’re up for brain freeze, it’s best attacked as a group.
“People still get that same excitement, even as adults, over ice cream,” says Lifshitz. “Their eyes light up and they still get that sense of joy.”
True. You can’t get anymore Christmas-y than that—delighting in food that gives cheer and a sweet rush of childhood memories.
The Peninsula Manila is located at Ayala corner Makati Avenue. For inquiries, (+632) 887-2888.
source: interaksyon.com
