I was excited to stuff myself with dessert while out on a date with Tiffany, one of my very best friends. After a filling dinner, we checked out the delectable-looking treats at Cara Mia Gelateria. There were so many gorgeous gelato cakes to choose from!
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| abbygabyfoodie does not know what to eat |
Gelato is an ambiguous italian term for frozen sweet treats like ice cream and sorbet. However, it has come to mean something different from your usual ice cream. Gelato is made with less butterfat, has more milk, and has less air than ice cream. You can also zest it up with with fruits, nuts, spices and liquor flavors.
I wanted something chocolate and something strawberry, and finally settled on Di Lusso (
lusso is italian for luxurious or rich). The description sounded lavish enough -- a combination of pistachio, chocolate and strawberry gelato enrobed in chocolate ganache and resting on a bed of crushed graham.
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| Di Lusso, photo from Cara Mia Facebook page |
Tiffany placed her sweet bet on Mango Felicity, fresh mango chunks on a soft sponge-y bed.
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| Mango Felicity, photo from Cara Mia Facebook page |
Both cakes were beautifully presented. I couldn't wait to dig in!
I liked the rich ganache which went perfectly with the more subdued sweetness of the strawberry, chocolate, and pistachio center. You can't go wrong with this combination of flavors; they just melted, blended, settled, and just like that, they were gone. So you just have to take another tongue-cooling bite.
What I didn't like were the chocolate flowers on top. They looked so pretty and yummy, but eating them was like putting a spoonful of butter in my mouth.
The Mango Felicity was even less sweeter. As Tiffany said, without the graham crust, this cake would lack taste. The mangoes were also not as "succulent" as advertised. In fact, I could barely distinguish the mangoes from the gelatin they were embedded in.
I don't think I could be blamed for expecting a rich gelato treat. Since gelato has less air, it's known to be denser and to have more intense flavors. However, these cakes were very light and in the case of the Mango Felicity, the flavors were a bit imperceptible.
Still, I had fun with my bestie. Cara Mia's atmosphere was good for girl bonding.
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| gift-giving... |
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| taking crazy pictures... |
...and of course...
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| eating! |
Cara Mia Gelateria is located at SM Megamall Atrium,
3rd Level EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. For inquiries, call 02-6361341.
