ICEBERGS, RIGHT AHEAD!

Is this what sunk the Titanic?

           I love ice cream parlors. There's really something nostalgic about it. (Does anyone from Cebu remember the old ice cream parlor at the ground floor of the building where the cinema "Belvic" used to be? They made one of the best chocolate parfaits ever!) I think that when you're a kid, and you go into a place whose specialty is ice cream, you wont have to worry about being good all throughout or your parents might not allow you to have dessert (I don't think anyone would be that cruel). I remember going to the Old Magnolia House to have the "Hidden Treasure" ice cream sundae.. (Was that the name? All I remember that it was the one with a chocolate gold coin in the bottom) and to me it was the greatest thing on earth (I hadn't discovered Bacon yet). When I got older, I took my Niece Cara there, to try their "Kit Kat Choco Attack", basically a Parfait with Kit Kat sticks around it. (Pretty good too) 

        I've seen Icebergs around for quite some time now, because I would pass by the one in Timog often when I lived in QC. But I never thought about going there because as much as I love ice cream, I'm not very fond of Halo Halo and stuff like that, which i thought was pretty much the backbone of everything there serve. When I passed by their branch in Robinsons Galleria a few years back, I got a glimpse of their Menu and saw it was more of like an Diner than just an ice cream parlor.

            I've been there a few times already, but never captured on film. I've tried their fried chicken, which was pretty decent, and when Rina was craving for a Chili Dog, we headed straight to Icebergs. After a meeting with my buddy Ted at Metro Walk on a Scorching hot Saturday afternoon, Rina wanted to goto a place with something refreshing to cool us down while having our late lunch. 

            The choice of Icebergs was a no-brainer.

Rina, ready to go

           Walking into the restaurant, I was immediately put off by the manager who would probably never win any Miss Congeniality awards. When we entered, she was at the corner table with tons of paperwork piled up on her desk. Considering we were the only customers at the time, I was expecting a little glimpse of a hint of gratitude from her - maybe a half smile, perhaps? She simply watched us walk in, and seat ourselves, then looked down back at her papers and yelled out to the waiters inside the kitchen, "Customer!". Even afterwards, when I asked for extra table napkins or something, I can assure you she handed them to me, like i was a completely stranger off the street - not like someone that she's welcoming into her home. I actually felt I was intruding with her paperwork. 


      Anyway, I put that aside and decided I wasn't there to make friends, I was there to eat. So Rina and I placed our orders.

         

ENTREES

Fish Adobo, or Fish Teriyaki?

         I surprised Rina a bit when I ordered theCrispy Fish Fillet Glazed in Adobo mango sauce (P179). For an additional P32 bucks, I switched my plain rice to Corn Rice. (You can change it to Brown Mountain Rice or Green Spinach Rice. They all looked really weird) I liked the rice, as it had a touch of buttery sweetness to it, that was ruined by it being served slightly cold. The dish was average, as I firmly believe that the breading they used was nothing more than cornstarch and flour. The fish itself was cooked well, and seasoned properly. I'm not sure what was so "Adobo" about the sauce, because if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was Teriyaki sauce.

Salpicao or Roast Beef?

          As expected, my wife ordered the Rib eye Salpicao (P213).  The beef surprised me with its tenderness, that was comparable to foreign brand meats. It was amazingly soft. The sauce though, looked more like gravy than an olive oil based sauce, and despite the presence of the garlic, it lacked flavor - to the point that Rina needed to eat it with Knorr. Also, the plating was really unimaginative. Shredded carrots on rice garnished with a few speckles of green onions is hardly "plating".

Ted and his next challenge

          Ted already had lunch earlier, so he said he didn't want anything too heavy. He then proceeded to order their Mango Con Hielo (P118), completely throwing out his "Operation: Not Yoo Heavy" out the window.

A mountain of Mango

          It was a pretty huge bowl, with generous scoops of Mango ice cream and Mango chunks, that he actually had trouble finishing all by himself. (Which rarely ever happens for Ted)

A good old fashioned Sundae

              Rina & I decided to split an Oreo Cookie Sundae (P138). It was actually pretty simple, but delicious dish. They used three scoops of ice cream (Cookies and Cream, and 2 scoops of Chocolate) and placed an oreo cookie on it, doused a bit of chocolate syrup, sprayed on some whipped cream, and topped it off with a Cherry. In a strange twist of events, Rina asked for the cookie, and I asked for the cherry. 

Looks like a scene from our wedding

           You can't go wrong when sharing a Sundae with the love of your life on a hot Saturday afternoon.. I'd definitely go back for the ice cream, but the food? I'd probably explore other options first. But don't get me wrong, I did enjoy their Southern Style Fried Chicken during a previous trip, but nevertheless, as admirably as Icebergs is for expanding their menu, they probably should stick to what they do best - their ice cream creations