Beat the Heat: Rita's Italian Ice

With Manila’s scorching heat, it was not surprising that Rita’s was a hit when it came to Manila two years ago. I still remember the long queue just to get your frozen custard fix. I have to admit, I tried my best not to give in to the craze but eventually found myself lining up a few months later (since it opened its first branch in Greenhills) and was delighted by Rita’s Gelati or a combination of Italian ice and frozen custard. Fast forward to 2016, Rita’s is still getting a lot of attention with its wide array of flavors and combinations to choose from. And I had an opportunity to sample a bunch of Rita’s bestselling items a few Saturdays ago.

Hello, Rita’s Italian Ice!

I dropped by Rita’s U.P. Town Center branch on a sunny Saturday afternoon and was warmly greeted by its Marketing Officer Angela who treated us to a refreshing afternoon snack.

We first sampled Italian Ice in cotton candy, green apple, sugar-free dragon fruit, mango and kiwi-strawberry flavors. All are light in flavor and quite refreshing. I enjoyed kiwi-strawberry best as its slight tangy taste helped cleanse the palate. R on the other hand loved the bestselling flavor cotton candy. Well, he is pretty biased with anything cotton candy. 

Love at First Bite: Rita’s Ice-Custard-Happiness

I have been eying Rita’s for a long time now. Ever since it opened, I have heard and read nothing but praises. They say that this Italian custard really is “happiness” and finally, I got a taste of it last week.

Hello, Rita’s!

The place was packed when we visited but we didn’t mind the long wait as we couldn’t decide what to get. We got giddy with the thought of combining our favorite flavors but we were not so sure if it would work. Eventually, it was my turn and I asked the friendly guy manning the counter for recommendation.

I chose Gelati (PHP130 for regular) which is a combination of Italian flavored ice (think sorbet) and creamy custard. Since I wanted Strawberry-Banana (coffee was just too sweet!), he suggested that I pair it with vanilla custard. But I want to try more so I opted for the twist (chocolate with vanilla).

Presenting… chocolate vanilla twirl with strawberry-banana ice.