Finding Gelato at a Ravioli Restaurant
A lot of my subscribers probably noticed the microblog I posted a few weekends ago wherein me and my family ate at a ravioli restaurant. If you have missed it, below is a screenshot of that particular post.
(Image Source: Personal – screenshot and edited by jikZ)
Looking on the boxed item of the above photo, I was surprised to see that the ravioli restaurant is serving gelato. This comes as a surprise since not many establishments sells gelato here in the Philippines.
As you may have guessed, this post is about the double rewards topic --- Gelato!
This post will also cover the following topics:
• My first-hand experience in discovering interesting information about gelato
• My very first gelato eating experience
• The realization that some Italian restaurant here in the country might be serving gelato
• The quest to visit Italian restaurants and eat gelato
Wanting to Eat Italian Food
(Image Source: Google Images)
As I have mentioned in the beginning section of the post, we ate at an Italian restaurant last Saturday. The restaurant is called Bistro Ravioli located in Makati City. Makati City is a popular business district here in the Philippines. Ravioli, on the other hand, is a type of Italian dish wherein meat fillings are sealed between two thin layers of pasta dough. Sometimes, cheese and vegetables are used as fillings instead of meat.
There's no particular reason why we chose the place, it's just that I suddenly craved to eat Quattro Formaggi (fyi please for those who are not aware, Quattro Formaggi means Four Cheese in Italian dialect) pizza which is my regular order when going to this Italian diner.
Anyway, while browsing for other items to order, lo and behold, I saw GELATO in the menu.
Knowing Gelato Through Socializing
(Image Source: Google Images)
Naturally, I quickly inquired about the cold yummy treat after seeing it at the restaurant’s menu. Although, I have already read some interesting facts about gelato (thanks to BLSC – bitLanders Survey Chat), of course, it's also good to hear people's opinion about this frozen delight. It would be fascinating to learn what she's going to say since the waitress, in one way or another, is connected with gelato.
I mean isn't it amazing! Who knew that I would be able to discover interesting gelato information through social interaction.
Validating Information I've Read About Gelato
In this part, I'll showcase my conversation with the waitress and how she somehow validated the things that I have read about gelato. Below are some key points of our conversation.
Q. What is the difference between Gelato and Ice Cream?
According to the waitress, gelato is also an ice cream – only it is the Italian version of an ice cream. In terms of preparation, she claims that unlike other ice cream, gelato has no artificial flavors, does not use cream – instead it uses whole milk. She explained that due to its preparation and ingredients, it is the healthier option because it has lower fat.
(Image Source: Google Images)
Q. Have you ever heard of Amorino Gelato?
Unfortunately, she has only heard of the famous Amorino Gelateria but she is not that familiar. The most that she knows about Amorino is that it is a popular gelato restaurant outside the Philippines.
Thinking about it, you may have also heard about Amorino as this particular gelateria (a shop selling gelato) is quite popular in the US and in Europe. The video below may refresh your memory about Amorino:
(Video Source: YouTube.com)
Q. What is a Gelatissimo and a Sorbetto?
The waitress is also not that aware of these two terms. Apparently, gelatissimo is another term for gelato. On the other hand, sorbetto (also known as sorbet) is another frozen type of dessert.
Micky also stated that in the Survey Chat that sorbetto is a cold yummy delight that does not contain any type of diary. Instead, it uses fruit, fruit puree, and fruit juices.
Q. What flavors would you suggest?
I asked her if all the flavors are the same and just slightly different. She said that each one is prepared differently and the ingredients are also different. She recommended option 2 (boxed item on photo below)
(Image Source: Personal – photo taken and edited by jikZ)
Q. Are similar flavors also served in other restaurants?
She is not sure if all restaurants serve the exact flavor. There might be difference in naming conventions and flavor combinations.
Q. Do all Italian eateries here in Philippines serve gelato?
Again, she is not sure with this one but she said maybe not all.
Q. Does she know any other popular gelato place?
She heard of a gelato place somewhere in BGC (another popular city here in Philippines) that people talk about. However, she wasn’t able to get the name.
The Verdict – My very first Gelato experience
Now that I am better equipped with gelato information, time to go to the next level and try first-hand this frozen yummy delight. The waitress suggested the second one on the menu and that is what I tried.
The gelato that I ordered is called Stracciatella – a vanilla based gelato sprinkled with Belgian chocolate.
The moment I put stracciatella in my mouth, I instantly deduced that the waitress and other online sources are not lying about gelato's characteristic that is has lesser air than ice cream. This particular characteristic is easily recognizable.
Even though I did not do a side-by-side comparison with an ice cream, I have to say that gelato’s texture and mixture is easily noticeable. One can distinguish that it is softer / smoother than ice cream.
(Image Source: Personal / jikZ)
The realization that some Italian restaurant here in the country might also be serving gelato
I have actually haven’t thought of this until I saw gelato in the menu of Bistro Ravioli. Come to think about it, Italian restaurants here in the country would probably be serving gelato since it is, after all, originated from Italy. So all I have to do now is to collate Italian restaurants here in the metro and pick out the ones that are most convenient to go through.
Now one may think that this may seem like a laborious effort – interestingly, many of the Italian restaurants are here in the metro. All I have to do is to look at the menu, check out the desserts section, and see if there are any gelato or gelatissimo in it.
Besides, how can I just resist not looking for and trying the delicious gelato flavors. I have the following flavors (see video below) to look forward to.
(Video Source: YouTube.com)
The quest to visit Italian restaurants and look for Gelato
Well, we are now in the last portion of the blog. I'll sure to keep you guys posted for my gelato adventures. As mentioned on my previous blog (My Gelato Adventure Part 1 - The Craving The Hunt and The Information), that is where my gelato adventure began.
That's just about it. My next adventure would probably be me going at Bono Gelato and using the discount / promotional offer I received for their premium gelato flavors. Please see photo below of the SMS I received regarding particular offer.
(Image Source: Personal – screenshot and edited by jikZ)
See you next time folks. Enjoy and have fun eating that gelato.
