Melo Villareal
BONO Artisanal Gelato: Proudly Pinoy Gelato
I’m a big fan of gelato. In fact, I frequently go to different gelateria around the metro. When a friend of mine invited me and a few other fellow foodies to try out BONO Artisanal Gelato in SM Aura, of course I was thrilled and excited to go.
Kooky Monster Gelato from Bono
It’s not my first time to try out this popular gelateria. The first time I went, I was very happy with the whole experience. This time around, I was even more excited to try their Affogato and other offerings.
Zarah Manikan of Bono
Gelato vs Ice Cream
Gelato is a bit different from ice cream. Firstly, it has a higher milk over cream and eggs (sometimes, it doesn’t have eggs at all) content compared with your typical ice cream. The way it is mixed or churned allows for less air to be incorporated into it. As a result, it’s a lot denser than ice cream. It is also a low-fat version, containing only 4% to 8% butterfat compared to ice cream’s 18%.
Only from BONO
Affogato with Vanilla Bean Gelato from Bono
BONO’s Affogato is a coffee-based beverage made with a scoop of vanilla gelato and topped off with a shot of hot UCC espresso. During our tasting, the production manager, Zarah Manikan, even demonstrated how to prepare the Liquid Nitrogen Vanilla Bean Gelato for the tasting.
Pistachio Gelato at BONO artisanal gelato in SM Aura Premier
Next up, I had a scoop of my favorite Pistachio Gelato. What I love about this gelato is the rich flavor. It’s not starchy at all compared to other gelato brands, and the blend has chewy pistachios. It was love at first taste the moment the gelato hit my taste buds! Apart from that, I also love their Movie Night Gelato.
Why So Delicious?
So, how do they make their gelato taste great? First, they make sure they only use fresh and in-season ingredients from all over the country and all over the world. This ensures that each scoop of gelato is of the best quality.
To make the gelato, they use the same standard slow-churning method that is used to make authentic Italian gelato. The gelato is also hand-made and churned daily in small batches. Every scoop you enjoy is 12 to 20 hours fresh. The storage they use also ensure that they are exposed to the least amount of air and light contamination to keep that gelato consistency.
Pistachio Gelato
No Shortcuts
BONO Artisanal is an advocate of the “slow-food movement”. This means, they don’t use cheats or take shortcuts when creating scoops for every client. There is nothing artificial about it and every component is made from scratch. This means, there are no artificial colorings, flavors, gels, pastes, powders, premixes, or preservatives.
They also offer flavors that are dairy-free and low in sugar for those who still want to enjoy gelato, but with specific preferences. For their dairy-free fare, you can check out the Cioccolato, Taho, and their sorbets. Their Cappucino and Stracciatella flavors are their low-sugar offerings.
Proudly Pinoy
Mango Ube Symphony from Bono Gelato
One of the greatest things about BONO Gelato is “Pinoy Factor”. That really sets it apart and makes it special. It’s no surprise then that it will represent the country, competing in the Gelato World Tour on March 20 to 22 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and hoping to take home the “World’s Best Gelato” title. To qualify, BONO Artisanal Gelato’s Mango Ube Symphony was able to win over 40 entries out of 50 and qualified as one of the 16 finalists from Asia Pacific.
Zarah Manikan of Bono Artisanal Gelato Philippines
BONO Artisanal came from the Italian word buono, meaning ‘good or great’. Opening in December 12, they introduced the country to Speculoo’s cookie butter, setting off a country-wide craze for the flavor. It became Manila’s top gelateria thanks to interesting flavors like Cereal and Milk, Summer Lavender, Taho, and other popular and unique flavors. According to the 2014 edition of Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant Secrets, they are the best dessert, ice cream, and cake shop in the metro.
BONO Gelato logo
BONO Artisanal Gelato has branches at The Podium, SM Aura, SM Megamall, and SM Southmall. They also cater for private functions and even create bespoke and custom flavors on the spot for you. Like their official page on www.Facebook.com/BonoGelato, follow them on Instagram (@bonogelato), or just visit their website at www.gelatobono.com.
