Bicolandia is known for spicy food due to their fondness with sili (chili) that they put in just about any dish you can think of—including ice cream! 1st Colonial Grill claims to be home to the original sili ice cream, and we came to investigate this exotic ice cream.
It was a hot night in Legazpi City and our taste buds were looking for something cool and sweet before calling it a night. Our quest for dessert brought us to Pacific Mall where a branch of 1st Colonial Grill can be found. And after examining their extensive menu, almost all of us got their Halo-Halo and decided to try a few of their ice cream flavors. Too bad that we already had a heavy dinner beforehand as their food looks appetizing!
I honestly wasn’t expecting much from a Halo-Halo as all I wanted was something cool, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good their Halo-Halo is! No kidding! It’s one of the best tasting Halo-Halo I’ve ever tasted! The melon ice cream mixes so well with the other ingredients and the cheese added some salty flavor to the smorgasbord of sweets. And their ube (purple yam) tastes like the real thing. I can’t enumerate all the items in their Halo-Halo were, but they all tasted great together.
Then it was time to sample the ice cream. Let’s begin with the malunggay (moringa) ice cream (₱79).
Well, there’s no doubt that this ice cream is full of malunggay. Aside from the color, you can really taste the malunggay in it. I found the flavor a bit too strong though so unless you’re used to the taste of malunggay, I suggest you try a different flavor.
Tinutong na bigas (burnt rice) ice cream (₱89) is another exotic ice cream that I got to try first here in 1st Colonial Grill. It may not be that exotic but it’s pretty interesting and it actually tastes nice. It tastes kind of like mocha or coffee so there’s not much to worry about. And it definitely doesn’t taste burnt.
Finally, it’s time to taste 1st Colonial Grill’s signature sili ice cream (₱89). Since most Filipinos aren’t used to spice, 1st Colonial Grill’s sili ice cream comes in three levels of spiciness. Since we can’t come to Bicol that easily from Manila, we decided to just go all out with their level three sili ice cream.
Let’s just say that that ice cream can really burn! It’s really spicy! It’s quite difficult how to explain how an ice cream that is so cool can be so hot at the same time—you really have to try it to understand what I mean. Just like the malunggay ice cream, the sili is a bit too strong though for my taste, perhaps to maximize the spiciness. Still a must try though!
We were only able to try 1st Colonial Grill’s Halo-Halo and a few of their exotic ice cream flavors and for these I give them my two thumbs up! I don’t think I’ve tasted a Halo-Halo with cheese before and melon ice cream isn’t commonly used (even melon flavored ice cream is uncommon) but they really made it work to have a really great tasting Halo-Halo! Their ice cream may not be that creamy as the flavors are a bit too strong but their exotic nature sure make them interesting. I wish I had a stomach big enough to sample them all but I guess that gives me a reason to return one day and try the ones I missed! Highly recommended! ❤
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