May 25, 2013

The Ultimate Ice Cream Experience at Cold Stone Creamery Philippines- Serendra, Bonifacio Global City


Cold Stone Creamery, the American-based ice cream chain, has finally landed here in the Philippines!! Cold Stone Creamery teamed up with Arizona Ice Cream Corporation here in the country to offer Filipinos a fun and friendly personalized ice cream experience. It will officially open to the public some time next week and I'm pretty sure most of you are already excited to be one of the first customers to try it out.

The store is strategically located at the corner of Serendra Piazza fronting Market!Market! It has a see-through glass doors and windows, showing off the simple yet vibrant store interiors with energetic and bubbly staff aiming to put smiles on their customers' faces.

Last May 23, The Foodies Circle was privileged to be part of the invitational sneak peek of the first Cold Stone Creamery store in the country. Guests were treated to unlimited ice cream creations just the way they like it.


First step is to Choose Your Cup:
Lick It (P95), Like It (P145-P180), Love It (P165-P200), Gotta Have It (P185-P220), Mine (P365-P400), Ours (P765-P800), Everybody's (P1,165-P1,200)


You may also choose an add on of Plain Waffle, Chocolate Coated Waffle or Chocolate Coated Waffle w/ Sprinkles

Choose your Ice Cream Flavor:
They have 20 handcrafted flavors to choose from that includes Cold Stone's Always Available Flavors, Seasonal Flavors and Fruity Sorbets. 


They have a lot of mixins ranging from classics to local favorites such as dried mango chips and Hany milk chocolate.


After choosing your ice cream flavors and mixins, watch as they prepare your orders on a frozen granite stone.

Since I am more of a sorbet person, my first cup was their Strawberry Mango Banana Sorbet w/ Blueberries.


I must say that this is not your usual sorbet with an icy texture. It was smooth and creamy with a refreshing and fruity taste. The combination of the three fruit flavors was perfect, without one overpowering the other. My personal favorite.  

Salted Caramel with Pecan and Almonds


Sumi got herself a cup of their Salted Caramel with Pecan and Almond mixins. Again, the salted caramel ice cream is way different from any other salted caramel we've tasted. It was like vanilla ice cream with a subtle hint of salt and caramel. If you find salted caramel too sweet for you, then trying Cold Stone's version is a must!

Cinnamon with Almond, Pecan and Brownies


Stacy, on the other hand, chose a cinnamon flavored ice cream with nuts and brownies. What I noticed from Cold Stone's ice cream is that it is more on the creamy side. The flavors were very mild to ensure that customers won't find it too bold and overpowering. 

But of course, we couldn't leave without trying their Signature Creations


I got the Cheesecake Fantasy in waffle bowl which happens to have my favorites in it- Cheesecake Ice Cream, Graham Cracker Pie Crust, Blueberries and Strawberries


I just love this signature creation! It was like eating frozen cheesecake with the waffle bowl as its crust. And I just can't get enough of their blueberry mixins don't you think?

Our Strawberry Blonde in chocolate waffle cone- Strawberry Ice Cream, Graham Cracker Pie Crust, Strawberries, Caramel and Whipped Cream 


A nice combination that we created for that day was this Pistachio Mint in rainbow sprinkled chocolate coated waffle bowl. It was really a great combination. Trust me :) 


Cold Stone Creamery Menu:


Other Cold Stone Creamery products are:




We were able to interview the President of Cold Stone Creamery Mr. Michael McGill who happily answered our questions. 

Cold Stone President Micheal McGill

Why did you decide to tap the Philippine market?
Michael McGill: We felt that the time to come to the Philippines was right after the success of our  first international store in Japan back in 2005. It's all about finding the right partner for us and we found the right partner in the Philippines to help grow the brand. Another key factor was that there's not much super premium ice cream concept here in the Philippines and we felt that there was a need that we could fulfill for all the ice cream lovers here.

There's another ice cream place here in the Philippines with the same concept as Cold Stone, what do you think sets you apart from them?
Michael McGill: What set us apart are three things. One, we have the best ice cream in the world, made fresh in stores everyday. Two, we have ice cream the way you like it. Customized, personalized, you can just come in and choose which flavor you want depending on your mood. We have over 11.5 million different combinations that you could create. We pride ourselves with Fresh Ice Cream, Personalized Experience and the Best and Energetic Crew Members in the business. All that together creates the ultimate ice cream experience. 

Will you be offering exclusive flavors here in the Philippines?
Michael McGill: We are going to offer some of our favorites that had been on the menu for 25 years. But one thing we do when we open to a new market is that we try to offer local flavors or mixins that is distinct to that particular market. For example here in the Philippines, we have dried mango as our mixins. And what we do is we really get a lot of suggestions from our customers. So as we open our doors, we're gonna ask for feedback on what type of ice cream/mixins would they like to see so that we could create personalized creations in the Philippines.

