FARMACY ICE CREAM & SODA FOUNTAIN: THE PRESCRIPTION FOR ICE CREAM AWESOMENESS!

          I've always found the concept of a "Drugstore" an intriguing piece of classic Americana. Let's face it, to us Filipinos, the first thing that comes to our mind when we think of a "drug store" is Mercury, right? Well, back in the late 1800's to the early 1900's, a Drugstore was more associated with Soda Fountains than an actual Pharmacy. I'm a assuming the mixing of the chemicals and syrups to make your carbonated soda was once thought to be best left in the hands of the Pharmacist, who in turn employs a "Soda Jerk" to take care of your drinking needs. The Drugstore pretty much involved into an ice cream parlor as well, and became a very popular hangout, especially for the teen crowd.  

        A new restaurant in Bonifacio Global City opened recently, that gives us Pinoys a glimpse of what it may have been like to enjoy a nice Chocolate Fudge Sundae under the summer sun back in the day. 

       One lovely Sunday afternoon, Rina and I took Baby Rain to Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain, to experience the vibe of an old school Ice Cream parlor, but it turns out it was us who ended up feeling like kids again! 

        

        Farmacy is located at the Ground Floor of Net Lima Building at Bonifacio Global City, along 26th Street. The space is located just a few steps away from it's sister restaurant, Wildflour, occupying the spot that once housed Da.u.De Tea Lounge. 

      Your trip through time begins the moment you step through the doors of Farmacy. I can almost hear that "I Remember Yesterday" song from Bear Brand play in my head as I entered the glass doors. The wooden finishings of the interiors effectively invoked what one would presume a drugstore would have looked like back in the day. 

               Instead of squeezing in tables in their limited dining area, Farmacy wisely made use of bar stools and counter tops, which is perfectly in theme with the soda fountains of yesteryear. 

          For groups that would need tables and chairs, an Al Fresco dining area is situated outside, just in front of the entrance. 

          Farmacy makes all their ice cream in-house. In fact, the right end of the restaurant houses their open kitchen, where you can see for yourself the staff chopping and blending fresh fruits, getting ready to whip up the next batch of ice cream.

      The finished products are saved in Stainless Ice Cream Cabinets, keeping it away from the light and outside elements, in an effort to assure freshness, however attendants are more than happy to give you a taste of the ice cream of your choice, so you can decide which one you want.

          A whole slew of Ice Creams are on the Roster of Farmacy, but not all are available at the same time. The flavors on the board with the white dots are the ones that are available on that day. 

ICE CREAM TREATS

          Farmacy really got Rina and I feeling nostalgic, so we decided to begin with the classic Banana Split (P270). For our ice cream, we selected the standard flavors of Chocolate and Strawberry. Since it was made from scratch without too many sugary additives, the chocolate was a bit dark for my liking, but Rina absolutely LOVED it. The Strawberry also had a bit of tartness that reaffirmed that the strawberries were indeed, fresh. 

       The third flavor we chose was (surprise) Banana,  which I loved. It had the right sweetness and creaminess, as well as the subtle touch of banana flavor. 

       The sundae was bombarded with the old school fix-ins, such as Chocolate syrup, caramel, whipped cream, toasted nuts and strawberry sauce, and of course, finished with a cherry on top. 

     I've never eaten Ice Cream with Pan De Sal, but I've seen other people do it. Truthfully, I found it rather strange. I believe Filipinos will find Farmacy's Brioche Bomboloni (P225) to be a rather similar concept, but elevated to another level. 

   A Bomboloni is an Italian Doughnut, which is usually filled with cream or jams. Farmacy lets you choose a flavor of ice cream as your filling.  

   I chose the Straciatella, which I've always felt was just a fancy way of saying "Chocolate Chip" Ice Cream. The creaminess of the milky ice cream, and the dark notes of the chips went perfectly with the buttery bomboloni. 

      For the dessert of our dessert (Dessertception), Rina and I decided to try Farmacy's Ice Cream Sandwich (P225). We choose the Chocolate Chip Cookie as our "Sandwich Buns", and a simple Vanilla Bean as the filling. 

       The Vanilla Bean was smooth and had the right creaminess to sweetness ratio I look for. The cookie could have used some improvement. It was delicious, no doubt, but would have worked better if it was softer and chewier, rather than being a bit hard and crunchy.    

        I had just come from Tony Roma's so I really couldn't eat any more.. Believe it not, my stomach is not a bottomless void (Despite what my mother used to say.. Actually STILL says), so I wasn't able to order much else.

     In terms of creativity, Farmacy's flavors are far more conservative than its contemporaries, such as two favorites Sebastian's Ice Cream and Bono Gelato. 

     Nonetheless, Farmacy has a whole slew of Sundaes, Shakes, Homemade Sodas, and Ice Cream Floats (including alcohol infused "floats") that I still want to try! 

FARMACY
Ice Cream & Soda Fountain

Grnd Flr. Net Lima Bldg

4th St. Cor. 26th St.

Bonifacio Global City

Follow Farmacy on Facebook

FARMACY ICE CREAM & SODA FOUNTAIN MENU