What is your favorite ice cream creation from Cold Stone Creamery?
Michael McGill: It depends on my mood. But if you have to pin me down on one, I'm a traditionalist, old fashioned kind of guy so that would be our founder, Donald Sutherland's creation called Founder's Favorite. It's sweet cream ice cream with caramel, fudge, pecans and brownies, it's a great combination altogether. 

How do you plan to tap the Philippine market?
Michael McGill: There are a lot of great opportunities in the Philippines and one thing we are gonna do is that  we are going to be an ice cream shop for everybody. People could have gourmet/deluxe ice cream cakes for celebrations/special occasions or if they are just having a bad day, they could have a simple ice cream products at a very good price. We are gonna offer a diverse line of products from shakes and smoothies to cakes and creations that could satisfy ice cream lovers throughout the country.  

Basically it is an ice cream shop for all ages, do you also have products for health conscious people or those living on a healthier lifestyle?
Michael McGill: We know that our ice cream are indulgence products and we understand that some people don't want to indulge that much. So we have sorbets that have lower calorie count, they're fruit based with fantastic flavors that you could just mix with nuts or fruits as well. 

How many stores are you planning to put up in the Philippines?
Michael McGill: This is our first store,and the second branch will be in Mall of Asia around July then by the end of the year we will have 4 stores. And basically if Filipinos across the country would say we want Cold Stone, we will find a way to bring it to them. 

It was really a fun and friendly environment at Cold Stone Creamery with crew members enthusiastically preparing each ice cream creation while singing and chanting songs to welcome everyone! Looking forward to revisiting with D and the family for them to also indulge in the ultimate ice cream experience.

Cold Stone Creamery
Ground Floor, Serendra 11th Ave. Fort Bonifacio Taguig

25 comments:

  1. dustgaudanMay 25, 2013

    I'm actually planning to go there with my officemates but it was still closed during that time. :)

    Lick It (P95), Like It (P145-P180), Love It (P165-P200), Gotta Have It (P185-P220), Mine (P365-P400),Ours (P765-P800), Everybody's (P1,165-P1,200) ----> This is interesting! :)

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  2. Mommy LifeMay 25, 2013

    Oh my God, the moment I saw your photos I thought I was in heaven with all the yummy ice creams!!! How I wish meron dito sa amin nyan :(

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  3. Can't wait to go back when Cold Stone finally opens! :D There more flavors I want to try.. Hihi.. Anyway, let's bring the boys din, I'm sure they'll love the ice creams ^^

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  4. i always love ice cream. i am happy that cold stone is here in the Philippines. will raid them soon!

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  5. My friends abroad are crazy over Cold Stone and I am happy that they have a new branch here. Can't wait to try that soon :-)

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  6. Must be heaven! PLease open an Ortigas branch, Cold Stone! ;)

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  7. My family will have a field day with these treats. I hope we get to try this very soon.

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  8. marrimyeMay 26, 2013

    WoW!!!
    My kids and hubby will surely have a feast here. They love ice cream. We will visit the store and have a try.

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  9. Yummy! These desserts are really mouthwatering. This is a perfect treat for my kids and hubby.

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  10. Wow nice!! So excited for cold stone. I will definitely visit this week!

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  11. Ice cream! and the thing is, it's near to where my bro lives. I'll definitely try this one out! Come March and I'll indulge their ice cream and even blog about it! :D

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  12. Yes, cold stone will officially open sometime next week daw :) i think their staff are still undergoing some training :)

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  13. Yes lets bring the boys :) D will love it here! :) im sure J too :)

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  14. Hi ness, i suggest u check their facebook page to know the exact date of their official opening.. I think they closed the stores muna for crew training :)

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  15. Im pretty sure they will michy! They will be opening 4 stores daw this year e..

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  16. Nice! Looking forward to your post jonas! :)

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  17. We'll never know where cold stone will pop out next :)

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  18. This is the first time I've heard of Cold Stone Creamery. The ice cream looks enticing and the variants are interesting.
    -Wanderer Juan

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  19. Wow, I love ice cream and it is nice to see some new brands here.

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  20. ohhhhhhhhh!! this is really a must try!! since I'm a huge fan of ice creams. I want to try their ice cream cakes!! :)) gaaaaaaaaaaaah ♥ ♥

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  21. wow those looks like yummy! now im cravong for one too! Its like the cold rock something in australia that we always had in singapore back then.

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  22. Daddy StrugglesMay 27, 2013

    As much as Cold Stone provides an almost endless array of choices in their ice cream, some are just way too intense for me.. but hey, sometimes, you can't go wrong with intense :D

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  23. My kids would definitely love to try their ice cream. Thanks for sharing.


    Followed you via GFC and Google+. You may visit me at:
    http:roselsmomdiary.blogspot.com

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  24. the one with the sprinkles looks so awesome!! I am so craving for it!!

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  25. Yamito Uytingco CalambaMay 28, 2013

    Oh my! this is a must-try on my next visit in BGC! :)

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